This is the longest break I've ever taken from blogging since I started this site. In this 5-month hiatus, I've made several major life-changing decisions which I will attempt to summarise here for posterity's sake.
Sometime mid last year in 2011, an extended session at the doctor's confirmed a medical condition inherited from the paternal side of the family tree that I've suspected for a long time. The experts believe I wasn't anywhere near the life-threatening phase of the condition although I have had to accept the fact that I will be on medication for the rest of my life. Perhaps one day if and when I am courageous enough, I just might share more details with the world.
Then came a period of extensive soul-searching and self-reflection on exactly what I think my life should be about and how I should live it. Some people don't get their answers despite searching their whole lives. I don't dare to claim I found 'my destined path' so to speak, but I was sure the lack of work-life balance due to the hours and stress from the previous industry I was in and the unique management style of my boss then wasn't the way to go for long. I hardened my heart and tendered my resignation even though I loved what I did so that I may get some sort of sanity back.
There and then, I also decided to give my battered body and mind a good long break. I found that I didn't care that I wouldn't be earning good money and hence would have to sacrifice some material comforts. I also didn't care that people around me gave me weird looks when I offered the "I'm currently jobless" reply to that often-asked question that seems to be one of the most popular among most people's default ice-breaking lines.
Lastly, I promised myself I would pursue all the things I love and had missed out on in my previous life when I'd been too focused on my career.
So. From the time I left my previous employment until now as I type this entry, I have:
- flown back to Singapore to spend quality time with the family
- restarted drum lessons
- done some traveling around Asia with friends and family with whom I hadn't gone on holidays for more than 6 years
- started a little online gig that encompasses many of my interests (I will make a proper announcement of it very soon)
- rested well
- played hard
I have not looked back. I am happy and contented. There will be more to come, I promise.
at the crossroads
sleep
Because of all my problems with sleep and the non stop nightmares I've been getting every night, I consulted my regular doctor here in Sydney and he prescribed me some proper sleeping pills to replace those Nature's Own Complete Sleep herbal pills I used to take.
My first thought when I collected the meds at the chemist was that "wow, now I'm like those celebrities you always read about in the news of their deaths from drug overdose as I now have enough drugs to kill myself with if I want to." LOL
Also, after reading this on MojitoMint's blog, I went to download the Sleep Cycle app on my iPhone to track and monitor my sleep patterns.
Hopefully I'll be able to have restful sleep from now on.
ecoya
After failing to find my favourite Little Black Dress - even though I managed to find shops that carry Glasshouse candles, they've all run out of this particular one that I want! - I settled on the Sweet Pea & Jasmine scented candle from Ecoya for the following reasons:
1) I like how it looks - the elegantly simple glass container, the pure white colour of the candle and the black wax seal on the outside that has the outline of a lotus flower imprinted on it.
2) It is hand poured and made from 100% natural botanical bases unlike all the petroleum based ones very commonly sold everywhere these days.
3) I like the subtle refreshing fragrance that is neither too fruity nor floral.
The day right after I got this, I found my favourite Little Black Dress in a lifestyle shop on Danks Street. So now I have two great scented candles that I alternate between every day. This makes me very happy.
the king and the bone
A while back, I swapped my queen sized bed for a king. Because of my sleeping problems (1. I am an extremely light sleeper who wakes up at the slightest noise or movement; 2. I toss and turn a lot and wake up one thousand times every night to change my position because the mattress gets too warm after lying in the same spot for a while; 3. I have exhausting dreams all night long - this is purely psychological and probably can't be remedied by a change in bed; 4. I get the occasional backache which can partially be attributed to my curved spine methinks.), much effort was spent trying to find a mattress that may help alleviate some of them so I may get a good night's sleep.
After visiting at least half a dozen shops and testing more than a few dozen mattresses, the eventual decision was to get a King Koil firm mattress from the Superior Support collection. When I laid on the display unit, the entire space around me curved to my body contours such that every part of me felt adequately supported (like what one looks out for when buying a bra really) yet still offered the luxurious feeling of floating in water. I also tried lying in the same space for an extended period of time just to see if it gets too warm - the material (blend of pure and something else) supposedly offers optimal temperature regulation all year round - and I was really amazed that it remained sufficiently cool for a long time.
