Xiaxue.blogspot.com - Everyone's reading it.

Am a mother now

2013-05-08T00:52:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates... I'm trying to find time to blog about Dashiel's birth and to edit all the photos from that day but I've been so super busy with taking care of him.

Luckily for me, Gillian recorded down the whole birth event for Guide to Life and produced my favourite episode so far... She actually went into the operating theatre with me!!

So if you haven't already seen it, here it is:

Hope this compensates a little for my lack of updates. I'll try to blog real soon, I know you guys are waiting for Dashiel's pictures and more home decor posts! *stressed*

xoxo

p/s: Please don't abandon me while I'm on what is technically a maternity leave.

Home decor part 1: Living room and kitchen

2013-03-29T07:19:00.000+08:00

Wow, so many things are happening for me at once!!

Firstly, I'm going to have Dashiel finally come into my life on Sunday the 31th of March 2013. 31/3/13, nice birthday huh? That's in 2 days' time. But today I'm not gonna be talking about babies (I bet some of you are so sick of that topic), today I've got something everyone has been bugging me for MONTHS about...

FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY, my house tour!!

I'm so overwhelmed with feelings about this I've got to write a huge chunk about renovations first. If you are impatient, just scroll down the words and go right to the photos. I'm kidding. YOU STAY AND READ WHAT I HAVE TO SAY YO IT IS VERY HEARTFELT AND ALL.

So. Before I got pregnant and the burgeoning belly took over all priorities, my house and the ensuing renovations took over my life. I WAS OBSESSED.

I would spend hours browsing home decor magazines and websites. So many talks with my interior designer Wayne about ideas and what can or cannot be done. I dreamt up the dream home and would just go into the empty pre-renovated house and just sit there daydreaming and visualizing the end result.

About a few years ago Cheesie told me she was buying a house. By herself with all the money she saved. At that age (say, 24?) I hated hearing others talk about "adult" decision things especially those that involved a lot of bureaucracy and paperwork, like CPF and housing and what not.

I just wanted to breeze through life, spend whatever I earn and earn more if I finish spending. I thought Cheesie was mad... Just find a rich boyfriend and move in with him wtf.

And yet she always said that having a house under her own name is something that she is the most proud of and one of the best decisions made in her life.

Fast forward to 28, I wonder why I never listened to Cheesie's wise words. Her house has already doubled in value or something wtf, don't think that woman is a bimbo just coz of how many self shots she takes.

For 5 years Mike and I rented apartments and we were hemorrhaging money every month.

Now that I have a place to call my own, I finally appreciate the pride, happiness and security that comes from owning a property... Moreover a property that is renovated exactly to the style and design you want, a place you are so excited to come back to everyday, that you can truly call home.

And I'm so glad to share it with the love of my life and the little new addition to my family soon.

I'm sure you guys already know... My renovation took AGES. Almost a year. Most HDB renovations don't take so long, but a lot of my items had to be indented (renovation jargon for shipped in) from various countries etc, and my place, being an old executive (that's the size of maisonettes but in 1 storey) flat, is quite big and super derelict. EVERYTHING needed to be torn down and rebuilt.

Not kidding, I basically left NOTHING of the original flat behind. Every single tile torn up, every wall replastered and repainted or wallpapered up. Toilet bowls, sinks, wardrobes all abolished and renewed.

Even the electricity had to be completely rewired and cost us $6,000 - this doesn't include all the prices of the chandeliers and lights. Luckily, semi sponsored by J.E.N lighting.

Getting your dream home requires a lot of determination and perseverance. The first step for us was to find a good resale flat, and that itself took use MONTHS and going to like 50 different HDBs before we found the one we liked. After that it was settling a lot of fussy paperwork with HDB for the loan. Man, I'm so glad that bit is over.

When it came to renovations, I knew ZILCH.

Thank god Wayne is the best freaking ID and contractor in the world. He is extremely knowledgeable, super hardworking and very hands-on with good taste - and the best thing I like about him is that he is a crazy perfectionist but at the same time he respects the vision I want and doesn't push me to do designs I don't like just because it is trendy or easy.

Because I chose a VINTAGE BEACH THEME - and ask any ID - vintage is hard to do and expensive, especially in Singapore. Most Singaporeans opt for a modern/cosmopolitian/minimalist look. The corresponding furniture is easy to find and thus also easier on the pocket. But I hated the mod look, especially those that are red-black-white. It is just super not ME!!

After browsing through every home decor theme there is, Mike and I finally agreed on the beach theme.

Loads of blues (in particular blue green, like the Tiffany blue), white and sand colours... The house is to be very airy and look like a vacation beach home. Reason? We both love beach holidays and blue-green is Mike's favourite colour and my second favourite colour. Think seashells, starfish and Mediterranean oceans... I was so excited!!

(Btw beach theme not to be mistaken with nautical theme, which is red/navy/white/gold and darker in general)

Oh and we decided we could each decorate our own toilets and 1 room for ourselves. The Princess Room and Guest toilet are mine to make decor decisions on - and I decided on a floral Liz Lisa inspired theme. In home decor jargon, this is also known as a shabby chic theme!

Once we decided on what needed to be done, the next step was to find the appropriate people to do it. My god this was hard.

Imagine you needed tiles, painters, windows, carpenters, electricians, bathroom fixtures, furniture ETC ETC... Not only do you have to source the best and most economical of them, they all have to work together in tandem to create your dream home.

Lucky for Mike and me, so many awesome possum sponsors approached us and I have to say, I am so darn impressed with everybody's work.

Throughout the year, I never had to yell at anybody or complain about shoddy work. That's why I'm very very confident about the sponsors I will be listing in this blog entry. I genuinely hope, that when you get your first house and is completely flummoxed like me about who to serve your renovation needs, you find this list useful. I know for sure all of them will not disappoint you. Well, I don't need to say too much, just look at the pictures and you will know.

Despite all the sponsorship I was given, valued at probably about a hundred thousand dollars in total (how come I'm so blessed T_T), Mike and I still spent about $80-90k on renovation that were not sponsored or just semi sponsored. We both basically emptied our bank accounts. :(

If you ask me now, I was completely blindsided by how much was needed. I thought we'd have to spend $40k at best.

It is a hell lot of money. But I was determined to get my dream house and money has to be spent somewhere - what better than the house I spend most of my time in? As I am sitting in my Princess Room writing this, I don't regret it one bit. I wanted everything perfect because I knew I wasn't going to renovate my house after this for a long time and I'm going to be staying in it for YEARS to come.

I knew if I did a half assed renovation job I will just live with the ugliness forever and not bother later on. You know people who "temporarily" use a shower curtain for a window curtain or balance their tv on a stool and after months they just accept it as the way it is and not bother anymore? I didn't want that!!

So for this one year I really worked very hard on the house... I made hundreds of big and little decisions on every colour/fabric/design you see, and was constantly on the lookout to buy anything that will make my house prettier. Of course, I must share a lot of the credit with Wayne too. At long last, I think we produced a very tastefully designed house that everyone says is gorgeous. *wipes tear* I'm quite proud of myself really.

Ok finally I'm done with the yakking. In this entry I will just be showing you photos from my Living Room and Kitchen!! I will be showing the rest of the house in later blog entries, including the Princess Room which I know a lot of you are waiting for.

To aid your understanding, here is the floor plan:

And here is the MODIFIED floor plan of the Living room and Kitchen area:

This is the view of the living room when you first come in:

(Most of the pictures are enlargeable)

The wall behind the couch is a giant wall sticker of a beach!! It's such a pretty scene, makes me feel so happy everytime I see those clear waters and pristine sand.

It is challenging to get an authentic beach feel in a HDB flat - after all, what makes beach houses look like beach houses is that you can actually see a beach out of the window! Since I couldn't have that, the next best thing is a fake beach on my wall I guess.

Everybody also loves the oak beams on the ceiling (actually just an oak laminate)... The wires to all the LED lights are hidden in the false ceilings and they are made by my carpenter Eastern Furniture and Renovation. Not to mention also, the planked-looking false wall behind the TV. I found the best EVER vintage-looking white wood laminate from TAK and my carpenter cut it into strips to look like planks. Love it!!!

Most of the house is carpeted because Mike and I both LOVE carpet.

I know it isn't a popular choice with Singaporeans who like to say it is dusty, but I don't really feel it is? And no need to mop, only vacuum! Plus, the carpet is supposed to look like sand on the beach. :D

My carpet sponsor D'zander did such a fabulous job laying the carpet too... No corners flipping up whatsoever!

This is my mantlepiece... The cabinet is from Ikea and all the things displayed there are accumulated over the months by me as I collected beach-y items like a magpie. A lot are bought from Taobao at very cheap prices and Qiuqiu helped me with the shipping!! :D

I am in love with my TV console area!! Console built from scratch by my carpenter once again in TAK's oak laminate. The giant TV is a gift from Gillian and Bryan for my helping them with an advert long ago... I told them to buy me something smaller like an oven but they got me a hugeass telly wtf. :')

Anyway we made the TV swivel-able so we can watch TV while we are eating at the dining table!! Super love!!

I love the little foam buoy we hung above the TV that says "Welcome aboard". :D

Oh and you must be wondering about that metal-looking strip behind the TV.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is an Eubiq power track.

You know what one of my biggest pet peeves is? Electrical extension cords.

THEY ARE SO MAD FUGLY.

NO, JUST NO. I HATE THEM. They are always lying on the floor with shitloads of tangled up wires and dust and dirt and so many of them get yellow and gross with age.

NO MORE OF THAT NONSENSE.

Eubiq power tracks are the way to go!!

Mike told me about how he wanted these tracks in his workshop. Dreamy-eyed, he spoke of tracks embedded in walls that you can plug in your electronics anywhere you wanted. I was initially like WTF you talking about such things don't exist. BUT THEY DO!

So as you can see, we had one neat track embedded behind the TV to supply electricity to all our TV related electronics... The track came with adapters that can you simply turn and put anywhere else on the track. Plus it looked so darn chic with the blue light... OMG I love it!!

This is why my TV console's wires are so neat and tidy... We added two more adapters on each side in case guests want to charge their phones etc. The adapters came in USB version too, how convenient!

On either sides of our console are our speakers, which obviously look too modern for our vintage theme... So I came up with the brilliant idea of wrapping them with rope! :D

Ok backtrack a little actually the first thing you see when you come into the house is not the living room... It is my front door!!

And this is how my front door looks like... My door sponsor, Yontat, is one of the biggest door manufacturers in Singapore... Besides choosing my doors, I also got to choose my front door lock!

Don't blow off this decision as something unimportant. Afterall, most of us have to lock and unlock the front door at least twice a day, right?

Having a difficult lock is very frustrating especially when you are carrying heavy groceries or having an extremely tired day. Personally I HATE those locks that have the potential to lock you outside the house if you leave the house without a key.

That's why I SUPER LOVE MY YALE LOCK. Ok fine I'm freaking gushing over a lock like are you serious but I REALLY LOVE IT LAH!! It is so high techy and awesome!!

Firstly, NO KEYS REQUIRED. I hate having to remember to bring keys out and they are so heavy and scratch your phone's screen in your bag. How much time is spent finding lost keys or digging in your bag for keys??

All I need is my finger - scans my fingerprint!! I was very skeptical about this and thought it would not work 50% of the time, but to my huge surprise it works, EVERYTIME. Plus it can remember up to 10 people's fingerprints so I stored my mom's and also Shuyin's so they can come in whenever!

Alternate way to come in is the pin code system. If say someone from Nuffnang wants to deliver something to me and I am not home, I can just give the nuffie the pin and change it to something else later. Isn't it awesome?

Plus the lock has an alarm system that lets me know if anyone is trying to open the door... They fail more than a few times, the lock wails. The battery is supposed to last about a year. So far I haven't changed batteries yet! If you are outside while the battery dies, just go buy a 9 volt battery and stick it under the lock so it will temporarily work and let you in. :D

If you are also needing new doors for your house, veneer doors are the way to go! Apparently that's what all the condos use.

On the right of the front door is my shoe cabinet, built from scratch by my carpenter!

I LOVE the seafoam green worn out wood laminate also from TAK. My shoe cabinet is so big I can't even fill it with all the shoes I've got!!

In the middle of it is an alcove Wayne designed, he said to put a mirror (for last min checks before leaving the house) and cushions there behind a portrait frame so people can sit there and wear shoes.

Horror... This is how it used to look like pre renovation.

So much space for shoes... It is deep enough to put double layers.

It's the little details that count... Starfish light I bought from taobao in the alcove...

Here's my balcony and bookshelf!!

I chose this super pleasing shade of blue-green from Nippon paint for the balcony... The white ratten furniture are semi sponsored by Comfort design... They specialize in chairs and I customized this set with white ratten and turquoise cushions!

Another view

I've always wanted a swing at home! My mom got this from the Salvation army at $20 only omg. Initially it was white and she washed it with a hose and it turned this yellow colour lol... Turns out it was only white coz of dust. Well I try not to think about how dirty it could be because sitting on it is really therapeutic.

For the balcony we chose these tiles that look like oak wooden planks from Soon Bee Huat... I super love it!!! They actually look very vintage and look convincingly like old wood - except it's actually new tiles. When you step on it it feels pleasantly rough on the foot and cooling - great for SG weather.

And yes that's my Electrolux Ergorapido in the corner!! Most convenient vacuum cleaner ever. It is cordless, so anytime anywhere just turn it on to use... There is even light so you can see what you are cleaning. A dream for people with pets that shed!! And if you look carefully you can see an even smaller vacuum cleaner that you can pluck out... I used it everyday to clean Igloo's poop that he might scatter around. Super love it!!

Want it??? Electrolux is giving away this awesome vacuum cleaner to lucky readers! I will provide more details later.

Noticed something?

Once the curtains are opened the house loses the entire beach feel... The view usually sucks in most HDB flats I guess, and that's why curtains are so super important!!!

If I could give a home decor advice, I would say don't scrimp on curtains. A lot of people feel that if they don't have enough budget, they can save on curtains by either getting cheaper non-customized ikea sorts, or god forbid, use shower curtains or bedsheets instead.

Until I witnessed how curtains transformed the looks of my house completely, I never would have believed the difference customized curtains can make!! Having curtains that are tailored to exactly end right before it touches your floor gives the illusion of full length windows, even if they are not. Totally adds so much class immediately.

I super love all the curtains from my house that I chose from D'zander. They are just a small family business doing curtains and soft furnishing for decades now and they gave me excellent service, not to mention fabulous curtains that provided exactly that airy beach home look that I wanted.

This is the corridor leading to the rooms.... On the left, my island and bar!! In case you are wondering, the corridor is painted with Nippon paint in the colour Charming. I LOVE THIS COLOUR SO MUCH IT REALLY IS CHARMING lol.

This is how my dining room/dry kitchen looks like!!

If you noticed from the original floor plan, the dining room was not supposed to be here at all. This entire space was supposed to be my giant ass kitchen, which I felt was too big so I split it in half and put the dining table here. It is great too because we can watch the living room TV while we eat :)

The island/dining table is built by my carpenter as well, including the cute vintage-looking table leg!

Got my blue-green chandelier also from Taobao... I spent an entire day at those chandelier shops along balestier road and was so freaking irritated... All the chandeliers sold in SG cost at least like $1,000 for the smallest ones and they were all so old fashioned and gaudy looking. A lot of them looked like they have been in the shops for years. Granted, a lot of the chandeliers were made of real crystals but I really wasn't willing to part $2k for a chandelier that was the size I wanted.

So I went to taobao to see and got this blue green one for freaking $90. I even bought a white one in the same design too because it's so cheap I didn't mind just choosing whichever I preferred once the shipment is here. The white I've since given to my brother for his room.

The crystals are plastic, not crystal, but I didn't need crystals anyway - I'd rather have one that matches my teal theme and I found NONE in the sg shops. Taobao is freaking fantastic for chandeliers. I saw some of the shops selling for $500 what taobao is selling for $100. I know they need to turn a profit but a 500% profit?! HEI DIAN!! I don't know how they are surviving!

My gorgeous mint green SMEG fridge, semi sponsored by Unilite! Totally matches the theme right?

I must say, SMEG fridges are quite expensive, but what to do? Most modern fridges will look so out of place in my house... Smeg fridges look very retro and comes in a multitude of super pretty colours!! Unilite is running a great promotion for Smeg fridges and the Electrolux products featured in this blog entry... I will be posting more about that later.

And yes if you noticed from the floor plan... Those cupboard doors beside the fridge (also built by my carpenter) actually hide the entrance to the guest toilet!!

I won't be posting about the toilet today, I wanted it in the same entry as my Princess room, but you will get a sneak preview of it in the GTL video I will be embedding later!

The working mechanics of my drawers are all sponsored by blum!! Can you say INNOVATION?

Gotta love their special U-shaped drawers that fit under sinks... Usually you cannot have drawers under sinks due to the plumbing, but this is perfect for our glasses!!

Blum's servo drives means none of my drawers have handles... Simply push and they pop out... Push again and it shuts automatically. Very high tech and convenient!

Entering the wet kitchen...

Put a sticker on the glass door so nobody bangs into it.

If you noticed my kitchen sink is also BLUE GREEN!!! It is finding all these treasures along the way that made me so happy... I got my sink from an old shop and actually, acrylic coloured sinks/toilet bowls/bathtubs are all no longer in production. They are simply unpopular - most people just choose chrome sinks nowadays. So I got mine, the last in the shop and no longer in production for less than $100. So freaking happy coz it super matches my theme and it is so unique!

The kitchen is kept in the same colour theme as outside. For my kitchen cabinets I chose the same white worn wood laminate as my living room false wall. Floor tiles the same as my balcony's. The kitchen tops in white solid surface. On the walls is glass for an easy wipe down in teal. And of course all built by my carpenter! The layout is designed by Wayne.

I now have so much cupboard space that a lot of them are quite empty. o_O

Hello Igloo!

And here's the BEFORE:

How did the old owners live like that :X

The laundry area is also where I place my washer and dryer and Igloo's litter box. In the day he has a pretty big fenced up area to lounge in, and at night when Mike is home we let him out into the living room to spend time with us. Most of the time he automatically goes back to his home after a few hours.

At the back - my Electrolux washing machine and dryer!!

They are so generous and gave me the BEST products!! 7kg washing machine means bigger batches of laundry each time and saving water... Front loading too so that a dryer can be stacked on it to save space!

The dryer IS MY FAVOURITE. Electrolux Iron Aid is a condenser system which means NO MORE bigass tube I have to stick out of a window!!! The iron-aid system built in even helps "iron" clothes while drying it for you... I don't know how it does all these but it's just AMAZING. As it is I already love dryers because I hate hanging clothes out to dry... Now it's helping me iron too? GEEZ!!

Grohe is sponsoring all my mixers.... These include taps and showerheads and other bathroom furnishings... I SUPER LOVE THEIR STUFF!!!

