TGIF

The right attitude comes with a smile...

This morning I woke up at 5.45 am as we had an early morning show at Fairfield Methodist Secondary at 7.50am.

We arrive late, because Zaidi wanted a ride last min and so we waited and as usual when they are more than 2 people meeting, one will be late! So anyways, we got to the school and then I needed to take a dump. I decided to go for a quick one before the show. Just as I walked out from the toilet after finishing my business, the Principal/Discipline Master calls the school to attention as the national anthem roars to life over the speakers. I don't stop walking....I need to set up for the show! And this P/DM guy just orders me to stop. Orders. Rudely. Hmph. So I lift/attempt to lift an eyebrow and continue walking past him to the backstage.

WTH. So pissed off. Ask nicely. Do NOT order people around coz I don't care who you are and I won't stop if you don't ask nicely. Hmm...maybe I wouldn't have stopped if you had asked nicely too. Haha.

Normally, this episode, happening so early in the morning and just before two shows, would have ticked the hell out of me. But, luckily, there were two factors that prevented me from being in a bad mood.

a: The school hall we were performing in at Fairfield Methodist was AIRCONDITIONED. You don't know how much that means to us performers. With the stage lights on, the heat rises, so the air conditioning helps. A lot.

b: Presence of floor monitors. Yippee. Now we can all hear each other.

The next school we went to was the United World College, SEA Campus at AMK St 54. Again, the hall was air-conditioned and there were good mics and floor monitors!! Hurray. Two gigs in a row in air-conditoned settings and great equipment make for a very very happy Stan.

We walk with a spring in our step.

Just bought this Foot Spa Massager thingamajig from Watsons. We wanted to buy it at IMM but the Watsons there was closing. It ended up as a blessing in disguis...because there was a discount on it later on!!! So we ended up buying it at $26.90 instead of its original price at $39.90. What a steal right?

So this Foot Massager thing is really great. We boiled some water, mixed it with some fresh water from the tap and then I added a little of Body Shop's Plunge & Purify Bath Soak and the room started smelling heavenly!

After soaking in the bubbling water for about 10 mins, our feet felt incredibly soft and smooth. Even Soap's feet (men's feet are supposedly more calloused than women's)! Amazing huh?

Another thing about this great bath soak. If you're a great fan of Spa Wisdom's Sea Salt Scrub like me, try the salt scrub mix with the bath soak as a body scrub! Or you can use this mixture of Salt Scrub and Bath Soak as an impromptu body mask! I love using it in the sauna!

Food Heaven!!!

I've been wanting to try their menu, as they have my favourite clams in white wine sauce! Here's a good reason to!

	Pasta de Waraku Opening Promotion From Friday, 22nd May 2009 - Sunday, 31st May 2009 Enjoy Dollar for Dollar returns at the new Pasta de Waraku@Changi Airport T2 Level 3 #036-057. Vouchers redeemable between 1 - 30 Jun 2009. Call 6214 1121 for enquiries. Website: http://www.waraku.com.sg

If you're like me and love love Delifrance's sandwiches! Here's something for you. The best thing is you don't even have to step out of the house for this one!

Delifrance Delivery Promotion From Monday, 18th May 2009 - Sunday, 31st May 2009 Get a free Appetiser - Caesar Salad with Breaded Chicken Fillet (worth $13.50) with 2 hot meal* orders. * Hot meal refer to any Pasta, Pizza, Baked Rice, Grills, Main Course, Burger and Hot Dog. No delivery charge with minimum order of $25. Terms & conditions apply. While stocks last. Call 6339 6363 for the delivery service. Website: http://www.delifrance.com.sg

List No.1

silje/vanilje

From as far back as I can remember, I have been making up lists to organize my life. To-do lists, to-read lists, beauty lists, shopping lists...the list goes on and on.

So I was thinking, why not start a list section on my blog? Good idea, yes? Here, today, is my first blog list. It is not a to-do list, don't worry!