And so, I've been sleeping on this new King for two months now and coupled with some other sleeping aids such as having a cup of warm chamomile tea and relaxing the body and mind by listening to soft music or pampering myself to a whole body moisturising routine before bedtime, I'm definitely sleeping a lot better although I still dream a lot and that alone can make me totally exhausted the next day - I guess I need a sleep therapist or psychologist for this.
In the picture above, you also see a humongous black bone which is a recent acquisition from IKEA. It is a gigantic body pillow that curves in all the right places and 101% more huggable than a traditional bolster. My new pillow formation now sees me sleeping with the side of my head on one pillow, holding a second pillow over the other ear to block out any noise, supporting my chin with the COO pillow, and my legs astride over a traditional pillow (gift from my Fav Tudi and dear Rae specially airmailed to me) and the bone. It's pure heaven.
little black dress
This is my current favourite triple scented candle - Glasshouse Manhattan, Little Black Dress. Besides its subtle scent, I also love the black colour of the wax and its elegant name.
I bought this at Moontree on a roadtrip to the Blue Mountains via Leura. I also got two smaller round candles:
Green Tea - a very gentle, soothing blend in a light jade green
Waterlily - fresh and light... sunlight on a lotus pond in a calming sky blue.
Ah.... such tranquility....
homemade salad dinners
Since coming back from SG, my weekly grocery shopping list has consistently looked like this:
- vine ripened Amoroso® Petite Truss tomatoes
- pre-packed washed and ready to eat Baby Mesclun mixed leaves salad that consists of baby spinach, baby rocket, baby tatsoi, baby mizuna, red coral, red oak, green oak, green coral, red chard leaves
- avocados
- sweet baby cucumbers
- broccoli
- cup mushrooms
- eggs
- shaved chicken ham
- salami
- butternut pumpkin
- packets of mixed dried fruit and nuts
- fetta cheese
- various types of salad dressing
- and the occasional pack of roasted chicken breast
And I've been mixing and matching the above listed ingredients (bearing in mind the body's requirement for a balanced diet consisting of proteins, vitamins, minerals and fibre) to create various types of homemade salads for weeknight dinners.
These are just two of my many concoctions. They are really easy and quick to prepare, make a very refreshing and appetising meal after a long exhausting day at work, light on the stomach thus avoiding problems of indigestion associated with eating late night dinners just before sleeptime, and are really friendly to the waistline.
Never quite a fan of green leafy vegetables, I have forced myself to observe this regime purely for health reasons. Initially, for the first day or two, I gagged a bit on the leaves and constantly wrinkled my nose picking through them; those other colourful and meaty bits added to the salad bowl helped to disguise the weird bitter-ish taste of chlorophyll. Surprisingly, I now find myself developing a liking for these green stuff and actually have the occasional craving to have them for lunch as well.
I am hoping this new diet will help shave ten years off my ageing soon-to-approach-the-30s skin/face/body by the time I go back home for the next CNY.
project 'chio'
Project P came to a stall for some reason and never got resurrected. A recent event triggered the birth of Project Chio and I am working to keep the momentum to:
- eat healthier
- sleep better
- get outdoors more
- generally love myself more
One Saturday night, I put on a little black dress, spiced it up with a glittery scarf, fishnet stockings and knee high boots (partly due to the cold spring night), made up the face a bit, and went to paint the town red. I was quite overwhelmed by the attention I drew. I was also most flattered that I got chatted up by a charismatic lady with an extremely toned body - I was so tempted to go home with her (?!?!). It was a real confidence booster for me.
I think the photos above show a very radiant me. The glow is partly due to the short break I gave myself on an impulse, and it really took the fatigue off me.
I hope this Project Chio can help shed a few years off the face and a few kilos off the body in time for some hot summer beaching and for my next trip to SG via Bali in 6 months time.
ps: Beakee, you'll see I have your Silver Grey Drops on if you click to enlarge the pics. Love them!
assignments for P-C-M-U
As part of 'Project Cheer Monkey Up', I was given a few assignments by a few friends who care:
- dress up a bit to look good
- go for a walk in the sun for some vitamin D
- EAT (it was suggested I go to a nice cafe)
- go get some fresh food/fruit
- go shopping and identify at least five items that Tudi / BH will like
It was an enormous effort for me to take the first step towards loving myself (I have a tendency to love others more than my own self) and convince myself to accept my friends' support (I have a problem with reaching out for help - I always think it as inconveniencing others).