As you all know, Grohe stuff are from Germany and they are pretty high end products.

I love that their products are all extremely chic - you can tell just by looking at that it is not a cheapo tap or showerhead - but yet Grohe doesn't scream the brand in your face. The brand is usually stamped pretty small, only upon scrutiny will you realise, hey, I've seen this brand in luxury hotels when I took a shower. I love it, having their mixers in your home is like carrying a Prada bag with the smallest of labels... If you notice it you notice it, all the more classy!

My kitchen tap is called Grohe Blue - best tap ever! Turning the knob turns on a filter so you can directly drink water from the tap. How convenient!! The fact that there is a pretty blue LED light on it also doesn't hurt. :D

Now a kitchen is not just about looking pretty... It is afterall a place for COOKING!! And I realised my cooking has improved by leaps and bounds thanks to all the Electrolux cooking appliances!!

The gas hob I chose lights up a fire everytime without a lighter's help and I don't know why but the fire produced goes from SUPER huge to small. I've never seen another hob give such powerful flames, it is great for stir-frying stuff that need high heat.

My microwave is also a mini oven and other than heating food up you can even toast bread in it.

My oven-oven is FREAKING AWESOME. I had an oven in one of my rental houses before and everytime I tried to bake something it shorts the electricity in the whole house wtf. When it DOES work, the temperature won't be even. I've used a few people's ovens with the same problem, causing cakes to be ruined (top burnt, bottom raw).

But my oven works perfectly all the time!! Even my mother-in-law when she visited from Texas said the oven is great (Americans use ovens a lot more than Singaporeans so they know a good oven when they see one) coz the turkey she cooked was supposed to be done in 4 hours and the oven did it in 1.5hrs. And it was perfectly done, succulent and juicy!

The inside of my drawers organized with Blum's Orga Line... So neat and tidy, I love it!

Another Blum innovation - corner drawers!!

Ok here's the last photo... I want to show you guys one of the favourite things about my new house...

It is insect screens for ALL my windows. Bear with me, I need to rave about this.

I blogged before about how much I HATE having roaches and lizards at home. Nothing turns me off more in a house than having these bloody vermin suddenly appear before me. Roaches are easy enough to kill with a rolled up newspaper or poison spray, but lizards are super hard to get rid of. Worst thing? I tried to google how long house lizards live, and it seems that the internet didn't have a concise answer. I gathered from various answers, however, that it is UP TO 10 YEARS.

So if you see a lizard in your house, it is unlikely he will move out anytime soon and you have to live with the fucker for YEARS ON END. I've had lizards drop on me when I'm showering, sneak into food I leave on the table, make their stupid tut-tut-tut noise throughout the night, and leave their stupid black and white shit all over my stuff. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

When I had my own house, I was determined to solve this problem once and for all - by having screened windows.

Screened windows are extremely common and popular in the states, and I don't understand for the life of me why it doesn't seem popular in Singapore where roaches, lizards and mosquitos are so common.

It is such a great solution - magnetic strips around your window, and you paste the screen on. When you want to open or close your window, just pull on the tab at the corner. You can choose white, grey or black screens. When my sponsor Matthew came to install the screens, I was surprised to learn that the insect screens were actually very affordable, at $33 for small windows! Plus you can save money by installing it yourself.

Now even though I stay in a low floor, my house has ABSOLUTELY no insects. I cannot begin to say how pleased I am about this!!!!!!! EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE THIS IN THEIR HOUSE I SWEAR.

Want to see the house in motion? Watch the latest Guide to Life on my House Tour Part 1!

******************

Are you renovating your place too?? Here are some promotions/contests that my sponsors are running:

Electrolux:

WIN the Electrolux Ergorapido cordless vacuum cleaner featured in my blog entry!!

Not just 1, but 3 winners will be picked and it is SO simple to win.

How? From now till 17th April 2013, simply go to Electrolux's Little White Book facebook page and hit Like. Then in 20 words or less say why you hate corded vacuum cleaners! Easy right?

Good luck!!

Unilite (for Smeg and Electrolux):

Want a Smeg fridge? Smeg fridges come in 4 sizes (mine is the biggest) and they are now heavily discounted! Call Unilite to find out the prices!

Also, an awesome kitchen package that you can get from Unilite for Electrolux's hob and hood plus oven:

Saving you $750 wtf... Very good deal!

Unilite's contact HERE.

Eastern Furniture and Renovation:

Need carpentry work done??

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Complete list of sponsors:

Interior design: Icon Interior

Facebook

Email: waynechan@iconinterior.com.sg

White goods: Electrolux

Facebook

Bathroom furnishings: Grohe

Smeg fridge: Unilite (general electronics store)

Facebook

Wardrobes (not featured in this entry): Alumix

Laminates: TAK

Lighting and Electrician: J.E.N LED Lighting

Facebook

Tiles:Soon Bee Huat

Cleaning: Spick and Span
They provided a thorough cleaning of my house when I first moved in!

Power track: Eubiq

Facebook

Doors and door lock: Yontat

Paint: Nippon

Facebook

Drawer mechanics: Blum

Insect Screens: DIY Magnetic Insect Screen

Movers: Stridek Movers

Barstools and balcony furniture: Comfort Design

Curtains, Wallpapers and Carpet: D'Zander Interiors

Facebook

Carpentry: Eastern Furniture and Renovation

Facebook

Last but not least, not really related to renovations but a huge thank you to Joshua from Elements by the Box for the fantastic photographs featured in this blog entry... Haha, you didn't really think I took those fab (and very professional) photos did you?

Anyway for photography day Josh (and Wayne who came to help too wtf) slaved away for 2 days before finishing shooting the house... They made sure everything was perfect by arranging and moving stuff around. So patient and professional!! And Joshua only took 1 day to edit and send me the photos - got more workaholic not???

In case you are wondering, Joshua is also Qiu's husband and I approached him for the photography because he did such a good job shooting their wedding photos and making them look so dreamy and pastel. Great job with my house pictures too!! (Actually he doesn't do wedding photography but more on photoshoots for ads).

I know this blog entry is MAD LONG!!!!

But I hope you enjoyed it and find it useful when you need (or want) to renovate your dream home too!!

OFF I GO TO GIVE BIRTH KTHXBYE

Motherhood: the biggest pissing contest of them all

2013-03-25T08:45:00.000+08:00

As I'm on the brink of becoming a mother, I've come to a startling revelation.

Once you get pregnant, you are faced with many choices you have to make, and rest assured, every single day people will be asking you the same questions:

- Are you going natural or C section?

- Are you going to breastfeed? How long do you intend to breastfeed for?

- Are you going to quit your job?

- Do you want a boy or girl?

- What are you going to do about your hair colour? Dye black?

Sure a lot of people are just asking for fun or out of curiosity... Honestly before I got pregnant I never cared if other pregnant women are planning to breastfeed or not. For the life of me I don't get why that's even interesting to others. All I cared about was whether I can play with their baby once it's out. Maybe for people who aren't in the appropriate age group to discuss parenthood they are simply asking these questions because they are making conversation in a topic they are unfamiliar with. These are the questions everyone patronizes mommies-to-be with.

But if you are talking to fellow mothers, all these questions are loaded, oh yes they aren't as innocuous as they seem. There are politically correct answers to each of them, varying degrees of social acceptance tagged to each of them, and woe betide you if you answer the wrong thing - you will be in for some unsolicited "advice". To be fair, most of these mothers don't mean any harm, it is just that they have been through the same thing and they know better.

And here are the "correct" answers:

1) I'm going to try natural with no epidural, I don't want drugs to harm my baby. It might be painful but I'll endure it.

2) I intend to breastfeed for as long as possible, my baby deserves the best milk nature can give. I cannot take any drugs, caffeine or alcohol for the next few years but that's ok.

Why not until he is 35?

3) Of course I'm quitting my job, my baby is my first priority. What kind of monster do you think I am?

4) Boy or girl doesn't matter *wan smile* as long as he or she is healthy.

5) I suppose I will go bald for the entirety of motherhood so without having to care for my hair I can better devote time to my baby.

"What is hair when you have the miracle of life in your arms?"

Have you realised a similarity between the politically correct answers?

Yes, they all involve the most amount of pain and sacrifice from the mother.

And in all the cases, whether or not this pain/sacrifice is necessary or even relevant to the welfare of the child is not important - as long as you suffer as a mother, it makes you a good mother.

Your happiness should never be a priority, your child's should. Even better if your only happiness comes from your child's happiness.

Let's take for example the most asked question of all - how do you intend to birth your baby?

Here are your choices, ranked from Most politically correct/socially accepted/noble... To the least:

1) Natural without epidural (including water birth and other fancy hipster births)

2) Natural with epidural

3) Elective Caesarean Section with epidural (awake, can see baby born)

4) Elective Caesarean Section under general anesthesia (knock out completely)

5) Surrogate

(Emergency C sections not included as they are not a choice)

You will realize I am right: the list also ranks the most painful to the least. People who opt for elective C sections may heal slower from their wounds but during the childbirth process they at least do not suffer 10 hours of labour pains and contractions. Those who choose to completely knock out do not even have to suffer the long and thick epidural needle enter their spine. A surrogate of course means you don't even suffer through 9 months of pregnancy.

A woman who goes through natural birth without epidural is often applauded for her bravery and sacrifice, whereas if a wealthy woman, totally capable of normal birth, chooses a surrogate so she can preserve her youth and not suffer through pregnancy and childbirth, will be judged like crazy.

To me, this sort of ideal where she who suffers most wins, is completely stupid and irrational.

It is a pissing contest between women.

Just like how men make their car engines as loud as possible while buying expensive watches to show they are the most alpha and successful of males, this is the passive aggressive, rather masochist female version of it.

Men base their life's success on their careers and wealth. Most women, I suspect even though I'm not a mother yet, base their success on how their children turn out. (Of course some value careers or other priorities more, I'm saying most)

We may not be able control our children's genes, but with better and more careful nurture than other women, hopefully our kids can turn out stellar human beings, validating all that we went through for them.

But this competition between mothers is not as simple as buying the most expensive flashy car. It is ridden with layers of guilt coming from other "flashy" mothers showing off their sacrifice and judging others who did anything less. It constantly makes you feel inadequate - am I a bad mom? Am I doing enough? Am I allowed to still be pretty?

We all know that becoming a mum already means sacrificing a lot. With a child we are taking the risk of finding it very hard to find another life partner should the current baby's daddy dump us. Our bodies go out of shape, our nipples are deformed and boobs deflated and defeated-looking. With each child it ages us. Raising a child takes up so much time and energy that could otherwise be dedicated to a better career or our life's dreams.

As it is we are already sacrificing a lot. What I don't get is why these stupid people all around insist that everyone should be inflicted with unnecessary addition pain!

A good mother should be making choices that means the best for their children, right? Not just the worst for her?

So answer me this: how is a natural birth without epidural any better for a baby than an elective C section?!

Fact: Loads of moms insist on doing a natural birth because they think it's the right thing to do.

However, a big percentage are not able to do it due to various common complications, such as the umbilical cord being tangled around baby's neck, or the cervix not being able to dilate enough, the mother's pelvis being too small, or the baby being in breech, meaning it didn't turn to come out head first.

It seems to be that instead of risking all these complications, it seems better for the baby (I'm not discussing what's better for mommy here) to simply do a C section. There has also been debate that natural childbirth is painful and traumatizing for the baby, who can't possibly be feeling that comfortable being pushed through a narrow passage. A difficult delivery can also cause shoulder dystosia, which means the baby's shoulder gets stuck and his arms can be permanently paralysed.

But yet, with all that in mind, a C section remains the unpopular, less noble option. To date, every single person has advised me to go natural, with only 2 saying a C section is better.

Why? Because people automatically assume that what requires the most pain/sacrifice from the mother must be the best option for the baby. What dumb logic.

There are even loads of people saying I should do it without epidural, for really rational reasons like these:

"I think you should try it without epidural

because why wouldn't you risk pain for your child?"

(OK this was an actual tweet someone tweeted to me but she has since deleted it after I rudely replied her)

Why?? Why must I go through necessary pain that by no means benefit my baby? Would you also like me to stab myself in the eye with a fork so I can show how much I love my child?

Someone once drew a parallel for me. To ask someone to go through childbirth without pain relief is like asking someone to pluck out a rotten tooth with no anesthesia. The technology is there, it has been proven safe with minimal side effects, so why go through the pain?!

It serves absolutely no purpose except to win the pissing contest between mothers with something to prove. Whatever pain you can go through, I can go through more.

No thanks, I'm not playing this stupid game, go ahead and suffer yourselves.

(I know there are people who are terrified of the epidural needle or don't wish for the side effects of epidural, but it remains the mass majority of women who go through this option merely do it for bragging rights and a sense of altruistic pride.)

The same goes for breast feeding. Not as well documented as childbirth horror but perhaps almost as traumatizing I'm sure, is breast feeding. My own mother told me that her breasts got so engorged they were stone hard and it was even more painful than childbirth for her.

I wasn't breastfed, she gave up after 2 days.

I can almost hear the disapproval from other moms who endured their stone hard breasts and persevered, but don't you dare judge my mother - she worked 3 jobs raising my brother and me, nobody can say she is a bad mom. Momo told me that back in her day anyway, formula milk was all the rage and most moms who could afford formula gave formula to their children because formula promised all sorts of extra nutrients that will supposedly make babies prodigies.

Which is better for the baby? Formula or breast feeding? I don't know, but the general consensus, or trend, nowadays anyway, seem to be breast milk.

However, the quality of breast milk every mother produces is different, so who is to say? The milk a drug-addled or unhealthy mom provides can't be that much better than a cow's. Whichever the correct answer is, I'm sure the difference is negligible.

But yet if a mother says she is not going to breast feed for whatever reason - be it to preserve the shape of her breasts, because it's painful or troublesome, or because the baby wouldn't latch on and she gives up, she will get judged like mad once again.

Why?? Why should we care if another mother doesn't breastfeed? If you are so sure breastfeeding is so benefactory to babies, then shouldn't you be glad? Perhaps your sore nipples will cause your child to be far superior to other formula fed children later on in life - isn't that just fantastic?

Not to mention, there are plenty of women who are not able to produce enough milk for their babies... When people keep talking about how breastfeeding is good, how do you think this will make these poor mommies feel? I'd talk more about this later.

Another thing I hate is that somehow people feel that mothers should never be vain.

It is as if people expect that once you are a mom all your time should be dedicated to your child - any time spent on yourself, especially something as superficial as your looks, must mean you are neglecting your kid.

Sure, people do leave nice comments saying stuff like "Hot mama!" or "You are so pretty and young I can't believe you are a mother of 2!" but in general...

Who do you think is a better mother?

Megan Fox or the matronly woman on the right?

(The woman on the right plays the cook in Downton Abbey btw)

Anyway I don't blame people for their prejudice. Even though there is no evidence that a woman's looks affects her ability to care for her children, the fact remains that most people think if you look so frazzled and unkempt your best efforts must be put somewhere else, and one must presume it is into the children's welfare.

A woman's weight loss after childbirth is a hotly debated topic as well. Let's face it - to gain so much weight during pregnancy and seeing your looks rapidly decline is depressing as hell. It doesn't mean you are not happy about your new baby or don't love him like crazy. One can be depressed about something and happy about another thing at the same time.

But yet most people say just eat as much as you want during pregnancy, and don't fuss about losing it too fast afterwards, your priority should be taking care of your newborn anyway. Loads of hollywood stars have created controversy for their rapid weight loss after childbirth, because people think they are giving unrealistic expectations to average, normal people. (Yes damn you Megan Fox - the photo above was taken a month after her baby's birth)

Simply whining about my weight gain or bad complexion on twitter or instagram would get me an onslaught of mean comments from people telling me my looks shouldn't be my priority at the moment.

I'm sorry, but for my whole freaking life my looks HAVE been my priority.

I may not be extremely beautiful but nobody can deny that I worked really hard to improve what I have, via painful plastic surgery, regular trips to the hair salon, tens of thousands spent on clothes/makeup/skincare etc.

You think motherhood is a magical button to make everything you used to care about suddenly become unimportant? When you worked so hard for something to have it all taken away, it is IMPOSSIBLE not to be upset, ok? Look... Look at what my stomach looks like now:

Once upon a time I had a flat nice belly with a cute belly piercing... It is the same colour throughout.

But now, at 9 months pregnant, my belly button looks like the mouth of a pufferfish. There is discolouration and pigmentation around the navel and linea nigra, though thankfully mine isn't that dark.

I can't decide which is worse, the fact that my belly piercing done 10 years ago turned into a dark scar somehow (things they don't tell you at the tattoo parlour, huh?), or that throughout the pregnancy little zits erupted around the belly and some of them left unsavoury scars.

Oh and the belly is hairier than usual too. How sexy.

I'm already one of the lucky ones. I have zero stretch marks. But still, I fear the skin there will never be taut again and some of the scars may become permanent. I may never wear a bikini again. :(

And yet when I whine people still scold me!! There is a saying that mothers should be proud of their stretch marks!! PROUD SIMI SAI LAH SO UGLY. What's there to be so proud of that my skin didn't manage weight gain very well?

I'd be proud if my son becomes valedictorian, not about fucking stretch marks and pigmentation scars!

So gimme a break! I'm trying my best to handle the ugliness and not get too depressed about it, but sometimes I still give in to human emotions, ok?

Back to the topic of a mother's vanity and people's ideology that a vain mom = a bad mom.

In an utopic world, yes, a woman, once turned into a mother, should be able to focus all her energy on raising her children and not need to care about her looks anymore.

But alas, the world is far from ideal. Think about it, other than getting both parents murdered by Lord Voldemort, what is the most traumatizing thing that can happen to a child? A divorce.

Even though a husband is supposed to love his wife no matter how she looks, the fact is that attraction is still important in a marriage. A woman who lets herself go unarguably increases the chance of her husband leaving her for a younger, slimmer, more beautiful specimen.

Attraction is not just about looks either. A woman who feels she is ugly will also be insecure and jealous. Confidence is a very attractive thing.

I can hear all the feminists being really mad at this and saying women should not have to give in to such despicable behaviour from men. But men are men - they think with their penis. It isn't right for a robber to rob you when you walk down a dark alley either, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't be avoiding dark alleys, right?

If Mike leaves me and our son because I became 100kg after giving birth, he may be an asshole but the one suffering the most is my son who lost his father. I must do what I can to prevent it from happening.

Of course, it doesn't mean I must immediately go for liposuction and a facelift after childbirth, but I guess I should put in enough effort so that if he does leave me, nobody can say "Who can blame him? His wife became a fat pig since she had the baby 3 years ago. Now she doesn't even shave her armpits."

Husbands also often feel neglected and unimportant after their wives bear them children. Looking good for him will make him feel like he still has a place in your heart too.