READING:
- Diary of A Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
- The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde

WATCHING:
- Rhythm in Bronze at Esplanade Outdoor Theatre (today and tomorrow), 7.30pm onwards
- CSI Las Vegas
- Night at the Museum 2
- Paul Blart Mall Cop

AUDIOPHILE:
- Retrato de Alfredo Gobbi by Astor Piazzolla (a moving emotional piece composed for a friend, this one arranged for piano)

SITES:
- The Glamourai (awesome blogger with fabulous style. I love that she pairs vintage with contemporary pieces and always looks so trendy and in with the fashion times!)
- BonitoChico (a Singapore blogshop for great style at wallet-friendly prices!)

DOING:
- Decorating my calculator with bling-blings! (so i don't put off my weekly accounting...my beautiful facelifted calculator will be a pull for me to do it on time! excuses...)
- Creating a new cover for my journal

Free Frolic Fun Part Two

In the continuing recession, experts are saying that we should not stop spending, but spend wisely instead, so that the economy does not slide further downwards.

So here are my favourite picks for this month that are fun and free. Okay, some are not free but are definitely worth trying like...

these promotions for the beer guzzlers. Get a mug of beer for just $3.50! And not at coffeeshops, but at restaurants! Here's where:

White Dog Cafe at Vivocity (Harbourfront MRT) #02-131/132 Tel: 63769970 serves a mug of Tiger Beer at only $3.50! To top it off, this eatery has a great ambience. Be sure to request for the couches which overlook the sea (and construction work).

Another place which sells cheap beer is in the Little India area. Before you get turned off by the mere thought of Little India, let me describe this eatery which calls itself Lagnaa (Tel: 6296 1215)

Situated on 6, Upper Dickson Rd, this eatery is housed in a three-storey shophouse. The ground floor is nothing spectacular and non-airconditioned, but request for seating at the air-conditioned second floor and you enter a world of casual and relaxed dining. You have to take off your shoes to enter, and once in, diners sit on the floor on pillows. Sunlight streams in through un-curtained windows and the music playing is a blend of traditional Indian and New Age Indian music. A plus point is that because this is way off the beaten track, you'll find you and your friends just about the only diners there, meaning you have the whole second floor to yourself!

Ok, I promised a beer at $3.50 so here it is – a beer from India called the Kingfisher beer (5% alcohol) which tastes like Asahi and goes very well with their curries. Be sure to ask for the $3.50 one or they'll charge you another price. The food here is on the pricier side but is really really delish! Try their butter chicken or mutton curry!

If you're looking for something fun, exciting and free, join the Circle Line Discovery on Saturday, 23 May 2009 and experience riding on the train through the new stations on the Circle Line. Registration is required, so do register at their website, here.

For more fun and games for the individual or the whole family, join the Licence 2 Play Gaming and Electronics Fair happening on Friday 22nd May to Sunday 24th May at Suntec Singapore Hall 603 from 11am-9pm. Check out their website for more details.


If you'd like to indulge in some music and art, catch Japanese artist Yukinko Akira as he paints to music. Yes, to music! I saw something like this in Edinburgh, a few artists painting to live music, and it was awesome and inspiring at the same time. To be able to watch art in progress is a privilege. Although Mr Akira will not be painting to live music, but to recorded music, I believe the process is the same. Don't miss it! Happening at the Esplanade Concourse venue on 21 May 2009, Thursday - 24 May 2009, Sunday at 7.15 – 7.45pm and 9 – 9.30pm each day. Details here.

For some fusion gamelan music, join RiB or Rhythm in Bronze, a group from Malaysia at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre on 22 May 2009 Friday – 24 May 2009 Sunday. Their first set starts at 7.30pm. Details here.

My friend Darius Tan will be singing at the Outdoor Theatre next week 27th May 2009 Wednesday and 28th May 2009 Thursday at 7.15pm and 9 pm, with another actress Celine Rosa Tan. She has amazing vocals so do come down and watch these two as they fight/sing/play on stage. Details here.

So there you go. Hope you have fun these next two weeks!

Its Women Like You

This video shows a Shanghainese woman throwing a tantrum when her boyfriend(?) refuses to buy a car for her. She then jumps into the car and attempts to drive it off to the chagrin of both the car salesman and the boyfriend, until he is forced to whip out his credit card and buy the car for her.