After cooping myself up and crying my eyes swollen for days, I accepted that I can't solve all my problems at once right away and said to myself "Just Phuck It." (inspired by Tudi's msn pic) and just simply relax for a day.
So on this beautiful Saturday, I did a bit of catching up with sleep (I had been sleeping 2 - 3 hours a day for the whole week), then started the day with completing the above assignments in mind.
Because I hadn't been eating much the whole week, I lost 3kg in five days. You may say this is bad. But the good thing was I can now fit into this six years old super garang Levi's dress that had just been in storage for the past three years because I had grown sooooooo fat. I felt slim and pretty when I stepped out of the house. I also unexpectedly bought a dress while spending the day photowalking Newtown (again) - a simple black dress with pop up roses at the hem. Sexaaaaaay right?
Spent the day walking the whole stretch of Newtown and taking photos. I will upload the photos in another entry later. It was a sunny day so I hope I absorbed lots and lots of vitamin D. Explored the weekend market there and found an old army bag which can be worn two different ways and is big enough to fit my camera with an attached lens in for short photowalks. I like it a lot!!! It so matches my garang outfit today right?
Besides the dress and the bag, I also treated myself to some nice tortellini alfredo at the super popular Pastizzi Cafe. I took a pic of their specialty pastry snacks but didn't order them. I was feeling greedy and hence went for a full main pasta that I only consumed about 20% of because my body is somehow rejecting food now.
Last assignment: five things I think that Tudi / BH will like.
Muppets hanging on a bicycle - I only know Miss Piggy, what's the other one? And a brown bear going for $5. I feel sad for the bear being chucked aside on the ground like this. It must used to have an owner who loved it. Ah, how fleeting love is.
Bright smiley spidey hanging from a tree watching the crowds at the market.
Sexy red underwear specially for BH. I know he secretly really wants one of these. Hmm... but it may be a little small for BH's BD.
Eye candies! Stylo girl for BH and rugged man for Tudi (although I think the beard can go).
The Complete Works of Shakespeare for Tudi. And we should all go down Ghost Valley together!
An ornamental pumpkin to allay Tudi's fear of eating pumpkins - I find this so unbelievable that I thought I dreamt it up and had to verify with Tudi today. And nice shoes for all of us!
So how did I do? I think I deserve A***!!! What's next?
four winters of me
I am experiencing my fourth Sydney winter since my arrival here in August 2006 and I am getting hit by the cold very badly this time.
Winter 2006:
I didn't need much layering and the most I did was carry around a cardigan I occasionally threw round my shoulders. My everyday attire then consisted of my Birkenstock sandals, a simple tee and either jeans or three quarter pants (see left photo below). I could even bare my back and shoulders in elegant evening wear for formal functions (see right photo below). And I never fell sick once the whole time. Oh and by the way, see how skinny I was then? I have always averaged about 49-50kgs up until shortly after then.
Winter 2007:
I remember going on a road trip to Hunter Valley with a couple of friends in the deep of winter. All of them were fully wrapped up in North Face ski jackets, covered shoes or boots, and there was a girl who had beanies on. I was in my standard tee, jeans and Birkies attire throughout and got a lot of envious looks from my road trip mates (see left photo below). I earned the title of being 'cold blooded' right around that time.
That winter, I was fortunate enough to go on a ski trip complimentary of the company. Whilst most others had thermals and multi layers beneath the ski gear, just a ski jacket over a normal tee sufficed for me (see right photo below). Having gone through three weeks of harsh Canadian winter in the Whistler mountains where I barely survived getting caught in a blizzard mid-mountain at -30 degrees celsius (thinking back, I don't know how I managed to ski my way back to safety in the almost zero visibility weather and with the cold whipping me to near complete numbness.), I found Australian winters extremely mild. I did two full days of intensive skiing in the Australian Snowy Mountains without feeling like my bones were going to break. Now I wouldn't dream of accomplishing a black run without breaking a few ribs. On the weight, notice how my arms look bigger below than in the pics taken in Winter 2006? I reckon I must have weighed about 52kgs here, but hey, there was still no sign of the double chin yet and I could still fit into my pair of Levi's jeans bought way back in 1999.