So, in conclusion: Vain moms = working hard to make the marriage work = being a good mom too. Two sides of the coin!

Actually I'm just making excuses. I don't believe Mike will ditch me if I became fat. I just want to look good because it makes me feel good about myself, and I am allowed to!

No wonder so many mothers go into depression...

Already we give up so much for our children, but yet people keep burdening us with more unrealistic expectations, guilt-tripping us into thinking we don't give up enough.

Stop it already. Stop saying things like "If you not willing to give up xxx, perhaps you shouldn't be a mother."

Nobody can give up everything that used to make them happy and not go crazy or depressed, and I'm sure you agree a psycho person won't make a good mother either.

The art of motherhood is to find the perfect balance between giving the best to your child and also keeping yourself happy.

Besides, every child is different and so is every pregnancy. What might seem like the "correct" or popular choice for one woman might not be for another, so what would you know? Don't be so quick to judge.** If a woman decides to go for an elective C section or says she doesn't want to breastfeed, just let her be.

Abrupt end to my super long-winded article.

** Unless the mother is doing things that are proven to actually physically harm the child such as binge drinking or smoking or taking drugs to get high or changing a diaper every 3 days then I suppose it's ok to get judgey.

New Hair Tutorial video!

2013-03-05T12:10:00.002+08:00

Finally!!

I think I'm reaching the nesting stage in my pregnancy so now I feel a sudden surge of energy and more inspired to do stuff that isn't just eating and sleeping.

So I edited a hair tutorial video I filmed AGES ago. And by ages I mean even before I got pregnant wtf... Just never got around to editing it. The video was actually filmed in the rental home I put up at when my real home was under renovation.

Click to watch:

And here are the bigger versions of the photos shown in the video:

Igloo says bye!!

Ok that's it there goes my stamina... Gonna sleep now.

Dolly Wink x Tsubasa Masuwaka part 2

2013-02-24T05:17:00.000+08:00

Advertorial

I know a lot of you have been waiting eagerly for this post!!! Coz it's photos from when I met Tsubasa Masuwaka when she came to Singapore for Dolly Wink!!

I was so happy that week because I actually met her 2 days in a row...

Super regret giving up on my Japanese classes because I had a lot of chances to actually talk to her but of course I cannot speak Japanese and she can't speak English, so those moments were spent in silence. :( Wish Cheesie was here to help translate!

First day was her press conference... Also a chance for me to meet the girls of the Dolly Wink Lookalike Contest, where I was to be a guest judge!

After much anticipation... THERE SHE IS!!!

She's super pretty and petite irl!! Looks just exactly like her photos!

In any case I didn't photoshop her in any of the photos I'm gonna be posting (coz she really doesn't need it), so you can judge for yourself.

These girls are the finalists for the Lookalike contest!!

I must say I am really impressed... Before the press conference the girls were gathered in a group and seeing such a big group of very pretty (and vain, haha) girls is slightly alarming and intimidating... They all looked so spectacularly out of place in Singapore with their bright hair and dolly eye make up. They would have fitted right into Shibuya 109 and nobody will think they aren't Japanese!

So yes I'm really impressed with the effort they all put in and the authenticity of their "gyaru-ness". Plus they are all so pretty! Even Tsubasa herself, when asked to give them advice for tomorrow, said she had none really as they all already looked so perfectly gyaru.

Want to rant a little here... Someone commented to me that "they all look the same". I don't think this is a fair thing to say.

Sure, gyaru fashion has a distinct style and maybe, when seen in a big group like that, a lot of them look similar in light ash hair, false eyelashes or floral print clothes. But if you put ANY fashion style of people together, they will ALL look "the same".

For example, to everyone else a group of goths all look the same. Or a group of heavily tattooed and pierced people, all who strived to look "different" by imprinting their bodies with difference designs and piercings, all look "the same" when viewed in a group.

If you adopt any style at all, you are bound to look the same as people with the same taste as you, because there are so many people in this world trying to find their style that nobody is truly unique! Even if you choose to not wear anything at all, you will still look "the same" as the other nudists around the world!

But to someone who is interested in gyaru fashion, you will be able to see... Oh some of the girls are going for the Mode style, some are going for the hime style... Just as someone who is into goth can possibly tell between different goth styles.

And so what if the girls look similar to each other? At least they stand out from regular girls and go for a look that they love, to represent themselves... If you don't bother dressing up at all, you think you look so unique? No, you just look "the same" as any other lazy person out there! In your, god forbid, black leggings worn as pants.

I'd rather look the same as people with the same passion as me than look the same as lazy people who do not even bother dressing up, which is like 80% of the world, thank you.

Ok, rant over.

After this I had an interview session with Tsubasa herself!!!

You can actually view the video here, featured on Now You Know:

Cannot stop smiling like an idiot the whole time I was chatting with her... So unprofessional haha...

She gave very lengthy and detailed answers to every question and at the end of the interview she had to say "Hi, I'm Tsubasa, keep watching Clicknetwork dot tv."

Even though it's a relatively simple sentence for us, it is a little challenging for her as she can't speak English well, but she still so nicely obliged. She practiced over and over again before she got it perfect for the camera.

Overall I'm just really impressed with her work ethics because she flew into Singapore early that morning... Japan to Singapore takes about 7 hours. After she landed she immediately had to do a photoshoot for Nylon magazine (I know because Rozz's bf is the photographer and she told me that he shot a Japanese celebrity that morning which reminded Rozz of me haha... Highest praise ever). Anyway Nylon magazine is out already so do go check it out!

After her photoshoot, which must have been exhausting, she had to attend the press conference and do press interviews, which must be pretty dull for her! Imagine people asking you similar questions over and over again for YEARS!

That's why I'm surprised that even though we were the last to interview her, she didn't patronise us by giving short answers and wanting to escape to her hotel room asap to rest... In fact she was very patient and obliged to every request!!

Photos!!

I was about 6 months pregnant. Now I'm 7 and a half!

She's so gorgeous and perfect!!

Her face is super tiny wtf I had to photoshop mine like 40% smaller just to make it look like my head is vaguely the same size as hers fml.

Anyway if you are wondering what's going on with my awful black roots... Well I keep getting people criticizing me for dyeing my hair while pregnant. My gynae Dr Law Wei Seng actually said it's perfectly safe to do so and after all the research I did I realised that there is no conclusive evidence that it will harm the baby, although most people suggested only doing it after the 1st trimester (which I did).

But even though I believed that it is safe, to stop all the criticism and to err on the side of caution I tried to minimize hair dyeing... Thus I tried to tolerate the black roots for as long as possible, which resulted in the above travesty. FYI I have since done my roots once more and my hair is now blonde again.

Hey baby-in-my-belly, you got touched by the most famous gyaru mama in Japan!!

Here's Tsubasa signing postcards Clicknetwork printed for her to give to lucky viewers....

Most celebrities just sign but not her!! Is it in the Japanese culture that everything people do, they must do better?? You can see she drew with so much effort on every postcard for her fans... Super sweet!!!

I'm pretty sure her hardworking attitude has everything to do with how incredibly successful she is. She mentioned during her interview that she oversees the design for each and every Dolly Wink eyelash to make sure they are perfect... How she gets any sleep at all is anyone's guess!!

Look how happy I am! Coz Tsubasa gave me a HUGE bag literally overflowing with Dolly Wink products!!

WAH WAH WAH!!

Plus I also get her new product... Bambi Series contact lens!! She told me these aren't even out in the market yet and I am telling you guys I super LOVE them coz they are ONE DAY lens!!

Geo lens don't normally come in One-day lens, usually they last 6 months and aren't very comfortable, but these are SUPER comfortable!! Plus they are so very pretty!! :D

I'm just happy to see a new player in the coloured one day lens market!!

I also get two of her Milky Bunny CDs, signed!! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!

Luckiest girl in the world is me!!!

Next day is the Dolly Wink Lookalike Contest,

held at Scape Warehouse.

Here's what I wore...

Liz Lisa dress, Guess wedges, floral headband

This photo is taken in the VIP dressing room. On the table you can see some of Tsubasa's belongings as she was also doing her makeup and general waiting in the room (so people don't harass her). I was alone in the room when I took the photo... Not buay paiseh enough to do it while she and her entourage were inside lol

After this, unfortunately, I couldn't take any other pictures because I had to go on stage already. So the rest of the photos are the official ones!

And while Tsubasa was waiting in the room with me I was too shy to ask her for photos because I wanted to act cool and not hound her like some fangirl... But inside I really wanted to :(

The stage was decorated with many photos of her...

Me chatting with the host, who can speak both fluent English and Japanese.

The event was so fun,.Tsubasa, the Japanese Boss of Koji and I were sitting at a booth at the back where we were to judge the finalists' catwalk and creative answers to the host's questions.

All the girls did such a fantastic job!

Here are the top two winners:

Here's the runner up Golly Locks... She's super pretty and tall wtf. She went with a summer-y mode style.

Winner Kelly Konomi went with a more cutesy style... Needless to say I super love the flower band on her head and cute pink outfit!! Definitely won some points from me. :D

If you wish to see more photos check out the facebook album for that day's event HERE!!

Event over!! GROUP PICTURE!!

Had a lot of fun those two days...

Really hope to see more Singaporean girls try out the gyaru style... If you want to start, you can start by experimenting with Dolly Wink makeup... Quintessential gyaru makeup brand!

Last pic of me wearing Dolly wink's top and bottom lashes

Of course, stay inspired by Liking the Shibuya Gals facebook page!!

http://facebook.com/shibuyagals.sg

2013, among other things

2013-01-24T05:51:00.001+08:00

Wow, I can't believe this is my 1st entry of the new year!!

(Warning, this is SUPER wordy)

Firstly, I would like to apologize to my readers for the lack of updates... I know I'm blaming the pregnancy again but it's true, especially after hitting my 3rd trimester all I want to do all day long is eat, marathon tv shows, and sleep.

It isn't just the blog I'm neglecting - that day I realised I let my armpit hairs grow to a record-breaking length due to the infrequency of me leaving the house.

I've got not much to blog about really, all I'm busy with is making a baby, and I'm not sure swollen limbs, constant backache and how fitfully my baby is kicking will interest you guys. (Update: This is false, ended up I wrote A LOT about pregnancy)

But since some of you are asking for updates on the pregnancy... Well, I'm 29 weeks along now, which is a little over 7 months... The baby is estimated to be due on April 9th, but my mother, who had 2 premature pregnancies, kept telling me that the baby will be born earlier than that.

She's freaking me out.

Not that a few weeks will make a big difference, but I just feel a bit panicky how soon my whole life is going to change and I'm not sure if I got everything ready for the baby yet. I haven't even got my cot and the baby's room is still PINK!! It needs to be repainted blue!! Smart move woman, so much for "Woo I want the guest room pink because I don't think I'd get pregnant so soon and it might be a girl anyway".

Transitioning from the 2nd trimester to the 3rd brought along a few discomforts, namely as mentioned, backache and leg cramps.

I cannot sit down for too long without a cushion behind my back, and if I sit with my legs dangling (like a normal sitting position in a chair) my legs will start to swell and cramp. I have to sit cross legged or somehow prop my legs up. Same for standing up - I can do it for a max of 15 mins before feeling like I want to die. -_- I feel so... old.

My weight gain: Pre pregnancy I was 38kg and now I'm 49.3kg. I hope I don't gain much more than 14kg in total so I have another 2kg to go, but I don't feel hopeful about this because I'm eating like a pig.

Belly at 7 months

Stupid, stupid Megan Fox had to spoil the market by gaining only 10kg and she lost it all by now. BYATCH. Never mind Wendy, look at Jessica Simpson.

The good parts: So far, I haven't gotten any stretch marks!! I had 3 very mild red lines on my boob that day but they seem to have disappeared. Speaking of boobs - I am totally shocked at how ginormous they have become. When I try on old bras I can't believe how I used to be that size. I used to wear 70B and now I'm 80 or 75C. I don't like the new boobs - I've never been a sexy person and I think the giant tits look so matronly and vulgar.

And big boobs make bras SO uncomfortable. Even after buying new fitting bras and among them many ugly comfortable wireless ones, I STILL HATE WEARING BRAS. One of the best parts of coming home is to take off my bra and throw it somewhere. Ok I know most of you girls would like bigger boobs so I sound totally irritating and ungrateful like one of those bitches complaining about how they never ever get fat so I shall shut up here. The good news is - even if you have small boobs, like me, they might still swell to ginormous sizes during your pregnancy!

Other good parts: I am totally grateful that I've gotten so many interested sponsors for the baby!! He is one super lucky kid!!

On the 2nd of February I'm going to Mothercare to pick up my beginner baby kit... Since I have NO idea what I need to get, I'm glad Mothercare is going to have a specialist there to guide me along and give advice. They also provide this service to all new expectant (and lost, like me) mummies!!

As the due date draws closer I'm also more and more worried about childbirth itself and how painful it is. I've been considering between a natural birth and a C section, mostly because I'm quite worried that the baby will be too big to go through my narrow hips. Will my pelvic bones crack and break?

But my gynae said I should just go for natural unless a C section is necessary so *gulp* I guess I will go for that. PLEASE don't let my vagina split to my asshole. That would be such a pain in the ass. (*cue dry laughter*) Stupid Qiuting told me that happened to her friend and I am petrified.

I'm definitely going to take epidural though - I just don't see why it is necessary to go through all that pain if it can be helped.

Also, I HATE all those judgmental mothers who give you the stink eye just because THEY went through an au naturale water hypnotic birth or whatever, so even though I am the most pain-tolerant person I know, I'm going to take epidural just as a middle finger to these sorts.

I'm sorry, but just going through more self-inflicted unnecessary pain during childbirth does not automatically make you a better mother!

Did I already mention I have a thing where I fly into a rage once anyone even vaguely hints that I'm being a bad mom? Well, I do. I've been blocking and deleting idiots telling me not to dye my hair/eat certain food/sleep earlier/wear flat shoes etc.

STFU, JUST STFU. Nobody gives two flying fucks whether you are only concerned for me and my baby ok? I don't need your concern - you are merely a stranger to me and for all I know you could be giving me wrong and stupid advice. Which most likely you are because let's face it, empty vessels make the most noise. If you are not a gynecologist or midwife please stop telling me how to handle my pregnancy. Some of these advice givers are KIDS even.

I don't really know how to explain why it is SO infuriating when people keep dishing pregnancy advice to you. Afterall, most of them meant no harm.

I can only say you will understand once you are pregnant, and my agony is magnified thousand-fold because I made my pregnancy a "public" thing.

When my friend got pregnant in 2010 I was very excited about her pregnancy... We weren't close enough to always meet up so I'd always check her facebook for more updates. But to my surprise after her initial announcement and some preggie status updates afterwards, she no longer talked about the baby at all.

For a few months I was scared to ask her why, because I thought she perhaps lost the child. But eventually I did and I asked why she no longer talked about her baby online... She said she didn't want to because these naggy people kept dishing her advice and telling her what to do. She hated it.

I was really confused and at that point thought she was crazy... I thought it was mean of her not to share when some of us genuinely care, just because of some of the irritating people. Surely they shouldn't be such a big deal?

BUT NOW I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND. TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY.

Just imagine - you are the only carrying your child. It is inside you and you love it with all your heart and want the best for it.

But all these people, who are sacrificing nothing for your kid really, keep correcting your parenting decisions like you are a selfish, bad person. Some of them are moms and are clearly judging you and insinuating that they are better moms than you are.

It isn't that bad if they are family or friends, but when they are complete strangers?? Even worse!

What makes these people think they can tell others what to do with their bodies or their lives?

Imagine if you are a fat person and you dine in KFC and every 2 minutes people keep stopping by your table and warning you of heart attack and clogged arteries. Imagine if you are using your cellphone and people keep tapping you on your shoulder saying it will cause radiation and cancer (as proven as hair dyes are harmful to fetuses). Imagine you saved your money to buy a Chanel bag and people keep saying you should be donating to the poor instead when you bring it out. Imagine going through criticism like this everyday for 9 months.

All the above are annoying, but at least they don't insinuate that you love yourself more than your child, which makes you a monster.

People think that just because a baby is innocent and needs to be protected they have a right and worse, an obligation, to do some of the parenting for you. But even social workers don't harass families unless there is proof the child is being neglected.

I'm not doing anything that my gynae doesn't approve of. I'm not smoking, not drinking, or bungee jumping.

I've have enough family and friends to give me advice and help with the baby - I don't need bits and pieces of unproven, internet-found hearsay like "they say pregnant cannot eat ice cream" (actual advice given to me) from strangers, thank you.

If you are so genuinely concerned about innocent babies being harmed I suggest you stage protests outside abortion clinics.

Please, don't bother yourself with mine. He is FINE.

Ok rant over.

Another question I've been asked... What am I going to name the baby?

After much discussion Mike and I decided on the name

DASHIEL MARQUET SAYRE

His first name is pronounced Dash-uhl not Da-shiel. The original spelling is Dashiell with 2 Ls but Mike said one L looks nicer. The name has no meaning, but it originated from the French surname Da Chiel.

Initially I wanted to name him Tristan, after the lead in one of my favourite movies Stardust, but Mike said he knew a kid from elementary school called Tristan who eats his own boogers, so he was adamant against it. -_-

One day I saw the name Dashiell on a baby names website and it was listed as similar to Tristan (although it really isn't). I immediately liked the name and found it vaguely familiar...

Then I realised it is the name of the little boy in my favourite movie, The Incredibles:

His name is shortened to Dash in the movie but his real name is Dashiell Robert Parr.

Suggested the name to Mike and he likes it so it's decided!

As for the middle name Marquet, it is supposedly the name of a French dude that Mike's ancestors rescued on a ship or something, and it has been passed down to the first born sons, so I guess our kid will take the name. Not too sure how his ancestors will feel as all the the Marquets have been white until now... It is pronounced as Mar-cat.

Ok enough about Dashiel and pregnancy, let's move on to topic 2:

Blogger and the Great Blog Deletion

Do you guys have a mental list of the worst things that can possibly happen to you? Well, I do. I guess the top of the list is people or pets I love dying or being severely hurt, but waking up to my blog being completely deleted and gone is among the top 10 definitely.

And that's what happened 6 days ago.

After since my blog got hacked and deleted in 2005 the idea that it could happen again has haunted me ever since.

I took extra precaution to make sure it won't happen again... This time I backed up my blog entries, made sure my password is complicated and unguessable enough, and transferred my Blogger account from "Xiaxue" to another unguessable username so nobody can hack me.

But still, I woke up to my mom giving me a panicky phone call while I was sleeping, saying my blog has been "removed". She isn't very technically savvy (although I must say she is one of my biggest fans, viewing the blog several times a day) so sometimes she makes mistakes like keying in the wrong url etc, so I just told her "Don't be ridiculous, how can be?"