Horror - that is what I felt. I thought these scenes only appeared in movies and tv serials, not in real life.

Its women like you that give the entire female population such a bad name. China women. pfft.




If you can't view it, click here.

Therapeutic Tuesday

Today is the last day of my time-out. Six days of not working, but somehow, I don't feel relaxed. I wonder why.

So in a bid to bliss out, I am not going to a spa and I am not going out. The endless crowd makes me stressed and I zonk out like a walking zombie. I am going to stay home and look at pretty and interesting things like these.

Cisma's "Le Sens Propre" from glossy inc on http://vimeo.com">Vimeo.

Le Sens Propre is a short film written and directed by Blacklist's Cisma for Adobe��s Shortcut to Brilliant campaign for CS4 (Creative Suite 4). I love this!

These would be so suitable for hiding out from the sun and drawing your attention.

My favourite Singapore celebrity.

Channel 8 filmed part of their wedding dinner at the Ritz Carlton last night and I'm sure many brides-to-be had many inspirations from Michelle and Shaun's wedding. It brought back memories of Xin's wedding there. :)

What touched me was that Michelle herself made the wedding favours for the dinner – chilli padi from her family's recipe, and then bottled and decorated the favours. Also, she chose to skip the sharks fin course from the menu and had only 5 courses for the dinner, which by the way is a great idea. I think most of the time, there is way too much food and too much wastage. And why does the noodles always have to be served nearing the end of the dinner course? It is the heaviest part of the meal and should come first, right?

Another great idea was the dessert buffet. Set outside the banquet room, the buffet would be ideal for the guests to mingle and talk over sweets! My kinda scene. :) *sweet tooth.

Oh and her dresses were gorgeous! I can't wait for photos of her wearing them to be published! A short day dress? How clever! Beat the heat I say!

They look so happy together. Congratulations and may you both lead a blissful and happy life with each other!

The Monday Mosaic Post

When I checked into the then-new Baiyoke Boutique Hotel, one of the first things I noticed about my room was the toilet. I believe that hotel room toilets are a yardstick for hotels. For one, you can tell how much the hotel has done in terms of upkeeping its facilities.

So, this toilet in my very pleasant room at the Baiyoke Boutique, was done up in cement. Just plain cement for the floor, and the walls. What saved it from looking like I just moved in during the hotel-construction period were the mosaic tiles in bright orange and red framing the mirror and splashing across the walls.

I notice that very few people in Singapore use mosaic for their home decor. Cost is probably an issue, as mosaic does not come cheap. Cost aside, I would probably add mosaic, though not in big doses, to my future piece of domestic paradise.

But if! If I didn't have to care about any monetary costs at all, these mosaic lamps would be so heavenly...



And so would these mosaic wall and floor pieces...




The mosaic pieces in today's post comes from the Art Mosaic Factory or SCIS.
I especially love their pinup girls. Yes, pinup MOSAIC girls.




And what I wouldn't give to soak in these. Absolutely stunning and a definite conversation piece. This will be the only decorative item you'll need for your bathroom.

In The Living Room.

I will going for a radio interview tomorrow! This is for the ACE Festival happening in June, and I, together with some of the other participants and directors will be interviewed for the "In The Living Room" segment by Pamelo Ho and Stanley Leong. I am so excited!! Hope I don't sound funny over the radio and don't say the wrong thing!

I did a little research on the hosts of the show and found myself at The Living Room blog, where I found out who was behind the two government (more specifically, MCYS) commercial that had me thinking hey this is so different from the staid government I know! They moved me, and most importantly, touched my heart. In this day and age, THAT is an accomplishment.

So this person, Yasmin Ahmad, a Malaysian director, was interviewed on "In The Living Room" and was specifically headhunted by our Prime Minister himself. For more on the blog article, please click here.



This is my next female idol.

The forerunner of great women

Queen Hapshepsut was the only female Pharaoh in Egyptian history, who after her death, had images of her as well as her name erased from all carvings, paintings and literature.

During her reign, the kingdom flourished, with many bold trading and exploring expeditions and great building projects amongst her acheivements. One might ask then, why was her name and her images erased?