Winter 2008:
I started doing a bit of dressing up for winter in order not to get mocked for not possessing chic winter style like most of the Aussie chicks here do (see left photo below), but those were mainly for reasons to do with my own vanity, not that I needed the extra layers for warmth. Look at the photo on the right and you see me in a thinly clothed, above knee length vintage dress playing on a desserted beach (cos it was too cold for most to play on a beach then!) in the winter cold. You may not be able to see from the two photos but in this period, I had developed a slight double chin that stubbornly refused to go away. And hey those dark jeans I have on in the left pic were newly bought cos I couldn't fit into my faithful old Levi's from 1999. Average weight in that period was about 54-55kgs, I think.
Winter 2009:
This winter has been a really miserable one for me. I have been sick every other day. Just this past weekend, I had been nursing a fever and flu from Friday right through to Monday (today). My body can't adjust to the temperature difference between indoors and outdoors such that I have to wrap myself up from top to toe when out (as I shiver from the cold once outside) and take everything off except for the basic layers for decency when indoors (I start perspiring the moment I step out of the outdoor cold). This is a very strange phenomenon for me indeed, seeing how I had no such problem for so many winters and in worse ones than this current season. And boy, am I disgusted to announce that the weight now stands at 58-59kgs (a vast 9kgs difference from that in 2006! kill me please.)
I guess this is nature's way of telling me I am no longer 18 but soon approaching the big THREE. Just how much harsher can the ageing process get? Increasing of age and decreasing of metabolism aside, another major contributing factor for my case is the significantly increased work responsibilities - with accountability comes added stress and anxiety - resulting in less time for relaxation and exercise, and less healthy diet ranging from one extreme of not eating at all in a day to the other of binging on junks like chocolates or chips.
With the coming of the new financial year (and the turning of 29) in July, I think it's timely to do some personal wellbeing planning on top of the budgeting and business modelling we have to do on the work front.
cardio and complete grooming package
Hit the gym today to do some cardio and to slowly condition the body to get used to exercising again after years of inactivity.
Completed the following:
1) 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer with average spm (strides per min) of 120. This was an improvement over the last session where I did 15 minutes of average 100 spm on the trainer. Out of the 30 minutes, I spent 25 minutes doing the 'Pull' for the upper body workout and the remaining 5 minutes on the 'Push'. The exercise handles, when set to the 'Pull' position, work the shoulders and biceps, and when set to the 'Push' position, work the chest and triceps. I find it more taxing to do the 'Push' hence the 25min-5min 'Pull' to 'Push' ratio, but I intend to slowly even out the ratio to equal durations. Here's how an elliptical trainer looks like with the various parts labelled.
2) 10 minutes of brisk walking on the treadmill at a speed of 6.5km/h.
3) 5 minutes of jogging on the treadmill at a speed of 8.5km/h. I had wanted to do 2 sets of 10 minutes of jogging at this speed separated by 5 minutes of brisk walking, but decided to stop at 1 set of 5 minutes because I was starving to the point of getting gastric cramps and I didn't want to risk fainting on the machine.
4) 12 minutes of brisk walking at a speed of 6.5km/h until I hit a total distance of 3km on the treadmill. Ended the treadmill session with an additional 3-minute cool down slow walk where the speed decreased gradually from 6.5km/h to 3km/h.
5) Finished off the gym session with about 10 minutes of cool down stretching (plus I threw in about 15 crunches too) with the housemate.
Got home after gym (and a quick dinner) and declared the rest of the night personal grooming and beautifying time.
With the Pure Revive essential oil blend of white grapefruit, fennel, bergamot, cypress and tangerine in the burner, I enjoyed a detoxing hot bath in a mixture of Epsom salts, Amazonian clay and ricegrass extracts while giving my hair a water matrix moisture treatment and doing an apricot seed powder and antioxidant pomegranate body scrub.
After the bath, I gave my face a full facial - cleanse, exfoliate, (I skipped the facial massage bit), deep cleanse (with a 15min mask), tone and moisturise. I trimmed the nails, shaved the bits of monkey fur off the shin areas and moisturised the entire body while doing the 15min deep cleansing mask.