She said "You go check ok?" and hung up. I checked on the iphone. Indeed it was gone. All that was stated is that the blog has been removed, no other information. The next thing I did was to check Qiuting's blog to see if it's a Blogger problem or outage, but her blog was perfectly fine.

My heart racing, I tumbled out of bed and ran like a mad woman to my PC, which if you saw, you would have been like "OMG please don't run with your big belly"... Turned on the computer and checked my Blogger dashboard (the administrative panel). To my horror, there were 4 other blogs I owned that were still there, but the main, this one, is GONE. Just disappeared.

I changed my password hastily but the more I thought about it the less I thought it is possible that I got hacked. If I did, my password would have been changed and all of the other 4 blogs I owned would have been deleted but they weren't.

I felt so helpless. There was nothing I could do at all. I called my web designer Lionel and he couldn't access the blog either.

Blogger provided me no explanation email, nothing. They provide no support services and there wasn't even an email I could write to to demand a "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?". The ONLY thing I could do is to write in their STUPID FUCKING FORUM.

I HATE HATE HATE their fucking forum.

Just take a look at this SHIT. Hundreds of people a day all flooding the forum with their Blogger related problems.

The people giving answers are extremely condescending and curt, and if you are rude to them they delete your thread and lock it up.

When you post there you can't help but feel so SMALL, like your problems don't matter to them, like you are just ONE of the many idiots with a Blogger issue that should be patronised with a canned generic response.

If it isn't solved, too bad for you.

But from my experience I knew this was the only option I had, so this is what I posted.

As I read on, more and more people posted in the forum saying their blog, too, have been deleted by Blogger for no explanation at all. Some stupid guy called "Nitecruzr" answered everyone with the same reply, saying that their blogs were pulled for "spam". Google mistook their blogs for a spam site and just deleted it - no warning no explanation.

When people questioned or were upset about this, he locked their threads. All you can do is to post on the stupid forum, and wait indefinitely for a review. Some people don't get their blogs back at all. I was so distressed and upset looking at the sheer amount of people which this happened to. They may not earn their living from their blogs like I do, but many mentioned they have blogged on Blogger for many years and I'm sure they all treasure their blogs very much.

Luckily enough for me, I had a friend working for Google's PR and the Nuffnang peeps also had contacts from Google, so they tried to help me find out why the blog was gone.

1 day later I had an email from Blogger's Product Manager. He told me that my blog wasn't pulled for spam like Nitecruzr said - it was removed due to the detection of malware. He said that the immediate removal was for the safety of viewers and in their hastiness they didn't notify the bloggers whose blogs have malware and were working on doing so.

Up till today I have no idea where the malware came from. And worse, my blog was completely deleted from the dashboard, so how can I even fix this problem? And is the blog deleted forever??

It took Blogger 2 days to reinstate my blog back into the dashboard, but this time round it is Locked... I was to remove the malware (which wasn't told to me is what or where) and submit my edited blogskin code for a review.

The review itself took 3 days. Every single day was filled with anxiety and fear... I didn't know how long it was going to take to get the blog back. I had advertisers to answer to. Every hour the url said my blog is removed means a risk of a permanent loss of readers I've worked SO hard for. This blog is my life.

I understand that the malware is my fault but why did Blogger have to completely delete the blog from the dashboard when they could have just locked it? Why was there no explanation given to me till I kicked up a big fuss? Why couldn't they tell me how long a review was going to take instead of making me wait indefinitely?

I can't anymore... This is the last straw. I've used and mostly loved Blogger for TEN years now. TEN.

Throughout these 10 years so many others have left Blogger for Wordpress, Tumblr etc but I haven't. I always believed we could work things out.

Time and again Blogger proved to me that they don't give a shit about their users. They are tyrants, and I guess they have a right to be because us bloggers are not paying users.

It didn't use to be that way... When Blogger was first bought over by Google I thought it was fantastic - with such a big company backing them Blogger would surely be improved.

But it didn't.

Blogger used to have a support email service... The people from there gave me personalized and timely help when my blog got hacked 2005.

Biz Stone, co-founder of Blogger (under Pyra Labs), himself replied my distressed email and helped me. Now Biz has moved on and is the co-founder of Twitter so I doubt he has time to reply random emails anymore, and all the help I could get is from the stupid condescending, uncaring forum.

Time and again Blogger made major changes and never bothered to ask the opinions of their users or even forewarn us.

In 2010 Blogger rolled out "Auto Pagination". A fancy name for a bullshit move. What this means is that there is a bandwidth limit on what you can post on the main page. For example, I used to set the main page to show 7 blog entries. With auto pagination, if my newest post is too long, my main page will only show ONE blog post.

To see the next post readers will have to click on the "next page" button.

And since, as you can see my posts are always very long, this means my main page sometimes shows only ONE post. I was furious about this because:

1) I tell advertisers that their adverts will be left on the main page for at least 7 days... This ain't gonna work now is it?

2) Internet users are lazy. Believe it or not it takes lot for a reader to click on "next page". If, to a new reader, the first post is boring, they may bother to scroll down to read the next post to give the blog another chance, but they will not bother to click the "next page" button. Instead, they will rather just leave and don't come back.

Did Blogger even inform us that auto pagination was going to happen? No. I was so confused for days before I saw a tiny little post on a related Blogger blog about this.

I kicked up a big fuss on the forum and all I got was cutting replies (I believe from stupid Nitecruzr again), giving canned responses about how this decision saves Google so much bandwidth a month and how people were abusing the system by having very long main pages. He also tried to lecture me on how a long main page takes a long time to load and will cost me readers. *rolls eyes* As if I need him to teach me about readership!

There was nothing I could do about this. I even offered to be a premium user by paying monthly so I can not have auto pagination, but I just got ignored.

At this point I wanted to move to wordpress already. But upon migrating to wordpress, I realised my photos, hosted on Google Picasa, do not show up. Sneaky bastards set it such that they can only be viewed on blogspot. So I just tolerated auto pagination.

Second straw: I've always set my photos to 640 pixels wide. Suddenly Picasa shrunk them to 488 pixels wide. My archives were heavily affected and all my photos became so small. Unless I physically alter the html code for every photo in every post, there was nothing I could do.

Third straw: You know how I always post my photos on Photo of the Moment via mobile? Those photos, sent via email to Blogger, used to be set to 480pixels wide.

They suddenly decided this takes up too much bandwidth and suddenly all the photos shrunk to 360pixels wide. My POTM is specially designed to fit the 480pixels, and it looked so damn stupid afterwards.

Luckily, Lionel found a way to use coding to enlarge the photo...

But this doesn't stop the fact that Blogger does whatever the hell it wants with no regard for their users at all.

I cannot deal with this anymore. I cannot keep anticipating and accepting with meekness each decision they make that can save them bandwidth, or have another change sprung upon me that I don't want for my blog.

I deserve better treatment.

And thus, I am announcing my move to Wordpress.

I don't care if my archives cannot be seen properly or whatever... I'm the stupid girlfriend that stayed on after being cheated on time and again - it is time to go.

The move will take Lionel some time to implement, but it's happening.

Goodbye Blogger... In 3 months it would have been our 10 year anniversary, but this is when I leave you. It has been mostly good for 10 years, and I will miss you.

p/s: I have a fear that Blogger will delete my blog again after this post - But I don't think they will be so nasty and unprofessional, right?

Youth Code Eye Essence

2012-12-22T05:46:00.002+08:00

Advertorial

Let's talk about our eyes today!!

Starting with a bit of trivia!!

Did you know, that the skin around your eyes is

at its thinnest, thinner than anywhere else on your face?

At just 0.3mm to 0.5mm, it is about 3-5 times thinner than skin elsewhere on your face, which is usually between 1mm to 1.6mm!!

That's why the skin coutour around the eye area needs all the help it can get!!

Not only is it the most fragile, it also also the most abused...

We put most of our makeup on the eye area and sometimes get a little too violent tugging out falsies or wiping away waterproof mascara...

We rub our eyes when they get itchy, tugging on the paper thin skin there...

And I'm most guilty of this...

I give my eyes no mercy at all whenever I'm awake, staring at my phone's bright sceen, the computer or TV... The stress gets to the eyes, causing constant blinking, dehydration etc.

When it comes to skincare solutions for our eye area, most of us are praying for a solution to the 5 most common problems:

Eeeeks!! Hate all these!!!!!!

Most of us just give up the constant combat, especially for dark eye circles, because it seems impossible to not have any of these!! But... applying concealer isn't really fixing the crux of the problem.

If you want to try a new eye skincare solution, why not give the L'Oreal Youth Code Eye Essence a try?

The Youth Code Eye Essence is a brilliant combination of 2 patented technologies developed by L'Oreal Paris.

Don't want to say too much about the scientific stuff that's in this little powerful bottle, but here's some statistics from tests done on participants:

After 4 weeks of usage:

Elasticity and firmness on average improved by 16%
Fine lines and crows' feet diminished by 12%
Wrinkles reduced by 14%
Overall signs of fatigue decreased by 7%

Can you say wow?

I personally love the ultralight texture.

After application there is no stickiness or oily residue (I worry about causing milia seeds). It is super refreshing and feels so nice on the skin under my tired eyes, absorbing instantly, leaving a velvety silky finish.

After I come home from a long day wearing makeup, I realised that after cleansing and showering my skin, especially around the eyes, become super dry...

After putting on the Youth Code Eye Essence I instantly feel the skin become plumper, hydrated, and firmer!!

Also, application is so easy...

On a clean face (obviously I have makeup on, this is for demo purposes), use the glass dropper to put some eye essence on your ring finger...

Simply use your ring finger to gently dab the Youth Code Eye Essence into your delicate skin. Use once every morning and night... The formula can be used under makeup too.

The result?

Instantly rejuvenated, hydrated skin around your eyes!

And Xmas came early!! The L'Oreal Youth Code Eye Essence retails at a usual price of $34.90 for the 15ml bottle. Totally affordable!

But from November to December, the Youth Code Eye Essence is retailing for only $29.90!!

GRABBBBB!! FIVE DOLLAR DISCOUNT!!

If you are looking for something just as powerful that will care for the rest of your face as well, you can also try out the popular L'Oreal Youth Code Boosting Essence!

Have you thought that somehow, your skincare just doesn't seem to work as effectively as it used to?

Well, the scientists at L'Oreal have discovered that it is because of the "Recovery Gene" in our skin. In youthful skin, the Recovery Gene absorbs active ingredient and fights fatigue up to 5 times than in mature skin!

But don't fret if you are.. old... like me! In this bottle is the secret that can speed up the Recovery Gene in aging skin - the result is not only can it recover the skin's natural recovery capabilities, it also amplifies the effects of any skincare you apply on top of it!

Just imagine - same skincare, twice the results!! That's why this is called the BOOSTING essence, to help you maximize the skincare you already love!

You can find the Youth Code Eye Essence and Youth Code Boosting Essence at Watsons, Guardian, Sasa, selected departmental stores and major hypermarkets.

If you want to find out more or keep yourself updated, remember to LIKE L'Oreal's facebook page!

2012-12-19T03:23:00.001+08:00

Advertorial

As you all know I typically use false lashes to enhance my eyes. But fake lashes are, no matter what... fake.

So sometimes when I see girls with super pretty thick and long natural eyelashes, perhaps enhanced with only mascara, I feel so jealous!!

Kim Kardashian is particularly fond of flaunting hers -_- Show off!!

She has said many times that those are her real lashes!!

I also want!! I want to be one of these girls with *ahem* naturally luscious lashes framing my peepers!!

Therefore, sometimes when I'm in the mood I also forgo the stick-on lashes and go for mascara instead!! When that time comes, I'm always hunting for the best mascara to use.

I know a lot of girls don't bother to put too much eye makeup and fake lashes are too much for them. Mascara is also good for occasions like going to the pool or beach because fake lashes won't stay... and let's face it, swimming with fake lashes is just ridiculous.

When it comes to the best mascara, the brand that many people swear by is Maybelline!

After all, Maybelline *IS* the number 1 brand for mascara in Singapore!!

I remember all through my youth I've used Maybelline's mascaras... Anyone remember the one that is neon pink and green? I loved that! :D

Now new to the Maybelline mascara family... Introducing...

The Volum' Express Falsies Mascara!!

People have different needs when it comes to the perfect mascara, some want volume, some want length... for others it is more important that the mascara is smudge-proof because they tear more.

Well, after trying the Falsies mascara, I must say that this new concortion is the all-in-one bombdiggity!!!

LENGTHENING!

VOLUMIZING!

WATER-PROOF!

RUB-PROOF!

SMUDGE-PROOF!

FLAKE-PROOF!

It is dream lashes in a bottle!!

Comes with a fanned out brush to catch even your finest little hairs... And look at those lengthening fibres!

Are you ready to see the before and after on me?

100% not photoshopped:

TADAH!!!

Suddenly my eyes look much more alert than the sleepy and dull specimen on the left...

I only put 2 coats of mascara on and the difference is already so obvious.

Ohai!!

I may not have Kim K's Armenian hairy genes but I still look ok with my sparse Chinese lashes thanks to Falsies mascara!! :D

Wish I could transplant my arm hairs on my lash line. LOL

I love how when you close your eyes people can see that there are no fake lashes on... :)

But how mascara looks after you put it on is just the first hurdle...

As the day goes on can it last??

What I love about Falsies mascara is that even in Singapore's ultra humid weather the lashes remain curled instead of drooping after long wear!

Plus it is one of the few mascaras I've used that are truly flake-proof... I super hate it when mascara flakes on my face making it look like I have black spots all over... -_-

Eye itchy and you went to rub it?

Not to worry....

Watching a sad movie and it made you cry??

AND smudge-proof so you never end up looking like a panda!!!!!! I don't know how they did it but Falsies mascara kinda has an almost rubbery feel... Once it is on your lashes and solidified it just won't "melt" again!

Well if you don't believe me watch this video I did with Golden Tan (that's Michelle Chong in one of her funny personas), putting the Maybelline Volum' Express Falsies Mascara through a variety of torture tests!

Had a lot of fun filming this... Thank you Michelle Chong and team for taking care of me, Larry Yeo for my makeup and the Maybelline team for all the niceness that day!! Just FYI if you are wondering, I was about 3 months pregnant when this was filmed. I was still skinny-ish... :X

Can't believe I actually went swimming and inside a sauna with Falsies mascara and it survived!!

Ok one last photo before I go!!

Serious fierce look

If you want to give the Falsies Mascara a try, they are available at Watsons and most places that sell makeup... At an affordable $20.90!

Additionally if you want an even darker and more intense look for Xmas/NYE, you can now try out the limited edition Falsies Everlasting mascara! Available only during this Xmas season so remember to grab, fast!

Of course, remember to Like Maybelline's fb page below to get updates for more good deals!

http://www.facebook.com/MaybellineSG

Politics and Adultery

2012-12-14T17:53:00.001+08:00

Just want to give my two cents on the recent Michael Palmer affair that has been dominating the headlines in Singapore lately.

In case you are not Singaporean or you are but somehow still do not know what happened, basically it is your classic story of a politician who decided to have an affair, the news got leaked out, and he resigns his post.

There are no sex tapes or naked cellphone photos accompanying this news (boring!) except some mushy smses discussing... fruit... but Singaporeans are still pretty excited about it. Our country is kinda boring.

Here's Michael Palmer with his mistress Laura Ong

The first thing that popped into my mind when I heard of this was... "Not again? Why can't politicians keep their penises in their pants when they have so much to lose?"

So I googled it and got some answers from various articles. The top answer to the Yahoo! Question of "Why do so many politicians have affairs?" is:

"Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac."

It is true that women are generally more attracted to men who are rich, good-looking or show leadership qualities. Being a politician possibly also means being good with words (or lies) and having a certain amount of charm. The average man might have perhaps 5 women trying to seduce him throughout his married life but if someone has 1,000 women fawning over him the chances of a successful seduction is much higher. Of course, not in all cases the homewrecker must have been the initiator, but I'm just saying it is hard to resist, say... Marilyn Monroe if she were coming after you. (Not that Laura Ong is anywhere near that standard)

Another reason could be that politicians are supposed to uphold extremely tight morals, including fidelity to their wives. Rarely do we hear of politicians who get divorced, probably coz they know it will negatively affect their image. So I suppose a lot of them stay on with an unhappy marriage, which is, again, more susceptible to infidelity.

Thirdly, it has also been said that the more someone knows they shouldn't do something, all the more it is fun and thrilling to them.

It may seem at this point that I am somehow on the side of the philandering politicians and finding excuses for them. Rest assured that I am not. Despite all the solid reasons listed above, the fact remains that although it may be harder for politicians to keep it in their pants, we expect MORE from our leaders.

We expect them to show more self control than the average man, be more loving and considerate towards the feelings of his wife and family than the average man, and to be SMARTER than the average man.

Yes, smarter. We don't need a dumbass to be making decisions for us and for our country.

These politicians KNOW very well the consequences to having an affair. They know they will lose everything - the career they worked so hard for, their precious public image built up over years, the trust of their voters and family.

They know that if they send a picture of their penis to their mistress the mistress can blackmail him and/or the penis photo can be sent to the media. They know the media will dig around and publicize every other shameful secret they have.

Plenty of precedence in history. And yet they still fuck around.

The ensuing scandals erase whatever good they have done previously, making them go down in history with all their dirty private sex secrets exposed as an adulterer. I don't know a single good thing Bill Clinton did when he was president but I do know he put a cigar in Monica Lewinsky's cheebye.

ANYONE can tell you it isn't worth it. What do you call a person who, despite knowing that fire burns, decides to put his head in it? Crazy.... Or stupid.

Michael Palmer doesn't seem crazy, so I'd say he is stupid. I won't vote for a stupid politician.

Which leads me to the next topic of discussion...

It is extremely surprising to me that a lot of people are saying he shouldn't have to resign. Are you kidding me?

Here are some of the reasons I've read:

1) His private life has nothing to do with his work life.
2) He just made an "honest mistake".
3) Cheating is not a crime

And this paragraph I got from Yawning Bread:

Right... Firstly, I'd like to say that being faithful to your wife hardly seems to be a "throttling moralistic standard".

70% of men did not cheat throughout their marriage, and to act like it is SOOOO much to expect of Michael Palmer to tell Laura Ong "Look, sorry, but I'm married and also being with you will be political suicide." - that is ridiculous. It isn't that hard, sorry.

Let's not forget that however throttling being monogamous is, Palmer was the one who agreed to it in the first place. Nobody forced him into it.

He could be a single man now and who he fucks is nobody's business, but he proposed, he signed an oath, and to turn back and say "Hey, this fucking one person thing is really throttling!"... That's his fucking problem. You don't want to have one vagina the rest of your life, don't sign on the dotted line. Regret it? Divorce your wife, THEN fuck around.

Nobody expects our politicians to be saints, but since when is being faithful considered... unachievable saintly behaviour?