Who had it done? Archaelogists think that her nephew/stepson was the culprit - one evidence being the fact that he had his name carved over her erased one.

Why was it done? Apparently, to uphold the male lineage of the Pharaoh line. It wouldn't be good for future generations to know that one of the Pharaohs had been female.

Imagine that. This woman, who did so much for the country and who proved that she was a good ruler, had to succumb to this age-old preference for the male gender.

Which brings me to think further, how many women might have rose to success or fame if they hadn't been thumbed down by this "male is better" rule? How many girls, if they had been given the chance to study in school instead of boys who were too busy playing to care, would have been leaders now? Millions or even billions!

I really am thankful that I was born in the society that I am in, thankful for the chance to study and thankful that my parents have never practiced male favouritism, unlike some of my friends. Thankful that I don't have to look at the ground everytime a man passes by, or wear a veil, or be subject to only doing menial tasks.

What about you?

You Swine

Everyone has been talking about the swine flu recently, so much so that I'm getting a little more weirded out everyday. Just today, at Tampines 1, a lady sneezed without covering her mouth, and I quickly held my breath and stopped in my tracks.

I'm supposed to go to Phuket next thursday for some R&R but I'm having second thoughts now. I've been very susceptible to flu this year, so you can't blame me for being so paranoid?

Anyways, here's an article I read in Reader's Digest on 23 ways to avoid colds and flus. I know this is pertaining to just normal colds, not like the swine flu, but still there are some useful facts I think everyone should know.

23 Ways to Avoid Colds and Flus

1. Wash your hands and wash them often.

The US Naval Health Research Center conducted a study of 40,000 recruits who were ordered to wash their hands five times a day. The recruits cut their incidence of respiratory illnesses by 45 percent.

2. Get smart about hand-drying in public toilets.

Studies find a shockingly large percentage of people fail to wash their hands after using a public toilet. And every single one of them touches the door handle on the way out. So after washing your hands, use a paper towel to turn off the tap. Use another paper towel to dry your hands and then open the door with that paper towel as a barrier between you and the handle. -----------------Not sure if I'll do this. Abit kiasu!!!

3. Prevention is key. Get a flu shot every year.

The best prevention strategy for influenze is to get an annual vaccination. According to the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, the vaccine is particularly important for people at risk of serious complications from the flu. This includes healthcare workers, people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, asthma, kidney problems or heart disease, people aged over 65 and pregnant women. People whose immune systems are weakened through illness or medication should also ask their doctor about getting the shot.

4. Carry hand sanitiser with you.

Colds are typically passed not from coughing or kissing (although those are two modes of transmission) but from hand-to-hand-to-object contact, since more cold viruses can live for hours on objects.

5. Wash your hands twice every time you wash them.

When researchers at Columbia University looked for germs on volunteers' hands, they found one handwashing had little effect, even when using antibacterial soap. So wash twice if you're serious about fending off colds.

6. Change toothbrushes every three months.

You think your toothbrush gets your teeth clean - and it does. But once you've finished brushing, it can be a breeding ground for germs. Most dentists recommend you change your brush every two to three months. It's also a good idea to replace it after you've had a cold or flu to prevent reinfection.

7. Put a box of tissues wherever people sit.

Buy multipacks of tissue boxes and strategically place them around the house, your workplace, your car. Don't let aesthetics thwart you. You need tissues widely available so that anyone who has to cough or sneeze or blow his nose will do so in the way least likely to spread germs.

8. Stop blaming yourself when things go wrong.

Believe it or not, blaming yourself makes you more likely to catch a cold! Researchers found that even those who had control over their work were more likely to begin sneezing if they lacked confidence or tended to blame themselves when things went wrong. Such attitudes make people more stressed on the job, and stress, as you know, can challenge your immune system. ----------------I think this should be do not sweat the small stuff. Try not to stress yourself. I mean you don't only get stressed at work right? Other stuff like relationships, friendships etcera etcera. I say take it easy and enjoy life as its meant to.