Finally, I applied the newly bought bottle of tea tree oil to the pimples on the back. I experienced a sudden outbreak of pimples on the back and they turned into a bloody mess when I couldn't stop scratching them (this is quite a unique monkey trait of mine - the scratching - especially during stressful times). I dug out my tube of 5% benzoyl peroxide I usually use in such pimple outbreaks and it gave me a rash on the neck and shoulder areas. Tudi recommended I use tea tree oil instead. The housemate also suggested I use tea tree oil many months ago in a previous outbreak and even offered her bottle to me, which I didn't use much as I didn't think it was a nice thing to do to use up her stuff. So I went and got myself a bottle last weekend and it's working really well - one extremely huge and pus-ly pimple is starting to dry up after only two applications. And I shall stop using that tube of rash-inducing peroxide.
And now I feel healthy, clean and pretty. Yay!
les mills bodybalance™ class
I rarely wake up before noon on weekends as sleeping is my #1 hobby. But today, I woke at 9am to attend a Les Mills BODYBALANCE™ class at 10am at the InShape Health Club where I just signed up to be a member. The picture on the left was taken from the official Les Mills website where you can read up more on the various fitness programs you can sign up for.
From the website:
Les Mills BODYBALANCE™ is the Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates workout that leaves you feeling long, strong, centered and calm. It’s your personal time out from the stress and strains of daily life – a 55-minute group exercise-to-music class that enhances your physical and mental well-being.
BODYBALANCE™ Benefits
- Improve your joint flexibility and range of movement
- Increase your core strength
- Improve your cardio-vascular function
- Burn calories
- Reduce your stress levels
- Provide a lasting sense of well-being and calm
- Focus your mind and raise your level of consciousness through controlled breathing
The Hokkien Aeroplane Housemate (HAH) and I were early so she went on the treadmill while I went on the elliptical trainer for 15min while waiting for the class to start. At 10am sharp, about 12-15 people including HAH and myself went into the exercise room and got ready. I had no previous experience in attending any such classes, never did yoga or pilates in my life, and had only recently started exercising again after years of lazing around, hence I was understandably quite nervous and afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up with the instructor.
We first started with some Tai Chi warm up. It was a breeze.
Then we did some simple yoga poses but I didn't really pay attention to the names of these poses. I was focusing more on keeping up with what the instructor was doing although I do remember a pose called the Shiva Salutation mainly because Shiva is one of the recurring summons in the Final Fantasy (VII I think?) game, hehe. I had a bit of difficulty with some of the poses on balances and twists. Once I lost balance and kinda hopped around a bit to regain my balance, which was really embarrassing as all the others in the class seemed to know what they were doing and were all coping very well.
After about 20min or so, it just got tougher and tougher. The swan pose nearly killed me. I swear I could hear my old rusty bones crack and I probably looked more like a fat clumsy duck instead of a graceful swan.
The pilates moves afterwards really placed a great deal of emphasis on the abdominals. This part was manageable and I kept picturing myself regaining my fabulously flat and toned abs while enduring through the moves.
We ended the session with about 5-10min of meditation where all of us laid flat on our yoga mats (HAH and I used my two camping mats instead as we didn't want to invest in proper yoga mats - they are expensive here! - until we are sure we'll be doing this frequently) with our eyes closed and simply rested and did deep controlled breathing against the soothing music in the background.
Controlled, deep and coordinated breathing was an essential part of the entire session. Although some of the difficult moves left me panting a bit (mostly due to the nervousness at trying to keep up), I actually felt relaxed at the end of the class after the meditation. So did HAH. It did take me a while though to stop my mind from wandering to random thoughts like "what should I have for breakfast later?" and "why was my dream last night so bizzare?" and really focus on the breathing.
We enjoyed the session and are likely to attend it regularly from now on. So we will be on the lookout for affordable yoga mats now. Btw, I felt so refreshed after the class today that I went totally crazily hyper during our karaoke session afterwards. Looks like resuming my exercise regime is really energising me eh?
getting in-shape again
I signed up for a gym membership at the InShape Health Club at Alexandria, which is located just a street away from where I live. Searching through my old blog for my exercise records, I reckon the last time I did any proper exercise was in August 2006. That is so unhealthy! OMG. How did I live until now?