The line has to be drawn somewhere, and if it is lower than adultery... well then let's also invite rapists, murderers and thieves to lead the country, lest we deprive ourselves of possible talent.

(There are leaders who have turned into rapists, murderers and thieves later on, but we generally do not elect them knowing so)

2) His private life has everything to do with his work life. While his actual work may have no relevance to whoever he is inserting his penis into, whether he likes it or not, he represents the PAP, our government.

Our government dictates a huge part of our societal laws. As a married woman and an expectant mother, yes I'd like to believe in the sanctity of marriage - one man and one woman (applicable also for homosexuals, but that's another topic altogether) for better or for worse till death do us part blah blah.

I'd also like to believe that my government upholds the same familial values and will have laws protecting me should I be a victim of my spouse's adultery.

I expect to see the same values reflected in who they choose to represent them in parliament.

To have an adulterer in the midst of my government... Sorry, I simply cannot accept. It would seem to me that the PAP finds adultery acceptable.

I know that if Palmer remained an MP he is 1% of 99% of monogamous people in the parliament, and it's not like he can suddenly approve a bill of polygamy for all Singaporean men or something, but I just find him repugnant and that feeling will extend to any political party he is in.

Besides, his actions (from his personal life) prove that he is a man who is weak-willed, lack self control, irresponsible, has rotten morals, and as I mentioned before, is stupid. I believe character has everything to do with what he votes for in parliament, don't you?

You may say that Michael Palmer probably will never cheat again so why can't he be forgiven? Which leads me to the next point.

3) It isn't an HONEST MISTAKE. An honest mistake is when you accidentally step on someone's foot in a crowded bus.

This affair has been going on for a while now. It is not like Oh Mr Palmer was not wearing pants one day and his penis accidentally went into Miss Ong's vagina when she was bending over to pick up a pen, oops.

No, he committed mistake after mistake, Monday after Monday... With no consideration for his wife and kid's feelings whatsoever.

Maybe, just maybe, his wife is a horrible person who is also cheating on him (not that this is a valid excuse, he should divorce her before cheating if that's the case) but what did his poor kid do to deserve this?

Sorry, this was done with selfish intent and purpose.

After the first time he had sex with Laura he must have told himself "Oh I've done such a horrible thing today!! Should I stop?" and somehow his answer was No, I should continue.

And he did... All the way he continued until he was caught, and if he weren't, he'd still be fucking Laura Ong next Monday.

So please men, don't say it's an honest mistake, trying perhaps to justify your own weakness and infidelity?

Count the amount of times you inserted your penis into a woman other than your wife... Considering you can stop after any amount of thrusts, THAT count is the total number of mistakes you made.

4) Michael Palmer resigned not because he was forced to but because he knew it was the strategic thing to do.

Just imagine if you were him, how thick-skinned would you have to be to stay on? All your colleagues will be gossiping about you, nobody will focus on any of your good work.

Nobody will vote for you anymore because someone who cannot even handle his family well should not try to handle the country. Staying on will only cost his party precious votes. Really, what choice does he have?

I've read people saying he being brave and honourable to resign. I agree it does take courage to admit a shameful mistake, and Michael Palmer's reaction is definitely more honourable than the last politician who had an affair, Yew Shin Leong, who is a coward, but let's not make him out to be some sort of hero, shall we?

A man should man up to his mistakes. He simply did what any PR agency would have advised him to.

I cannot believe that there are people who are on his side, and this is simply the most ridiculous thing I've read, via my facebook feed:

I'm guessing his wife is not one of the 4 people who liked this.

Are you fucking kidding me?

So now we are supposed to be sympathetic and empathizing to adulterers too? THEY HAVE RIGHTS?

No, what they had a RIGHT to is to NOT cheat!

Nobody took a gun to their head and forced them to have an affair!

Really, think about it, what do adulterers get when they cheat?

Sometimes, if the adulterer is male and rich and happens to have a scheming wife, she get a fair share of his estate, ie monetary rewards.

However, adultery isn't that easy to prove in court, and for the men whose wives cheated on them or for the wives of poorer men, sometimes the consequences for the adulterer is simply shame and embarrassment.

Most of the time the adulterer goes on to lead a new life with the homewrecker.

In the case of no divorce, the spouse is forced to forgive such a monumental mistake and continue trying to make the marriage work.

Is this fair? They do something so cruel and selfish to their spouse whom they have made a promise to, and signed an oath on. Sometimes there are children involved. Other times they pass sexually transmitted diseases to their partners.

And now you are telling me we should not even bestow upon them the rightful shame and scorn they deserve because we shouldn't DISCRIMINATE AGAINST THEM? FUCK YOU!

I can discriminate against them all I want because they made themselves into adulterers via conscious choice, it is not like they are born an adulterer now, are they??

Save your self-righteous anti-discrimination crap for the right people who deserve it, people who are discriminated based on something they cannot help, like gender, race, or disability - not for fucking adulterers for fuck's sake.

Disgusting.

I'm still cracking my brains thinking exactly what "rights" I'm supposed to be giving to Adulterers... The right to privacy perhaps since what happened in their family is their business?

Sorry, the Adulterer is the first to pull a third party into the picture and after that he lost his right to privacy when he decided to create such a scandal for everyone to see. It's like dancing naked in your backyard and yelling at people to not look at you.

Adulterers know exactly what they are getting themselves into when they have an affair. The same reason I agree with capital punishment - if you know the consequences and still do it, you deserve it.

CREATE YOUR STYLE with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS

2012-12-08T17:14:00.001+08:00

Advertorial

Ok, everyone knows I like shiny stuff right? Right... That's why I'm always blinging any of my possessions that can be blinged with loads and loads of SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS!!

My blinged up gadgets never fail to get me so much praise and attention :D

Like this gorgeous camera? You love?

But just sticking crystals on stuff is not the end of what you can do with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS!!!

Thanks to this advert, I recently went to a SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS workshop and it turns out you can also use their crystals to make your own jewellery!!!

I mean, I've seen Swarovski Beads and Swarovski Sew-on Stones in craft shops before but because I always thought making your own jewellery was hard, I just never bothered to learn and try... BUT TO MY SURPRISE IT IS SO EASY!!!

This opens up a whole new world of possibilities :D

The front and back of my blinged up blackberry bold 9900

Just like with Swarovski Flat Back No Hot Fix, the possiblities are endless when it comes to design and personalization!!

You no longer have to hunt for the perfect accessory to match your outfit - you can just make your own!! And I daresay it is possibly cheaper than buying one off the shelf. :)

Here's one of the necklaces I made in about.... 15 minutes?

I always feel photographs don't do justice to SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS... They are really very shiny in real life sparkle whenever you move!!

Shiny crystal ball in my necklace made from SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Beads

Rose peach SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Sew-On Stone... It's a flat crystal meant to be for sewing on your clothes but with a bit of innovation it can also be part of your necklace.

Want to learn how to make this necklace?

I made a video tutorial!!

Hope you liked the video!! Of course, this is a simple piece... Once you mastered all the techniques you can move on to making very intricate and beautiful pieces. :D

Wait, I'm not done yet!!

If you wish to learn more about how to use SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS to create your very own customized pieces, COME JOIN OUR WORKSHOP!!!

CREATE YOUR STYLE is organizing a workshop specially for you guys and this is why you should come:

1) Mingle with your favourite blogger!! That's me lol.. And I will be *ahem* passing down our skills from what I've learnt so far.

2) No need to be confused as you watch videos/read books on how different techniques... It's much easier to learn with a physical demonstration and you can ask all the questions you need. Then you bring home the skills!!

3) All the tools and SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS will provided so when you are done with your masterpiece you can bring it home... For free! :D

4) Get to win goodies

5) Upon completion you can also create more jewellery and participate in a competition where the piece with the most votes will win exciting prizes

You decided to come yet?

Great, here are the event details:

DATE: Saturday, 15 December 2012
VENUE: Red Room @ Talent Cafe., 34 and 36 Tras Street, Second floor
TIME: 11am - 3pm

You can always go to www.create-your-style.sg for more details, and do remember to visit and like the facebook page HERE!!

See you guys at the workshop!!

Dolly Wink x Tsubasa Masuwaka

2012-11-27T03:47:00.002+08:00

Advertorial

This post is about one of my favourite brands ever - DOLLY WINK!!!

I'm sure a lot of you recognise Dolly Wink's products even if you have never tried them before...

Their most famous product is their false eyelashes, and perhaps you remember seeing them, CUTEST packaging ever with a big ribbon on top and a kawaii girl's face with different looks on every pack?

I remember when Dolly Wink was launched, their famous false lashes instantly became crazy popular, flying off the shelves in Japan. During one of my trips with Cheesie, I asked her what brand her pretty lashes are and she said Dolly Wink.

At that point I've never tried Dolly Wink products before and I asked her if they are good. She replied that they are the best lashes and her favourite.

Later on, when I got my hands on some Dolly Wink lashes, I could finally understand why people were so fanatic about them.

In one statement... They revolutionized falsies!

Their falsies were suited for gyaru makeup, created extra long (horizontal length wise, although vertical also) so that the lashes can extend beyond your eyes, creating an illusion of longer, twinkling doe eyes.

Why do we want longer eyes and not just bigger? Simple, because proportionally it makes your nose look narrower and face smaller, and I bet that is something many girls want!

The lashes were made of the softest fibres imaginable, creating a soft fluttery look. And best of all, they are very natural-looking and not plasticky + shiny like some of the brands out there.

But mostly, Dolly Wink lashes got famous because they finally gave the market something we have been craving for... BOTTOM FALSE LASHES!!

The gyaru style is to stick the bottom lashes slightly lower than where your eyes naturally end, creating a doll-like, doe-eyed effect. This is something mascara alone cannot achieve, and I'm sure girls with short/sparse bottom lashes are all rejoicing!

I know I'm gushing too much but Dolly Wink played a crucial part in my discovery and love for gyaru makeup, which changed my life forever!!!!!! I'm super passionate about gyaru makeup, but unfortunately over the years it seemed like it hasn't caught on yet in Singapore, except for a small group of people.

Never mind, perhaps this post will change your mind!

Let's talk about the girl on all the packaging... If you didn't already know, her name is Tsubasa Masuwaka, and she is the producer of the Dolly Wink brand.

Also, she SUPER PRETTY OMG

She is my ultimate gyaru inspiration!!

Just like me, she is really short. She is also really tiny and if I didn't remember wrongly, someone told me she weighs just 37kg or something (please feel free to correct me).

She has a whole chain of co-produced brands from makeup to stockings - and get this... SHE IS MARRIED WITH A SON!!!

Yes, she is a gyaru mama!! Still so pretty and fashionable!! I strive to be just like her one day... :D

Where am I going with this? Well...

TSUBASA IS COMING TO SINGAPORE!!!

Not only will you guys get a chance to meet her, you also stand a chance to win air tickets to TOKYO, JAPAN, my favourite city in the world!!!

ARE YOU EXCITED YET?

You should be because for this contest, there are MANY winners!! The top 15 finalists will also get to participate in a public runway show, not to mention several flight tickets and MANY products to be won!!

How to join?

I hope you are inspired by Tsubasa's pretty makeup already because this is a...

♥ LOOKALIKE CONTEST ♥

As I mentioned on each of the Dolly Wink lashes is a different look that Tsubasa painstakingly created.

From the older series of lashes

Newer "Otona" (more mature) series

You just have to pick a favourite from any of the Dolly Wink lash series and imitate Tsubasa's look!!

Of course, using Dolly Wink lashes, because really, nothing else quite measures up.

You can find more pictures here. In any case, just to give Xiaxue readers a heads up so you can win the rest, I'm gonna be actually imitating 3 of the looks and will give you tips along the way!

Look 1: NATURAL CUTE

Lashes in 14 Natural Cute

For this look Tsubasa has her trademark orangey blonde hair down in relaxed curls with autumn flowers on the head.

Remember, if you don't have light hair to give yourself a winning edge get a wig! And your brows have to be light to match the blonde... So try Dolly Wink's eyebrow mascara if your natural brow colour is black.

Tsubasa also has on brown contacts, liquid eyeliner in brown, and very pale nude lips with gloss.

For my eyes I dabbed on Dolly Wink's NEW eyeshadow palette in no. 2 Pink Brown (to be released in 2013 at major Watsons). In gyaru makeup, eyeshadow is often neglected as most girls don't go crazy with colours unlike in the west. Just subtle highlighting will do.

And here is my look!! I didn't have a blonde wig so I had to make do with my pink/purple hair.

And I shortened my long face with photoshop so I can have Tsubasa's small pixie face, haha

Side by side! I have the same M-shaped upper lip as her, although most of the time I hate it and try to fill up the two "holes" (where the teeth shows?) with fillers. Today, I embrace it because she does!

LOOK 2: SWEET CAT

Lashes in 10 Sweet Cat

Tsubasa has on a black top with a pearl necklace and black lacy gloves (not seen in the product packaging) with a military green hat on. Her makeup looks almost the same as the previous look except she has on very pale pink blusher and pale lips.

My submission:

Side by side! Admittedly my look is a bit pinker than hers but I tried to PS the lips brown and they look awful coz it doesn't match the hair, so I guess mine is the pink variation.

Thank you Yutaki for the cute cap :D

Remember in order to have that trademark Tsubasa look bottom lashes are a MUST! Try to stick the bottom lashes a little distance away from your eyes, just as she does.

If you have never tried putting on bottom lashes before, they may prove to be slightly challenging to put on. But practice makes perfect!

Use tweezers to hold on to the lashes, apply some lash glue, and glue the falsies under your own lashes. When removing use makeup remover to dissolve the glue, because if you just tug you will pull out some of your own lashes! Ouch.

Look 3: Pure Little

Lashes in 8 Pure Little

Tsubasa is wearing a dark brown wig with green contacts and blood red lips. She also has on black eyeliner with some brown eyeshadow under the eyes.

With leopard print nails!

My submission:

Didn't have time to do leopard nails so I compensated by wearing leopard prints... And look, I have the black giant hair bow that is on the box that the lashes come in!! LOL

Tadah!

That's it! I had a lot of fun creating the different looks and I think you will too!!

If you want to join, hop on over to

http://facebook.com/shibuyagals.sg

where you can see more contest details!!

I will see the top 15 finalists on 8th December, 730pm at Scape Warehouse where I will also be a guest judge!! It is an absolutely free event so mark down your calendars!!

Not only that, I will get to see Tsubasa, and I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT WAIT!!!

Best of luck!

Loving my haters

2012-11-22T10:17:00.000+08:00

Hi hi!!

Typically when I give any attention to my haters at all, my readers will always tell me... "Why are you giving THEM attention? Shouldn't you be just paying attention to people to love you, like us?"

I do. I try my best to. I always try to reply nice people who @mention me on twitter and I appreciate all the love I get from so so many of you. Sometimes, just thinking about it makes me cry, and I have a big boxful of gifts and touching sincere handwritten letters from readers that I look at once in a while to just soak in all the blessings and adoration I've been bestowed upon by strangers. I am grateful to each and every one of you, I am.

But here's where the but comes in. It isn't easy to ignore the haters. It is easy to THINK it is, but hell it's super difficult. I wish there is a non-condescending way of saying this, but here it is - You won't understand unless you are famous.

If I had to come up with a statistic, I'd say that about 1,000 nice comments negates 5 bad comments. I can hear over and over again people commenting "Xiaxue is so pretty" (how is one supposed to reply to this?) but SOMEHOW, just one person saying "OMG saw Xiaxue is so ugly" will rile you up.

Why do I care if one person thinks I'm ugly? I don't think I'm ugly. Many people don't. So why is that one person's opinion somehow more significant than the rest?

I don't know how to explain this phenomenon and why it happens, but it is true and there is possibly a scientific name for it. You smart cookies tell me.

Let me tell you my exact thoughts when I read nice vs not nice comments:

Nice people x 10: "Saw Xiaxue today at Cineleisure, she is so skinny and pretty, just like her pictures! I love her hair!"

My thoughts: "Really not? That's so sweet of them but I think maybe they don't have high standards of what is considered pretty hahaha didn't they see my cankles? Ok lah maybe I'm pretty hehehe."

Nasty person x 1: "Saw Xiaxue today OMG SO UGLY PIMPLES ALL OVER AND SO FAT, DISGUSTING PLASTIC BITCH."

My thoughts: "FUCK YOU I DON'T HAVE PIMPLES AND I AM SO NOT FAT LET ME SEE HOW U LOOK OMG YOU ARE WAY FATTER AND UGLIER THAN ME HOW DARE YOU CRITICISE ME I MUST SHOW EVERYONE YOUR PICTURE."

Maybe it is the combination of rudeness from this person and the fact that he is not trying to butter you up making his opinion seem more "real" than others.

I don't feel sad when I read mean comments. So there is no point in telling me to cheer up or not believe the haters. I don't believe them and neither will I let the comments affect me in a sense that I wallow in self pity and think I am whatever they say I am. I am very self assured and thick skinned like that. :D

What I do feel is acute indignation and some annoyance. Sometimes, especially if it is an ugly person calling me ugly or a stupid person calling me stupid, I even feel a twinge of joy because it is so funny and ironic.

You may say that I am dumb because that is exactly what the hater wants, which is to upset me + get my attention and I gave them that. And you are right.

But I cannot help it. I need to vent, and mostly, the results of the vent gives me satisfaction and closure - because I get EXTRA love from nice people. And rest assured after 2 minutes I go about my own life and am happy-go-lucky until the next mean comment riles me up. Not all do by the way, only some.

But all in all, the statement "Ignore the haters" (usually followed by "they are just jealous") is wrong.

No, haters should NOT be ignored. They should be appreciated and loved. Why? Here are the reasons:

1) Revenge

Revenge is one of the strongest motivators there is. If you watched movies like Kill Bill, you will realise that revenge, or bestowing any form of unhappiness upon those you hate, can shape your entire life and let you achieve things you've never imagined you could.

Now I may not be able to destroy the lives of my haters (only a special select few) or actually kill them with the five point palm exploding heart technique, but I do my best to make them as unhappy as possible. How?

They say success is the best form of revenge.

What you must understand is this... Haters don't hate YOU per se.

They are not jealous, as claimed by so many people. Maybe some, but most aren't. Jealous means they wish they were you, but I can safely say a lot of my haters don't wish to be me, for they find me a pink haired midget. I am not yet that arrogant to presume everyone is "just jealous" of me.

No, what haters feel about you is a strong dislike for your SUCCESS.

They don't understand, in my case, how someone like me, so mediocre, so stupid, so untalented, can become a top blogger. They don't think I deserve to earn an easy living, or deserve the adoration from people who like me. They don't find me pretty, why do others?

Thus, they find that it is their life's goal to make sure everyone sees the "truth" about you and stop contributing to your success.

Would all the haters of Justin Bieber give two hoots about him if he is a teenage boy singing on youtube but never made it big? They won't. They just don't like this popularity.