9. Use your knuckles to rub your eyes.

It's less likely to be contaminated with viruses than your fingertip. This is particularly important given that the eye provides a perfect entry point for germs, and the average person rubs his eyes or nose or scratches his face 20-50 times a day, notes Jordan Rubin, Ph.D., author of the book The Maker's Diet.

10. Sit in a sauna once a week.

Why? Because an Austrian study published in 1990 found that volunteers who frequently used a sauna had half the rate of colds during the six-month study period than those who didn't use a sauna at all. It's possible that the hot air you inhale kills cold viruses. Most gyms have saunas these days.

11. Use a humidifier.

Dry air provides the perfect environment for cold viruses to thrive, which is one reason why colds are so much more common in cooler weather. And when your mucous membranes dry out, your nose and throat are more prone to irritation. Use a room humidifier, but make sure you change the water daily and clean it every few days.

12. Speaking of which, buy a hygrometer.

These little tools measure humidity. You want your home to measure around 50 percent. A consistent measure higher than 60 percent means mold and mildew may start to set in your walls, fabrics, and kitchen; lower than 40 percent and the dry air makes you more susceptible to germs.

13. Take a garlic supplement every day.

When 146 volunteers received either one garlic supplement a day or a placebo for 12 weeks between November and February, those taking the garlic were not only less likely to get a cold, but if they did catch one, their symptoms were less intense and they recovered faster.

14. Once a day, sit in a quiet, dim room, close your eyes, and focus on one word.

Meditate. It's a proven way to reduce stress. Studies have shown that stress increases your susceptibility to colds. In fact, people with high stress levels have up to twice the number of colds as non-stressed people.

15. Get moving.

Ride a bike, join a dance class, go for a walk. A 2006 study found that older women who did 45 minutes of moderate exercise, five times a week for a year, were up to three times less likely to get a cold than the more sedentary women. The researchers found that the exercisers' immunity was strongest in the last three months of the study.

16. Eat a container of yoghurt every day.

A study from the University of California-Davis found that people who ate one cup of yogurt -- whether live culture or pasteurized -- had 25 percent fewer colds than non-yogurt eaters. Start your yogurt eating in the summer to build up your immunity before cold and flu season starts.

17. Leave the windows in your house open a crack.

Not all of them, but one or two in the rooms in which you spend the most time. This is particularly important if you live in a newer home, where fresh circulating air has been the victim of energy efficiency. A bit of fresh air will do wonders for chasing out germs.

18. Sneeze and cough into your arm or tissue.

Whoever taught us to cover our mouths when we cough or sneeze got it wrong. That just puts the germs right on our hands, where you can spread them to objects -- and other people. Instead, hold the crook of your elbow over your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough if a tissue isn't handy. It's pretty rare that you shake someone's elbow or scratch your eye with an elbow, after all.

19. Changing childcare centres.

Find a smaller childcare centre. Using one where there are six children or fewer is a proven way to reduce exposure to germs. Many parents catch colds from their kids and children get far more colds than adults - up to ten each year.

20. Scrub under your fingernails every night.

They're a great hiding place for germs.

21. Don't pressure your doctor for antibiotics.

Colds and flu (along with most common infections) are caused by viruses, so antibiotics -- designed to kill bacteria -- won't do a thing. They can hurt, however, by killing off the friendly bacteria that are part of our immune defenses. If you've used antibiotics a lot lately, consider a course of probiotics -- replacement troops for friendly bacteria.

22. At the very first hint of a cold, launch the following preventive blitz.

Here's how:

• Suck on a zinc lozenge until it melts away. Then suck another every two waking hours. Or use a zinc-based nasal spray such as Zicam.


• Take one 250-milligram capsule of the herb astragalus twice a day until you are better.


• Cook up a pot of chicken soup.


• Roast garlic in the oven (drizzle whole clove with olive oil, wrap in tinfoil, roast for an hour at 400°F), then spread the soft garlic on toast and eat.

Studies find that all either reduce the length of time you suffer with a cold or help prevent a full-blown cold from occurring.

23. Change or wash your hand towels every three to four days during cold and flu season.

When you wash your towels, make sure to use hot water in order to kill the germs.


So there you have it, 23 tips to avoid the flu/cold. I learnt alot from this article, hope this helps you too!