Anyways, I went for a workout at InShape Alexandria for the first time today. Made an appointment with a personal trainer to utilise my complimentary 'Gold Session' that comes with every new member registration. Scott, a rather cute hunk, spent about 30min with me, taking my height and weight measurements, recording down my sleeping, eating, exercising, lifestyle habits and history, drawing up a tailored exercise program for achieving my fitness goals which by the way is purely to improve my general fitness (I've been feeling tired all the time lately, which is very worrying) and not much to do with any weight-loss related motivation in order to look good although that will be one of the by-products of attending regular gym workout sessions, and then running me through one set of the program he drew up for me. The complete routine he did for me is made up of:
- 3 sets of lunges to the entrance and back (one round trip is approx. 30m)
- 3 sets of 15 squats with a fitness ball
- 3 sets of 15 hip thrusts on a fitness ball
- 3 sets of 15 push ups
- 3 sets of 15 crunches
- 3 sets of 15 oblique crunches (elbow to opposite knee)
- 3 sets of 15seconds bridges
- 3 sets of 15 roll-outs on fitness ball
- 15min on the treadmill
- 15min on the rower
After the personal training session, I went on the treadmill and did 15min of brisk walking at a speed of 6.5 (this should be in km/h?) followed by another 15min on the elliptical trainer. That's enough for someone who hasn't exercised in years. I have to slowly condition my body for such workouts and not overexert myself or I may end up not able to get out of bed the next day. I didn't feel the least bit tired when I left the gym. But as I type this entry now, I am starting to feel a slight ache in my butt and thigh areas. Wow. I am going to get such toned butts, I'm sure.
This Health Club at Alexandria also has an Olympic sized pool and rooftop tennis courts. The Swimways Swim School conducts swimming lessons for all abilities and ages from 6 month old infants to adults. Although I can swim, I am embarrassed to say that I only know the breaststroke and have always been a very weak swimmer. One lap is enough to make me totally breathless and unable to continue swimming. Hence, I am extremely keen to take up swimming lessons at this club to properly learn the various swimming strokes. As for the tennis courts, I have heard that the view from the rooftop is great, but I am not as keen on tennis as I am on swimming for now.
I have planned my next visit to the gym to be on Saturday morning. I will be attending the 60min Les Mills Body Balance class. The description provided on the website explains that this is a dynamic stretch class that leaves you feeling relaxed and renewed. Balance combines the principles of Yoga, Pilates and Tai chi, such as breathing, flexibility & strength. Sounds like a great class to attend. I am so looking forward to it.
sacred corner of mine
I haven't been in the best of spirits this weekend due to PMS + cramps + sore throat + headaches + feeling feverish. I slept from 8.30pm on Friday night til Saturday noon (15 hours!) and am feeling totally exhausted with body aches all over. Can't waste the rest of my weekend in this state so I got myself a warm cup of coffee and a nice bacon and egg muffin from the lifesaving Pablo's cafe just round the corner and retreated to this sacred corner of mine with my lappy full of mp3s that I played continuously and a book.
The clear blue sky, trees swaying to the light cool autumn breeze and the sunlight streaming in and warming my corner seat by the window brightened an otherwise gloomy day for me. I love this private space of mine cos it's mine and mine only.
is this PMS?
This is the weirdest month (of PMSes) for me ever. I had this tremendous urge to clean the house last two days. So I spent the whole weekend vacuuming my bedroom, the bathroom and the living room and wiping every damn thing and surface including the wall tiles in the bathroom. I even spent a whole 20min just cleaning the toilet bowl. I wanted desperately to mop the whole house too but I only had a mop, no bucket and no cleaning agents.
I went specially to the supermarket on Monday during lunch break to get the necessary so that I can satisfy my craving to mop some floors. And I couldn't stop thinking about mopping the floor the entire day at work.
While cleaning and washing, I also cooked nonstop. I made agar agar (a jelly dessert), cooked enough pasta to last me for four meals, cooked a whole pot of chicken soup to last me for a week and made porridge to feed an entire army.
My housemate said I was crazy. Indeed I think I'm going nuts.
end of Q1 madness
Sent off my boss at the airport today and finally got to relax after weeks of madness. I pampered myself with a neck and shoulder massage, foot reflexology, a facial and a bubble bath. Lastly, I need a long undisturbed at-least-10-hours sleep. I'll get back on blogging track next week when I'm all recharged. *switches off the lights and covers face with smelly pillow*
i scare myself
I am posting this photo specially for all my friends who read my blog. Hehe.