So everytime I strive to achieve more in life, the haters' angry faceless faces are always at the back of my mind, and I am gloating, happy to see them unhappy as I get richer, more successful, more beautiful, more popular.

In fact, I'd say that they played a HUGE part in my blogging success.

Haters from the start told me I was stupid. I sat for the Mensa IQ test just to prove them wrong. Haters said I can never earn a living from blogging. I showed them I could, and what a great career it is. Haters said Mike will ditch me in a week, but we are still together, 7 years and counting, a baby in the making. Haters said my blog popularity will never last - but here they are, still reading as my visitor count increases per second.

And so that's how I say "FUCK YOU" to the haters, every single person who wished me ill, by showing them the more they say I couldn't do it the more I will.

Few things give me more satisfaction than achieving more in life than they could ever have, and when they insult me, I can go "I am Xiaxue, who are you?"

For that, I am grateful to them. Thank you for not believing in me, thank you for your motivation, thank you for giving me the sweet taste of revenge.

2) Love with the hate

While your haters are going on and on like a rabid dog, what happens? You get 3 camps of people:

- People who agree with the hater. See point 1) on how more of these are useful.

- People who disagree. You get extra love from people who like you defending you, and that's very nice when it happens!

- People who have no idea who you are and why you are stirring an interest in the hater. They go find out and decide for themselves. This adds to your increased publicity and they may decide they like you!

See? It's all good.

3) They give constructive feedback

and help you become a better person

HAHAHAHAHA NO THEY DON'T.

JUST KIDDING!!

Thought I'd give some politically correct answer about how we should listen to our haters? FUCK THAT. Haters are stupid and bitter and they wish the worst for you, never ever listen to their "advice" and change!!

They merely wish to mold everyone into default cookie cutter unoffensive sheep. Anything that you do that is out of the ordinary will get you haters.

Most of the time, exactly why they hate you is what makes you unique. For example, a common criticism of Lady Gaga would be that she dresses too slutty, but if she starts listening and dressing like a nun, she won't be who she is today at all!

So many of my haters dislike my strong controversial opinions, but I'm sure that's exactly what so many of you love about me as well, and I ain't gonna change that for sure.

And so today, in the spirit of loving my haters, I'd like to give special appreciation to a particularly persistent one.

For weeks now I've been seeing (presumably) the same hater post on different platforms about me. On tumblr, on facebook, and even creating a lovely account for me on instagram, making an effort to follow everyone I follow. LOL. Props for being so hardworking.

It's all the same picture, a print screen of my Garnier video compared to a photoshopped picture of me on my blog and saying how I have bad skin and am ugly and plastic.

She (I think it's a girl) also seems to think that just because Plasticzilla posted an email that someone sent to her claiming I created her hate site seems to constitute as proof that I did. Roll eyes, I also received an email from an "ex friend" of PZ, claiming she had drug fueled orgies with old men in Bali, does it mean it is true? It's almost laughable. Please, we all miss the genius that is Dawn Wayang but I am not the writer of that website! I do love whoever wrote it though!

Anyway, that's all fine and dandy right? Coz usually my haters leave their hate just on the internet, and it never translates to the real world... Until this!

Via Stomp:

My eyes censored by Stomp, who didn't seem to want

to give me extra publicity lol

This hater actually bothered to PRINT MY PICTURES, and proceeded to paste them on a toilet wall in Choa Chu Kang!!

Are you freaking kidding me???

Like she feels so strongly about me, that she bothered to waste very expensive printer ink on me and then, brought these papers out with her, went into a toilet, WITH TAPE, YELLOW TAPE, and pasted it on the wall.

And that, I suppose, made her day.

I don't feel angry or sad actually. I feel strangely very touched and happy.

Because love me or hate me, I feel very honoured that I evoke so much emotion in you that would drive you to put in so much effort for me. You know I love attention, so thank you for giving me so much of it.

This is the 1st time a hater ever sorta appeared in real life, and I feel like I'm finally famous. I AM SOMEBODY!! I am worthy to be printed on a toilet wall!!!

And moreover, the things she is so angry about are so silly!!

Like duh, EVERYBODY knows I photoshop my pictures and I'm plastic, I've just about said it a zillion times, so what's the POINT is spreading that I am??

And you know what is the most ironic?

For Garnier, they asked me to do one blog advertorial and one video for their Miracle Skin Perfector.

Here's the video, completely open on clicknetwork, and I have even tweeted to ask people to watch it, it is not like it is meant to be HIDDEN??

And so the hater took a screenshot and kept on saying I have bad skin, an ugly nose, and cockroach eye makeup... Ugly nose or makeup is subjective, but what I don't get is why keep harping on my bad skin?

I already clarified in the video that my skin is not usually so bad. You want to know why it was so pimply that day?

I was about 2 weeks pregnant at the point of this filming, and my body was adjusting to the new crazy amount of hormones. It also caused my skin to be very puffy and water retentive, thus the eyes that look kinda like I just cried.

Congratulations, you just insulted a pregnant woman, how very kind of you.

I'm not trying to find excuses, there many videos out there of me completely bare with no makeup, and I DO NOT have bad skin. I may have the occasional zit here and there, forgive me for being human, but usually it's still pretty clear.

This is my accompanying advert for Garnier, and even in the blog post I posted a few pictures of my unphotoshopped skin, saying it is bad recently.

So I've been completely honest.

Not sure if the hater is blind... Or?

But all this is irrelevant. EVEN if I have ultra bad skin in real life, so what?

This hater seems to think that I somehow deceived my clients and blog readers by photoshop and plastic surgery?

And that she is "exposing" me by somehow showing a video and picture of me that everyone who saw the ad already saw???

People who saw the video saw the bad skin, the ugly nose and cockroach makeup and STILL decided to buy the product, you think they are all blind and only you are enlightened?

WTF?? It's too illogical, I can't even.

(Btw the Garnier peeps loved both my video and advert, saying sales dramatically increased after that and they are thankful.)

She is so WEIRD!!!

I suppose she just feels very strongly that people who are plastic or photoshopped absolutely do not deserve to earn money from "endorsing" products????

But this phenomenon is happening everywhere in the world with most celebrities plastic in some way or another and magazines photoshopping their models to death, so why the anger with just me, especially when I'm the only person who actually admits to be plastic and photoshopped? Wth, help me out here, I'm genuinely confused.

In any case, I'm very happy because I know that I will continue earning from sponsorships and ads despite her best efforts to "spread the word", and I know this will cause her to be angry and upset. :D

She needs to understand... Clients don't come to me because I look exactly like my pretty photoshopped self with perfect skin, a perfect nose and perfect eye makeup.

They seek me because I write good advertorials, I have a good track record of being honest with my reviews, and mostly, because I attract eyeballs. And you, my dear hater, just made me more popular by letting more people know about me.

Now everyone visiting that toilet will want to go to my blog to see the photoshopped pictures and be amazed. Thank you so much!!

And thank you, also, for making my day by showing me how awesome my life is by seeing yours in contrast.

Really, right now I'm gonna sleep my gorgeous bedroom which has most of the renovations sponsored, while carassing my belly with my baby squirming inside. And I'd be dreaming of his fat cheeks and fat fists when he eventually comes into the world. All is good.

You, on the other hand, spent your day posting propaganda that won't work on a DISGUSTING public toilet wall. In Choa chu kang. Why so uncool the location, at least choose Orchard or something...

That's sad. So sad.

I'm afraid you don't know how sad that is, so I made you a chart, hope you like it.

But at least you got my attention for a day.

Shoo now.

Furby is Back

2012-11-16T13:34:00.003+08:00

Advertorial

Do you guys remember THIS little guy?

Yes, this is Furby!!

Back in 1998, Furby was the IT toy, so super popular that kids everywhere were disappointed as Furbies flew off the shelves and they couldn't get their own! More than 40 million Furbies were sold and I remember I badly wanted one as they so resembled Gizmo, the cute gremlin from the Gremlins movie!

Plus, Furbies could talk and move!! So adorable! Till today, there are many toy collectors who still kept their Furbies and they are still functional!! Madness.

Time really flies - after 15 long years, Furby is back again!! I was invited to Furby 2012's official launch and haven't never owned a Furby before, I totally didn't know what to expect.

But after a runway show where the dancing Furbies were brought into the room, EVERYONE SQUEALED BECAUSE THEY WERE JUST BEYOND ADORABLE!!

The Furbies came in 6 different colours and all have distinct personalities depending on how you treat them!! They squirm around and their ears keep flipping back and forth as they speak Furbish, their own language... Really cute!!

Furby now comes with super expressive LED eyes - I've seen the eyes do all sorts of expressions from being in love (many hearts sparkling) to puking. lol

Yellow Furby here is a singer... Behold, for yes, Furbies now can react to YOUR music and they will sing and dance in tune!!! Technology, why you so amazing!!

White Furby is a sweet princess

This Red Furby has my favourite personality of the lot... She is a DIVA!! Really love how the Furby peeps decorated each Furby stage and accessories in accordance to Furby's personalities.

LOL we were all queuing up to snap a pic with the big celeb of the night!!

Other than playing music for your Furby, you can also pull its tail (careful, some of them don't like it), pet its head, tickle the tummy, shake it, turn it upside down or feed it with your finger.

Not only that, Furbies recognise their own kind!!

If you put Furbies together with its friends they will chatter non stop lol

When I left the event I got presented with my very own Furby... I chose white, and it is ginormous!!

Just kidding, that's just the Furby standee.

But guess what? After the first 6 colours were introduced, 4 more colours came out, and I got an additional PINK Furby to make friends with my white one:

HEY FURBIES!!! They couldn't stop chatting and giggling with each other.

Can you guess what Pinkie is saying? Well, your Furby will speak loads of Furbish initially, and "kah may-may oo-nye" means "Me Love You". How do I know? There is a Furbish translator and dictionary! More about that later.

As you keep interacting with your Furby, Furby will learn to speak more and more English - from YOU!! So cool right?

I don't know why, but I guess my Furby somehow got my bimbo personality and kept saying "O. M. G" - I don't remember saying that to my Furby at all lol

So I was saying about the Furbish translator - yes there is an app specially for Furby!! Just search "furby" in the app story - you can get the Furby app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, for free.

I don't know HOW, but somehow my iPhone can interact with my Furby!! My Furby speaks, and the app translates!!

But this is not the fun part, the most fun part is feeding your Furby!!

You can create your own burger to feed Furby... Fries with a lollipop, fried egg and beef patty why not?

Or...

You can choose from the pantry a myriad of extremely odd foods to (force)feed Furby that you will never try yourself.

Old sock or burnt toast anyone?

What I screenshot here is not a complete list, there are MANY more interesting things you can feed Furby, and all you have to do? Select the food and just flick it out of the screen into Furby's mouth! LOL you can even feed your Furby your math homework or your old underwear!

Your Furby will chew and let you know whether it likes it or not (via the LED eyes). Different Furbies like different things.

I found it so hilarious that some of the items Furby actually spits back out, back into my iphone screen!

Like if you feed Furby a fortune cookie...

Furby spits out your fortune!! And it changes everytime. You can feed Furby the piece of paper again and Furby will unhappily eat it.

I fed my Furby a pufferfish.

He vomitted a puffed up pufferfish. And I fed him the puffed up pufferfish...

He literally vomitted vomit to me this time. And you guessed it... I fed him his own vomit.

He gave me a different kind of vomit. LOL!!!

Furby, why you so cute??

I love my Furbies!!!

Oh and in case you are wondering, Furbies don't "wake up" unless you play with them, so most of the time my Furbies are just sitting in the corner with their eyes closed, snoozing. Amazingly enough, I haven't had the need to change batteries yet.

Interested to get your own Furby or one for your kid?

Furbies retail at $119.90 at Toy R Us and major departmental stores, EpiCentre, EpicLife, Nubox, iStudio and selected electronic stores.

You can click HERE for more Furby fun or visit http://www.furby.com to select your favourite Furby colour out of the 10 available!

DID NOT SAY HAVING A RAPIST SON IS OK

2012-11-13T06:05:00.001+08:00

Hope the title of the blog entry made it clear. It appears a lot of people are STILL misunderstanding the previous post but quite honestly I've got so much going on in my life right now that I simply do not have the time to do another blog post on it.

Currently my mother in law is in Singapore. I bought a ticket for her a few months ago because I saw my friend write a loving facebook post to her husband and I suddenly had an overwhelming bout of gratitude and guilt about my own husband giving up so much to be with me. He misses his family and friends over in the states and yet here he remains, halfway across the globe, steadfast, more and more locked in to this foreign country as we get our car, our house, and now, our soon-to-be-born baby. And what did I ever do to deserve this much love and sacrifice?

And so at 2am in the morning I was hit with an inspiration to fly my mother in law Ann over, for it is her first time flying so far away from the states and not only will Mike enjoy this immensely, I thought she will too!! I shook Mike awake and asked him for his mom's middle name and birthday - he simply mumbled the answer without asking why, and a few clicks on expedia.com - tickets bought, surprise done!!

It was a feat for everyone to keep this secret from Mike and I must say it all paid off when he looked so completely shocked and happy to see Ann at the airport. I told him we were fetching Cheesie. :D

So for the next few days I'll be playing host to Ann and bringing her around Singapore.

Reading some of the dumb comments infuriates me and I'm trying my darnest to keep my preggie moods pleasant so I didn't even bother to moderate the newer ones.

Whatever... People are so determined to hate on me and accuse me of APPROVING RAPE (like are you SERIOUS?) that no matter what I say, they will still think the same way. I can't be arsed anymore, there are nicer things in life to focus on like seeing my husband beam with pure happiness.

Read two articles on tumblr from sane people supporting what I wrote and I shall repost them here. Perhaps they are more articulate and better at explaining me than me:

From Segnoritaseverywhere:

I agree that her tweet sounded very wrong, and it could be misunderstood by some, hell, it could be easily misunderstood by everyone. I, in fact, misunderstood it.

But she explained her point of view. I’ve read it ALL, even the links that she included, and I totally get her point of view.

She tweeted that from the point of view of a MOTHER. Of course she didn’t say it was MORALLY better to be a rapist than being a slut. Of course not.

She was saying that it was better as a MOTHER to have a rapist son, than a girl that would be taken advantage of easily by adults. Both are horrible, but what she meant is that having a rapist son would be less painful as a mother. To know that nobody did horrible things to his son, rather than finding out your 11 year old daughter has been deceived by older men to suck their cock and sleep with them.

I suggest you go to her blog and read the post. And if you don’t get her point, I will assume you are stupid, since you would have no reading comprehension.

I’m not saying that you have to agree with her, maybe you prefer having a “slut daughter”(as in 11 year old girl who is being taken advantage of by men); but, heck, it’s not that hard to get her point.

From Aurtora:

About Xiaxue.. I think you guys misunderstood big time. You read this: ”Rapist son better than slut daughter I guess.” and you think this: Xiaxue thinks that sluts are worse than rapists. NO.

Think about it from a mother’s perspective.

I think all girls (should) know there are men who just wants to have sex with you. That’s why we are told not to hop in a random man’s car, not to believe everything they say, to have self respect because we are not just to have sex with! Mothers, of course, tell this stuff to their daughters so they won’t end up some fifty-year-old man’s sex toys. A 11 years old girl can easily fall in love with a man if she’s not told to be careful. To get the ~~girl~~ child in his bed all the man has gotta do is to tell her she’s beautiful and that he’ll love her forever. The girl will believe him cause she’s STILL A KID and she just DON’T KNOW! ”That’s why the law says having sex with girls below 18 is RAPE!” Sexual freedom in my ass seriously…

”At age 11 a girl is not old enough to decide who she should have sex with, know the psychological or physical consequences to having sex nor does she have the ability to take care of a child lest she get pregnant or even have the money for an abortion!” Exactly! The poor girl probably don’t even have her period yet. She should be playing with legos not sucking someone’s dick.

Now if you are a mother and you find out your daughter slept/sleeps with a 40-year-old man, how would you feel? Probably miserable. And you’d probably feel that you FAILED AS A MOTHER because you didn’t teach your child not to trust random men. Now same goes if your son is a rapist: ”I will feel guilty that I raised a monster, disappointed that he turned out this way..” She’s saying that wouldn’t be good either.

BUT

From a parent’s perspective it is worse if your child is taken advantage of: ”Every single parent in the world will tell you the same answer: Given a situation where our child is taking advantage of others or being taken advantage of, we all painfully choose for our children to be the one taking advantage of others!”

Because a mother always loves her child no matter what.
A mother always wishes for her child’s best.

”Would you rather your kid be a murderer or be murdered?! Rapist or be raped? Bully or be bullied? Torturer or tortured? Tycoon or child labourer?”

Get it now? How can a mother rather not want her grown son to be a rapist than her little girl being raped? And you are calling Wendy disgusting when you probably didn’t even understand what she was talking about!!?? Unbelievable! You feel sorry for his unborn son?? He’s lucky to have a brave and honest mother who is not afraid of others opinion!!

Wendy you go girl ♡

all the citations are from Xiaxue’s blog.

Few things more to clarify:

1) Have you played the "Would you rather?" game? Very simple right, you just are made to choose between two horrible choices.

This is the same - Saying "I would rather get Aids than Cancer" is not saying getting cancer is something I will celebrate with champagne.

It means BOTH cancer and aids are really horrible but I find Aids a shade better.

Oh please don't go on and on about how I am insulting the plight of cancer patients now and how they are suffering and I'm insensitive. That was just an example, ok??

So when I say I'd rather have a rapist son than a slut daughter, it means BOTH ARE VERY BAD, I just find one slightly less painful AS A MOTHER.

NOT MORE MORALLY CORRECT MIND YOU. READ THIS TWICE. I DO NOT FIND MY SON RAPING PEOPLE OK.

2) I used the term "slut" loosely. I know that feminists tend to be very touchy feely about that word but I simply meant it in the dictionary sense:

a. A person, especially a woman, considered sexually promiscuous.

IE all females who sleep around easily.

Is it right to call an 11 year old girl who sleeps around a slut? Perhaps not since she is a child who doesn't know what she is doing.

There could be a lot of reasons why very young girls would choose to have sex with many men, and easily so. It could be that they are naive and manipulated, or it could be so they can impress their friends or rebel against their parents. It could also be that they genuinely enjoy sex.

Whatever it is, perhaps it is cruel for an adult to label a young teen as a "slut", but what other euphemism would you call her? I guarantee you "slut" is exactly what all her peers will call her behind her back. Cmon, enough with the political correctness.

Perhaps you guys are offended because the word "slut" has derogatory connotations to it. I'm sorry but I cannot help what society pegs to a word which simply means someone who is promiscuous.

Just because of that (derogatory connotations) I have been accused of saying that a young girl who chooses to have sex readily with old men is entirely at fault - when the feminists think that it is the men who are wrong.

WAIT A MINUTE... Are you serious? You honestly believe that I do not think these leery lecherous dirty old men who prey on young girls are at fault here?! I can't even... No, they should know better and they deserve the worst punishments.

Whether a young girl has blame to share when statutory rape happens no matter how small, well, that's another topic altogether and I am not venturing there. (Do not take this to mean I say they are to blame, I never said so, don't put words into my mouth)

I'm not here to discuss who is at fault or whether an 11 year old girl should be able to have sex with whoever she wants because it is "sexual freedom".

I do not care if you think being a "slut" is ok, new-age liberal females. Not disagree; don't care. Not my problem what you think - you can spread your legs as open as you want, I do not care as long as you don't spread them around my husband (or son I guess).

I am simply telling you guys about whether or not my daughter is at fault for being a "slut", whether it is my poor parenting, her poor decision-making, or the horrible men who take advantage of her readiness, I AM JUST SIMPLY SAYING IT IS HEARTBREAKING AS A PARENT.

And that that sort of pain is worse, personally speaking, than seeing my son rape someone and go to jail for it.

You may disagree and that is fine.

But this isn't a moral discussion.

This is just me saying which causes me more grief. As a parent.

Can you control what makes you more upset? You can't.

Which would cause you more grief?

Your mother dying or 1,000 innocent babies dying from a war torn country somewhere far away?

If you choose your mom, are you a murderous asshole approving infanticide? If you choose the babies, are you completely unfilial?

Your grief, your choice.

I won't judge it, so don't judge mine.

(Said I can't be arsed to blog and blogged a whole long post. Good job me.)

Criminal son or slut daughter?

2012-10-29T05:16:00.001+08:00

HOLLA!!

Missed me? I'm back!!!

Sorry for the long break in between this post and the previous, I blame it on the pregnancy. I'm blaming everything on the pregnancy while I still can, it is extremely convenient.

No but seriously... I just came back from Tokyo and Taipei a week ago. The holiday was very kindly sponsored by Expedia, who flew Qiuqiu, Cheesie, Audrey and me to the aforementioned destinations for what was one of the best trips of my life!!

Mike was rather reluctant to let me go, for there were rumours about radiation (I did my research, it seems there is no concrete evidence - one report even said Singapore has a higher radiation level than Tokyo!) or flying not being safe for the baby. But I asked my gynae and he said to go ahead, afterall I was in my second trimester already and everything seemed stable.

And I'm so glad I went!! I was so so so happy when I was there - it was extremely fun hanging out with my fellow girly bloggers and we had so much good food and did so much good shopping!!! And being happy is the most important thing for a pregnant woman, right?

I suppose after the baby is born I won't have another chance to do a girly holiday anymore until years later. I am also thinking of going to Maldives with Mike for a "babymoon", a last holiday for just the two of us.

More boring pregnancy updates: The last I left off I was talking about how I hated the first trimester.

The crazy vomitting, the lethargy, the food aversion... I was so cranky and irritable because I felt so horrible physically the entire time. I was barely functional, sleeping about 16 hours a day and spending the remaining 8 vomitting.

For the longest time because I also heard other women complaining about their severe morning sickness, I never bothered to ask my gynae if there was medication for it. After all, pregnant women are SUPPOSED to suffer right? To eat any form of medicine to lessen suffering made me feel guilty, like I cannot even tolerate (a lot of) nausea for my child.

But after 2 months of puking I finally cracked and asked Dr Law for medication. He gave me something called votazine and amazingly though it really works!! I took it for about a week before I left for Taipei/Tokyo, and suddenly during the holiday I realised I don't need it anymore.

Because I finally hit my 2nd trimester! I don't know how come after 12-14 weeks of pregnancy your body suddenly gets this abrupt change.

Suddenly I got all my energy back, I stopped the vomitting and nausea almost completely, and I don't have food aversion anymore. YAY!!

Only problem was that I was starting on the pregnancy headaches, which can be really quite horrific. Luckily, it seems that panadol is ok for pregnant women to take, and it works for me.

Anyway, you must be wondering about the blog title... I'm pretty sure I tweeted about this topic before, but I got reminded of it again a few days ago because there were two news articles that day on Straits Times about older men having sex with very young girls - aged 11 and 15 - and worst of all, these girls were WILLING PARTIES.

Wait, I suppose if they were unwilling it is pretty darn bad too, but from a mother's point of view, if the girl is willing, it means your daughter is going to continue having sex with random gross men over and over again. It is going to be a recurring problem.

I'm sure all parents have nightmares about how their kids might turn out. We hope they change the world for the better and are kind-hearted and filial, but we also fear that our children may turn out to be paedophiles or mass murderers...

One of the topics I've discussed with Mike is whether it is worse to have a son who is a criminal (drug-dealer, murderer etc) or a daughter who is a slut who sleeps with everyone from a very young age.

I'll talk about this more in a while, but let's talk about my reaction after reading those news articles. Here's what I tweeted:

Thank you, hater, for printscreening for me

I still, till this very day, do not see what I've tweeted as being offensive, but here are some of the reactions:

Left the 1st tweet there to neutralise the hate a bit lol

WTF man... What did I do wrongly here? I tried to ask Qiu (she is the only one still awake and on my msn now) why people got SO mad, but after her explanations which were quite vague I STILL don't get it.

Did people misinterpret what I tweeted? That somehow, I find it ok to have a rapist son (and by some far drawn conclusion that I find rape ok) but not ok to have a slutty daughter??

That's just fucking ridiculous.

Of course it is every parent's worst nightmare to have a son who goes around raping people, but I was simply reading the articles with a parent's POV and asking myself,

"Would I feel worse if my son was the statutory rapist in this situation or if my daughter was the 11 year old who let 40 year olds have sex with her in the toilet after meeting them for 5 mins?"

(Yes that is the sort of rhetorical questions I like to ask myself)

Both are VERY bad, but as a parent, which is WORSE?

Every single parent in the world will tell you the same answer: Given a situation where our child is taking advantage of others or being taken advantage of, we all painfully choose for our children to be the one taking advantage of others!

Would you rather your kid be a murderer or be murdered?! Rapist or be raped? Bully or be bullied? Torturer or tortured? Tycoon or child labourer?

You may say justice prevails and murderers get hung anyway and rapists get raped in prison etc, but at least he is reaping his own consequences instead of innocently and brutally getting killed or raped, right?

Nobody wants to see their innocent child get hurt by bad people.

But if my kid is that bad person and he gets just punishment by the law for his crimes, I say good. I will feel guilty that I raised a monster, disappointed that he turned out this way, but at least I won't be crying over a mutilated corpse!

So let me re-emphasize this again - BOTH ARE BAD BUT I JUST TWEETED WHAT I FELT WAS MARGINALLY LESS BAD FOR A PARENT.

(AND NO IDIOTS, I DO NOT FIND RAPE OK, BOLD UNDERLINE EXTRA LARGE FONT)

I don't know why the tumblr feminists love to hate me so much... They love to quote this article I wrote in 2007 over and over again, even though I have explained time and again that they misunderstood me.

They also seem to also have a problem with me saying that I don't find it ok for my young daughter to be a whore (???!).

I'm sure you will be hard-pressed to find a parent who thinks it is ok for her 11 year old daughter to be sucking someone's dick, ok?

It is probably the ultimate nightmare for dads worldwide who love their daughters to imagine their daughter getting taken advantage of by dirty old men who do not genuinely care for them and are spreading aids to them.

I cannot believe that last person who insulted me called an 11 year old girl having sex "enjoying sexual freedom". ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?? #Youarethefuckingidiot

At age 11 a girl is not old enough to decide who she should have sex with, know the psychological or physical consequences to having sex nor does she have the ability to take care of a child lest she get pregnant or even have the money for an abortion!

Nobody should be taking advantage of the naivety of children in this way! That's why the law says having sex with girls below 18 is RAPE! And 11 is probably PAEDOPHILIA!

Are YOU the rape apologist now, calling it SEXUAL FREEDOM for statutory rapists? (I had to google the meaning of that made up word, "rape apologist", they keep calling me)

Ridiculous. SEXUAL FREEDOM FOR CHILDREN. She might as well be buying her future daughter a stripper pole now. Or do the tumblr feminists think that's a sparkling career for women? Empowering, perhaps? So is prostitution maybe? If so, go ahead with your hate and keep misquoting my US marine post, I cannot be bothered with your politically correct bullshit. *rolls eyes* I have every right to not want my future daughter to have sex too early and with too many men! You guys are just so fucking ANGRY all the time, wanting to find new targets for your rage. Be angry at the anti-abortion politicians for fuck's sake, if I am as stupid as you say my opinions have no weight so why would what I write matter?!

I also would like to ask the person who said I have "literally no talent besides photoshop and drawing" - excuse me, when haters say statements like that, what do they mean?

So in order for you to respect or like someone, they have to have a myriad of talents? What, two isn't enough for you coz you have what, 16? Including writing scathing statements that make no sense?

No seriously, it just pisses me off so bad when people say things like "XXX famous person would be nothing without her (insert trademark talent)."

Perhaps Mariah Carey would be a commoner without her voice but fact is she DOES have her voice, which is amazing, so what are you saying? That it comforts you that the difference between you and her is simply an amazing voice?

That shouldn't be comforting at all because fact is she is a millionaire and famous and you ain't, nor is an amazing voice coming your way to change this fact!!

And most of the time, statements like that aren't true at all... It is having something special, be it an amazing ass and a sex tape like Kim Kardashian or the ability to shoot small balls into small holes like Tiger Woods, and combining that special something with hard work and a thirst for success.

So next time you want to say someone doesn't deserve fame just because "they would be nothing without xxxx reason", think again - you just sound bitter and sad. Even if you were given Justin Bieber's looks/voice you still wouldn't be as rich and famous as he is because you simply don't have the rest of the magical formula that made him who he is. (His encouraging mom, hard work, ability to withstand extreme hatred etc)

Yeah so I supposedly have LITERALLY no talents besides photoshop and drawing, as opposed to what, figuratively? Excuse me but I have so many talents I can't even keep track of them... Just today I realised I can peel mangosteens very swiftly and efficiently, which I'm sure not many people can do. I also have the rare talent of knowing how to use the word "literally" correctly.

And to all the haters who LOVE to tell me they pity my future child... MY CHILD DOESN'T NEED YOUR CONCERN THANK YOU.

Save your pity for your own mother, whose child not only have achieved nothing in life, but spends her time writing shit about bloggers online.

How precious, I'm sure you are the child every dewy-eyed mother has dreamed of... Not surgeon, not rocket scientist... But an internet hater. Applause, everyone applaud the internet hater, the pride and joy of the human race, the type of person we need more of.

"I look forward to reading your obituary in the papers...

'Least famous person in the world dies.'"

~ Jenna Maroney, 30 Rock

rosebullet X Baby Rock

2012-10-17T04:08:00.003+08:00

Advertorial

So happy to be doing this advertorial because it is for one of my FAVOURITE brands ever!!!

As you have probably guessed from the title... rosebullet!!

I've always loved Japanese fashion and I love to wear floral prints, (faux) fur, pastel colours etc... rosebullet is one of those brands that is EXACTLY like that. It is very popular in Japan, and the good news is... It is also available in Singapore!

I went down to the outlet at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, #B2-116 Canal level for the launch of the new Autumn/Winter 2012 collection called Baby Rock.

My face greets me, lol

I was so excited because once you go in you can see their famous trademark Angola sets in rainbow colours... Want want want!

How to pick??

The coordinates come in a set... Angora fur top made with the softest downy bunny fur you can imagine, a matching ribbon for your hair (how adorable is that?!) plus a tulle skirt with shorts lining inside.

Btw in case animal lovers go crazy about the fur bit... Angora fur is harvested by shaving an angora rabbit, not by killing it.

Admittedly the angora rabbit does need a shave...

Many pretty dresses

Qiuqiu and Sophie went with me!! Here you can see their default expressions... Qiu laughing hysterically and Sophie very mildly bemused.

Picked my outfit for the day!!! Chose the lavender Angola set with a nude tutu skirt... I LOVE IT!! The moment I put it on I felt like I was Lena Fujii lol

Look like not? LOL

Qiuqiu and Sophie admittedly not clad in rosebullet but they did gamely come in pastel florals, very Rosebullet-ish.

Camwhoring time!! I love the lavender ribbon that came with the set!!

Taken by the pro photographer that day, Quirk Creative Singapore.

To tell you guys a little more about the Baby Rock collection... I actually like it a lot!

Autumn and Winter usually calls for darker colours. But for very girly girls like me, I still want to look feminine and somewhat sweet, in line with my usual style.

Therefore rosebullet combined rocker chic with their trademark romantic and beautiful style by incorporating leather, metallics and blacks to be blended with lace, tulles and pastels!

I know Mode style is all the rage in Japan now but for the loyal lovers of sweet and floral styles like me, this collection of rosebullet isn't too abrupt a change... So I can be edgy and girly at the same time!

Look! I am considering getting this super soft black leather jacket because the models wear it so nicely!!

The style also has a bit of a military vibe to it, I love!!

When I was at the store I asked my instagram followers to pick one of the following for me to dress accordingly...

Hot Date was the most popular so I went around the store shopping for an outfit that matches the occasion with the help of rosebullet's pretty staff.

And tadah, this is what I came up with!!

I'm so in love with this soft pink leather jacket!

A tulle skirt, with a metallic black turtleneck for that bit of edginess and super high wedged black T-straps. Everything is from rosebullet!

From instagram

Ok admittedly what I picked isn't very "hot" but remember boys don't marry slutty girls! LOL... Well, usually they don't.

Ending the post with 2 camwhore shots!!

I really love how soft this sweater is!! ♥♥♥

Feels like I'm hugging Igloo~~

What you waiting for? Go shopping for the Baby Rock collection today!!

Two outlets:

1) The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, B2-116

2) Isetan Orchard Level 1

And of course, go LIKE rosebullet on facebook too for latest news and updates!!

Rosebullet also has a BLOG!!! Check it out here!!

Expecting... a baby

2012-09-19T20:51:00.002+08:00

So as you probably have guessed from the title or my twitter, I am pregnant!!!

I am writing this blog entry on the 16th of August right now, 7 days after I first found out on freaking National Day!! My baby may be the first Eurasian Prime Minister in future!

You are probably wondering why this is published so much later then. It is because we Chinese are superstitious and believe that pregnancies should only be announced after the first trimester (first 3 months).

When I first heard this I was like WTF that's so damn stupid coz it means I get 3 months less of attention plus I have to keep that huge a secret for so long???

But as it turns out this is for good reason. Statistics show that a startling amount of pregnancies, one out of five, do not survive the first 3 months!! I KNOW RIGHT? Since there is a 20% chance of an empty promise, I too have decided not to announce it coz I don't think I can stand the pitiful looks people are going to give me... *choy* I did tell most of my friends and relatives though!

So if you are reading this, it means I have entered my second trimester! (Postnote: Am now 11 weeks and 2 days - Decided to announce on Mike's birthday instead of at my full 12 weeks coz doctor said everything is stable and I can announce anytime I want actually)

I have decided to periodically fill in this blog entry with my thoughts all the way until my 3rd month since I can't say anything till then.

Back story... Back in end 2011 I had these raging maternal instincts and Mike and I decided to try for a baby. We usually use the withdrawal method (too much info? LOL) but for 2 months, we just decided to go for it.

Nothing happened. Single line.

Seriously I thought it was really easy to get pregnant so I thought that there must be something wrong with our machinery. Although I've heard of people trying for as long as 5 years before succeeding, I never thought it will happen to us? Plus, there is no way to find out if your parts are working until you actually do get pregnant, right?

After that I got igloo on October 13th and he completely stopped the crazy maternal instincts. I lifted my baby tinted glasses and decided that since so much work and money is going into our house's renovations, I wanted to enjoy it for about a year before trying so the place won't have to turn into puke plastered toyland.

Sometime in mid july after I got back from Audrey's hen's night, thanks to the conversation we had then (too dirty to be repeated here), Mike and I decided to just recklessly go for it... Just that once. Bobo if you are reading this you are partially responsible for my pregnancy!

Not because we wanted a baby but because as I said I thought our machinery were broken anyway.

Then I tested on August 2nd because that was when my period was due. BTW I am the sort of person who hates the unknown and will test for pregnancy the moment I am supposed to get my period. Also because I love buying super cheap pregnancy test kits... Did you know mustafa has them for like $2?? I bought like 6.

So the test kit turned out negative. I went on with the belief that there was something wrong with us.

By the 9th I still haven't got my period so I tested again...

DOUBLE LINE

How was my reaction?

When I peed on the kit all I thought was "What the hell is wrong with my period, coming so late making me waste 2 test kits this freaking month. I need to go to mustafa again to buy more cheapo test kits, hope they are not sold out." so you can imagine I was totally expecting a negative again. But when I saw the clear double lines I freaked out.

I yelled a "WHAT THE FUCK???" in the toilet and hyperventilated, thinking about how my career is over and how my life will change completely and how my house is going to turn into puke plastered toyland. And how it is so tragic that I was skinny for such a short time. It's like I'm destined to be fat.

(Everyone has fears about having a kid ok and yes these are self centered thoughts but it didn't mean that I'm gonna be a bad mom when the baby comes out!)

Then I took the kit gingerly into the room and told Mike. I had an ashened face so I think he thought someone died when I told him "Baby I got something to tell you."

I wish I could say that he was extremely happy and twirled me around saying he is so happy to be a father but he didn't. Mike is not the very child-loving sort and he is an extreme worrywart. His thoughts usually go to the negative and he is scared of not having enough money or time for the kid or how it will affect our marriage etc.

But we have discussed babies for a while now and he has been mentally preparing himself for one coz he is knows he is 31 and it is time. If it happens he accepts it and wishes for the best but if it doesn't, well when we worry one less day.

So he just gave me a weak smile and hugged me for a long time.

Honestly even though it is OUR baby he wasn't the one I was eager to tell. My mother and friends are way more looking forward to the news. Rightfully so I guess coz it isn't their responsibility. LOL

So at 2am I called Momo who was sleeping. She of course started squealing about being a grandma and my spirits lifted. Pregnancy is a scary thing but if everyone is so happy for me it can't be that bad right?

Next I called my bff Shuyin who likewise also started yelling in her high pitched voice saying she has waited so long for this.

Then I told Qiu who was the only one still awake at 2am (and also she's mad about babies) and whatsapped the rest of my girlfriends. Junne told me she read the message on the way to work next morning and she stopped mid walk, screamed a little and started smiling like an idiot lol. It is such a nice feeling to have everyone so happy for me!! Everyone is showing me so much love!!

I badly wanted a friend to be pregnant with me so I started telling everyone to have more sex lol.