I bought a new hydration mask from Jurlique that happens to be of a bird shit green colour. One night, I applied it and thought it looked scary in the orangey light from my bedside lamp. So I took many shots of myself making ghost faces.
A few nights later, I took out my camera to photograph my new shoes. This picture appeared when I turned on the cam to take a close up shot of the shoes and man... I jumped. I had forgotten about the scary pics I took.
Afterwards, I found it so funny I thought I should share with all of you, my friends. Haha.
aveda for my hair
I went and blew AUD164 on haircare products today - shampoo, conditioner, and hair treatment cream, all from Aveda. Actually, I bought more than just hair products on my rare Sunday shopping spree... 2 pairs of shoes, a top and a book... gotta survive on air and water for the next 2 weeks.
Because I colour my hair very often, at least once every 2 months due to my grey hair genes, they get very dry and brittle. I need really intensive hair repair products to restore them back to their previous silky smooth condition.
Since I've budgeted money for Project P (sub projects skincare and healthcare) for the last 2 months, I decided to make haircare a sub project too and apportioned part of the budget for it.
I have heard a lot of great reviews from friends (my lesbian lover yen-yen absolutely swears by Aveda) and friends' friends who've used Aveda hair products so I guess it's worth a try. The lady who served me at the QVB outlet offered me tea while I browsed in the shop and spent about 25min (could have been longer if I wasn't in a bit if a rush) finding out about my hair problems and then explaining to me what each product is good for before recommending what's most suitable for me. I was quite blown away by the service. Like that, how not to buy?
I've just used the shampoo and treatment cream for the first time tonight and I love how my hair smells now. I'll see if my hair's texture has improved a month later. Til then.
the perfect eye cream
The hunt is now on for the perfect eye cream for my Project P. Being a total noob on this, I have no idea where to start except to google and see what's out there. I'm looking for something that can make my eyes twinkle and not look so tired all the time. I also have slight dark eye rings and puffiness under the eyes. I don't have that much of a problem with fine lines or wrinkles but I guess it doesn't hurt to exercise some kind of prevention since I'm getting on my years. Any recommendations?
the oh-so-shiok long showers
In the past, I used to snort with disgust when I hear of vainpots spending hours in the shower/bath and wonder what the hell they do that takes up so much time. I was one of those who could shower, brush teeth, pee, poo and wash face in under 15min, except when I had to wash my hair, that will add another 10min to the whole bathroom routine. I sometimes got so lazy I wished someone would invent some wonder cleaning spray that keeps one clean and bacteria-free without having to go through the hassle of taking a shower.
Now, I have turned into one of those vainpots. I am beginning to spend as long as 40-50min in the bathroom just taking a shower and washing my hair. Add another 15min for pee, poo, brush teeth and wash face. And another 30min for deep pore cleansing facial mask and moisturising facial mask twice a week. And another 10min for whole body moisturising. Keeping oneself looking good is like a full time job! So tiring!
Anyways, the motivation behind my long showers is this!
It's a soft rubber shower scrub and cellulite massager from The Body Shop. On the left shows the side where you use to scrub your body and on the right is the side you use to massage targetted cellulite areas. Below is a close-up shot of the cellulite buster. It's got these 'nipples' all over. I call it the tittie massager.
Stepping into the shower has never been quite the same since. I actually look forward to this whole scrubbing-massaging regime under the warm water jets. I feel good after each shower, like I've just done a workout. I also sleep better now.
After using this tittie massager almost everyday for about a month, the scaly skin patches around the ankle and shin areas have visibly reduced and the thigh and butt areas seem more toned and have less of the orange peels texture. I feel that the blood circulation seems to have improved too (as can be seen from the pinkish flush all over after each massage). My skin glows when I look into the mirror after my showers!
I am suddenly reminded of the drybrushing method for achieving the above that beakee wrote about sometime ago. I had wanted to give it a try but I prompty forgot about it and didn't even get down to sourcing for a brush. I think the basic concept of these is the same. Now that I have my tittie massager and I'm totally happy with it, I think I'll save the drybrushing for later when I tire of my tittie toy and my shower routine.
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