After this I spent the night searching for cute baby girl pictures and forming them as a college for my computer wallpaper. My preference is pretty obvious. Even though my irritating bio-freak friend Shengrong keeps telling me the gender is already decided via the X or Y chromosome in the sperm, I refuse to believe by sheer willpower I cannot change the sex of the kid.

It is Schrodinger's cat at the moment.

ANYWAY. I know mothers to be are always being so annoying saying that they don't care about the gender of the kid and will love it equally and as long as it is healthy blah blah.

But nobody said you can only wish for one thing for your baby and if you didn't choose health you are an asshole yeah? I don't wanna turn into one of those politically correct holistic birth judgmental self righteous sort of moms!

So I have an unorthodox preference for my kid's gender because hell yes I'm gonna be damn sad if I go into HnM to buy baby boy clothes and can't buy all the tutu skirts. If you are a mother, don't pretend you didn't have a preference however slight!

Besides, Mike's family has a very, very strong history of producing male babies. His grandma had 3 sons. 1 of the sons (Mike's dad) had FOUR boys, the other son had 2 boys, and the other son had 1 boy and 2 girls (I have hope).

Two of Mike's male cousins have 3 boys and no girls either.

So yes judge me... I know this baby is probably going to be a boy so I want to get a girl first to get this worry out of the way! Now Mike is saying he only wants 1 kid!! LIKE THIS HOW IF IT'S A BOY I CANNOT BUY TUTUS!! Will I get lynched if I say I also have always dreamed of getting the Juicy Couture pram?

Plus my baby room is already painted pink!! Please lah lao tian ye I don't wish for much.

Of course if it is a boy I will still love him but I'll just be slightly happier if it's a girl lah!! Son, if you are reading this in the future, I love you very much ok? :P

I'm expecting loads of comments from people saying a monster like me shouldn't breed and that babies are not accessories but fuck off please. Go judge your own birth thanks. I'm trying my best to reduce my use of vulgarities (I can't go cold turkey) but really, judgmental mom sorts are the WORST!!!

Have you seen their snotty faces when people tell them they are going for caesarean or not gonna breast feed? URGH!! There is not only ONE method of caring for a kid and as long as the expectant mother isn't smoking or drinking the choices they make are none of your business!

Oh gosh this entry is turning out to be really long. I'd also like to say that my boobs are HUGE now. HUGE! Largest they have ever been. I think I went from a small B to a C!!

IKR

It's almost tempting to snap some slutty naked pics to celebrate this glorious moment because people say after birth your nipples turn darker and longer (gross) but I'm too afraid of the pictures getting out and my child seeing them one day.

Nothing else much in my life has changed so far except that I am watching my diet more. No raw food no caffeine no "cooling" food. Momo has also been fetching me everywhere and cooking me soups. I drink birds' nest everyday and am eating folic acid. I could get used to this.

Right now I am 6 weeks pregnant and my baby is the size of a lentil with a heartbeat twice as fast as mine.

Morning sickness has simi started and I'm starting to not know if I'm feeling hungry or nauseous or both. OK that's it, till next time.

**************

21st August:

OMG the nausea is KILLING ME!! Every single day as long as I am not feeling full from food I feel nauseous. And the worst thing is that it is not bad enough for me to really vomit but just bad enough for me to well... Feel unwell. So far I have not really puked yet, but I really can't wait for the nausea bit to be over. :(

***************

1st September:

Did I say I didn't puke from the nausea? I was wrong. I'm chalking up about 15 pukes a day. Moment I wake up, I heave air and vomit bile. Then I stuff some food down the my throat and I am ok during the afternoon, until evening where I usually puke again before I eat dinner. Sometimes midway through dinner I puke as well. Then after dinner it's more puking all the way until I sleep. Sometimes I bolt awake to puke. PREGNANCY IS HORRIBLE.

I've tried all sorts of recommended remedies like eating in small portions, having dry crackers or eating sour plums... NOTHING WORKS. And all sorts of weird smells and sight of gross stuff sets off the nausea again. Even just thinking about certain types of food makes me feel like vomiting.

That day I drank a fizzy drink and puked it out 2 minutes later. Y'all will be interested to know that when it regurgitated out of my throat it was still carbonated.

I AM SO MISERABLE, PLEASE LET THIS STOP SOON

***************

19th September, today:

HEY EVERYONE!!!

Ok so I've settled on a gynae and he is Dr Law Wei Seng from Pacific Healthcare!

He did a scan for me and OH MY...

MY BABY IS SO FREAKING CUTE.

I MEAN LOOK, IT LOOKS LIKE A CURLED UP FAT BABY HAMMIE.

Initially the reality hasn't really sunk in and to be honest even NOW it doesn't feel that real yet, but I must say, seeing your baby via ultrasound is a very touching moment indeed.

My mummy friends told me they all started tearing and I must say I did too!! Just a single tear, I'm cool like that.

Dr Law told me that the bean shaped space the baby is residing in is my waterbag, and the bump is my placenta.

The baby decided to rest in the most comfy nook of its giant home (right now) and use the placenta as a pillow!! How adorable!!

AND AND AND!!

When we were scanning you can see its tiny heart beating SUPER FAST!!

Plus it was waving those tiny little hands very vigorously, like saying HI to us!!!

I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU, TINY HUMAN. (size of a grape at that point)

Dr Law even let me hear the baby's heartbeat... Ok this was also supposed to be very touching but I didn't think much of it, I preferred seeing the hands waving!! :D

So... more about pregnancy...

I just cannot believe that up to 40% of women do not get morning sickness at all during pregnancy. HOW IS IT SO UNFAIR? And the 60% of us are suffering so much.

In fact, I've got every single one of the first trimester woes such as:

1) Morning sickness
2) Bloating and gassiness
3) Food aversion
4) Extreme fatigue
5) Pain in boobs from being swollen

Okok I guess I didn't get the last one which is hormones going mad... I didn't get very sad or depressed but I did get unexplained bouts of euphoric high, especially when I eat something that my body decided it likes (which is rare).

But otherwise I am farting and burping ALL the time, hating 80% of all food, feeling SO sleepy after meals it is like taking 2 sleeping pills, and massaging my chest all the time to relieve some pain.

Oh and I gained 3kg (am now 42kg) thanks to my body's WEIRD preference of food.

People asked me if I am having funny cravings yet but I haven't... In fact, just the thought of most food makes me want to vomit. I do like certain food but it isn't really a craving as much as me just not hating them.

Here's a list of stuff I used to like but now dislike:

1) Cream sauce, my absolute favourite before pregnancy. I miss you.

2) Eggs. What happened here? Can still eat without puking, but I no longer LOVE them.

3) All kinds of veggies. Kangkong, how did we end up like this?

4) Soups... Watery soups are killing me. I cannot drink any of my mom's tonic soups because they all make me vomit. I can't take bird's nest. :( Stews are ok.

5) Most absurdly, plain water. Especially room temperature water... People used to tell me they don't like the taste of water and I always rolled my eyes. But now I TOTALLY GET IT. Yucky, disgusting water... so... wet and tasteless. Bleah.

Here is a list of things I never used to really like but now love:

1) Carbonated soft drinks. FML so unhealthy but that's all I crave for. I never used to like soft drinks. Now I wonder how is it I ever choose green tea over coke.

2) Carbs in its clean form. Like plain rice, boiled potatoes, bread. No pasta, pasta makes me pukey. That day I had a spoonful of plain porridge and thought it's the YUMMIEST thing in the world. Since my diet I've totally cut carbs out and my body got used to it. Now I'm eating carbs like mad again thus the weight gain. :( (most people don't gain much weight during the first 3 months)

I've been trying my best to eat healthy for the baby but I just can't. My body makes me puke out most fruits so I've regurgitated cherries, bananas, apples, kiwis etc, and the gagging absolutely will not stop until the fruit in its entirety has been vomited out. I am now such an expert at puking that I can tell you bile flavoured cherries are the WORST, like cough syrup but worse.

However, nothing beats puking out fish oil, which I'm taking because Dr Law said it's important for baby's brain development. Oh, it's NASTY. There should be a legit phobia of puking out fish oil.

What? You said you had enough of puking stories? No, I'm not done yet.

That day I had punggol nasi lemak and for some reason my body deemed it unworthy.

So I vomited it out at the toilet bowl at home.

The nasi lemak was so chunky and undigested and I had such a big surprising amount come out at once (really like the merlion), that the vomit hit the toilet bowl water and splashed bits of vomit back on my face.

I want all my haters to read the above paragraph and visualise it because I know it will make your day. My face splattered with my own vomit and bits of ikan bilis.

It doesn't end here. I had chilli with my nasi lemak and bits of it hit my eye, which stung. Worst part? I wasn't even done vomiting so I had to finish before I could crawl to the shower and spray off the vomit.

Yesterday, I had a consecutive 40 gags in a row. Well, I didn't count, but I swear it was about 40. I just heaved and heaved and heaved and couldn't stop. Since it's in the morning and I had no food to vomit out, all that came out was bile.

During one of the gags, bile actually came out of my nostril and dripped down.

Who knew vomiting stories could be so delightful?

Anyway, I just want to say thanks to all my friends and family who have been so nice to me so far... :D

The Best BFF in the world...

Watery soup so I couldn't drink much but it's the effort that counts.

Actually cooked nutritious soup and other dishes for me and baby... Plus came over to the new house so many times to help out with packing and moving etc because she knew I can't exert myself too much. And she bought the first piece of clothing for my baby, a furry bear suit. LOL. Really, can anyone have more love than this ffs. Oh pregnancy hormones making me cry wtf.

My hardworking Momo cooking me soups and anything else I crave + had the ingenuity of forcing me to keep folded plastic bags in my bag... Totally came in useful that day when I puked in the cab.

My girlfriends, all so excitable and interested in my pregnancy... Plus holding me at the elbow whenever I encounter stairs or slopes like I'm a piece of glassware...

Yutaki and Sophie for the bird's nest, Angie for the consideration for my future beauty...

My Nuffnang + Munkysuperstar managers working SO VERY hard to find sponsors for me... Baby... Your diapers all free thanks to them so I can save more money to let you go to college. ~~Who am I kidding I'm gonna spend it on cute clothes for you, appearance can make you more money than a degree.~~

Last but not least Dr Georgia Lee whom, once I told the pregnancy to, kept giving me doctorly advice + started recommending the best gynaes to me. She is so super sweet I can't even believe it.

If I forgot anyone it's because pregnant women are really stupid as most of our blood's flowing to the baby not to our brain.

And of course...

The most important person in this pregnancy other than me...

The birthday boy today...

My boyfriend from 2006-2010...

My husband from 2010 onwards...

And now one more title...

From April 2013 onwards...

The father of my child.

Thank you for all your patience when I get grumpy due to all the vomiting and hatred of smells. For showing you are going to be a great responsible daddy by already buying insurance for the little one. LOL, see, he is so nerdy!!

Even though this pregnancy surprised us and we are both scared and nervous that our lives are about to completely change, I now believe that any pregnancy at all is a blessing... It isn't all that easy to get pregnant and not everybody can. Some people really want it and have to put in so much money and effort and we just hit jackpot! Afterall it is better to be given something you didn't really want right now than to not be given something that you really want, right?

People often think of the daunting parts of parenthood but forget that having a baby in the home is like having a little comedian too. I believe our baby will bring us loads of laughter and joy!!

And I hope he/she looks like you so I have two of that face to love... Also because my pre-plastic looks ain't worth duplicating. I sound like Voldemort's mom. I hope he/she has your naturally straight teeth so we don't have to spend on invisalign, and your alien-like ability to not get the flu ever. (Mike has not been sick since I've known him 6 years ago)

Also take from daddy the love for math and science and technology, which will no doubt be critical in the future.

From me baby, I hope you get prefect eyesight, my social skills because daddy's suck, my positivity, my amazing head of thick hair that doesn't get destroyed with bleach, my ability to let nobody take me down, and my artistic skills.

Please don't take my sense of direction, size of nose, or height.

Most of all I hope you are healthy, whole and happy!!!

See you in 6 months!!

It's A Store And More

2012-09-17T04:41:00.001+08:00

Note: New blog entry under this advert!

Advertorial

Today's blog entry is for a brand that absolutely needs no advertising!! I'm sure you already know what it is coz of the title right? Perhaps you were singing it in your head!

That's right, it's 7-Eleven!!

Why do I say 7-Eleven needs no advertising? Since its start in Singapore in 1983, it has now flourished to 570 stores islandwide... Every corner you turn there is a 7-Eleven and they are always popular!!! If they never get out of your eyesight, they definitely don't need to advertise, right? LOL

Then why am I writing about 7-Eleven?

Because 7-Eleven wants to return the love you've been having for them by GIVING YOU PRIZES!! And I'm sharing it with you guys! :D

Do you like travelling?

7-Eleven is giving away $5000 worth of travel vouchers!!

But before I get to that, I want to talk a little bit more about 7-Eleven.

I love 7-Eleven!! Why?

The main reason is that they are ALWAYS OPEN!!! 24/7, 365 days a week, rain or shine!! When I think of 7-Eleven I think of buying snacks for midnight mahjong, quenching my thirst when I am out, smuggling snacks into the cinema in my bag from 7-Eleven because I refuse to pay the cinema's exorbitant prices... AND SO MUCH NOSTALGIA!!

Afterall, 7-Eleven has been around before I was born, and I remember how much I used to patronise the stores with my childhood friends ever since I've had the freedom to spend my own pocket money.

And now that I'm older, amazingly enough I came to realise that 7-Eleven isn't just for snacks and drinks... You can do so much other stuff there too like pay phone bills, top up cashcards, buy car coupons, or even buy household cleaning items!!

Every kids' (and some adults') favourite... SLURPEE!!! Only available at 7-Eleven and I love that there are so many yummy flavours!! My favourite was to mix cola with cherry!!

Just $1 on Mondays? GIMME!!!

Btw I've never gotten a brainfreeze before... Is that weird?

YES! Fill the Slurpee to the BRIM of the domed plastic lid!! MORE IS MORE!!

Omg does anyone remember Mr Softee? CHENDOL FLAVOUR WAS MY FAVOURITE!!! So sad about it being gone!!

This is another of my cinema smuggling favourites!!! Mashed potatos!! When I first saw the machine I was so amazed that mashed potatoes can come out almost liquid and harden immediately. O_O and it's delicious!

Some cookies for ya?

Did you guys know that if you wished to have a really quick meal you can actually cook your own cup noodles at 7-Eleven? Yes! They provide boiling water for you and a fork!! With a $2 combo you get a cup of Gulp too!!

You cannot get a meal with a better price than that!! When I was a poor student I used to eat lunch after school with my fellow poor schoolmates at 7-Eleven.

And don't think just because my meal is so economical I didn't enjoy it! Coz 7-Eleven used to have a brand of of cup noodles called First Choice and my FAVOURITE cup noodle flavour was First Choice's Green Curry flavour! Not available anymore though. :(

Ok enough of my 7-Eleven stories... So you want to win the $5000 travel vouchers?

Join the 7-Eleven Leading Brands Contest!!

7-Eleven's Leading Brands is a yearly campaign where 7-Eleven commemorate and recognize the top and most loved brands sold in 7-Eleven

How to win?

1) Spend $3 at any 7-Eleven store and keep the receipt.

2) Go to 7-Eleven's FACEBOOK PAGE and hit "Like"!

3) Join the contest by simply picking your favourite brand out of 80 brands.

4) Contest ends 9th October, hurry!

IT IS THAT SIMPLE!!

A total of FIVE winners will be chosen to be given $1000 worth of travel vouchers each!! Dream up your dream holiday now and go join, because it just might be YOU getting a free getaway!

******************

WAIT! That's not the end of the prizes!!

Do you own a BLOG like me??

If you do, you can join the 7-Eleven Blogger Contest!! You stand to win the same prize of $2,000 worth of travel vouchers!!

Join the contest via Nuffnang's website HERE!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Here's 7-Eleven's facebook page again, go like and win now!!

Terms and Conditions
* Purchase excludes cigarettes, parking coupons, bill payments, top-up services, tickets purchase, lottery sales, new services and fuel purchase.
* Travel vouchers valid for purchase of airline tickets only.

Hongkong and Otaru with Park Hotel, part 5

2012-09-17T04:33:00.001+08:00

OMG FINALLY I'm at my final blog entry about Hongkong and Otaru!!

Continuing from Part 4 here after Cheesie and I visit the Maruyama Zoo.

We had dinner treated by Cheesie's host parents. Got amazed by another instance of Japanese hospitality... Cheesie asked her host parents before we went to the zoo (without them) where to buy Jaga pokkuru, a potato snack she really liked that's kinda like Jagabee. She pouted and told me that her host parents were very dismissive with the answers, saying they didn't really know where to get it, when usually the Japanese put in utmost effort into helping others.

Later on during dinner they surprised her with 2 boxes and it turns out they were delibrately unhelpful because they wanted to help her buy it!! WHY LIKE THIS T_T HOW CAN PEOPLE BE SO NICE

After dinner we went for more shopping even though we were both quite exhausted!! BUT DON'T CARE!!!

COZ LIZ LISA!!!

I love Liz Lisa coz everything inside is so floral and girly + the shops smell like roses. :D

I wonder if Cheesie still loves Liz Lisa now... Cheesie? *sad voice*

AND I MISS MY LONG BLONDE HAIR WTF

Liz Lisa: "Cheesie? You used to love me... What did I do wrong? Please come back..."

Ultra friendly salesgirls

Went crazy with their Chambre a coucher collection - it's room decor items like bedsheets, cushions, PJs etc...

I want my room to look like that!! Well it sorta does now lol. :D

Stop pestering me to do a house tour, it's not like I'm being lazy or secretive ok, it is just coz although I've moved in already the renovations are STILL not finished so I cannot snap pics just yet!! I will do it asap though coz I know everyone is anxious to see. I am too!!

Cheesie took a pic of a this Polaroid coz she said the girl is famous.

And then I SAW THE CUTEST SOFT TOY LIKE EVER. EVER.

It's Chamber's mascot, a sleeping lamb called CHAMPOUF!! (pronounced like shampoo)

AWWW SO CUTE!! And so so soft!!

Champouf came in different sizes and there were GIANT ones to medium ones to hang on bags to tiny ones that held a measuring tape inside. Couldn't resist and bought 2!!!

Cheesie also bought 1 and we shared to buy one for Audrey... I told Cheesie that Champouf's gonna be the new Duffy lol but I guess that didn't happen. Still, Duffy's way too mainstream now!

Champouf was really expensive :X

Our haul for the day!! Lugging these all back to Otaru via train!! Tried very hard to photoshop my tummy away and couldn't. Worse part, Cheesie caught me eating. Something that looks like carbs. LOL

Here's my haul of soft toys from the trip wtf. Duffy (hey I bought it over a year ago) from Hongkong Disneyland's shop at the airport, 2 Champoufs, one bunny and one hello kitty pretending to be a bunny - this one is a Hokkaido specialty and I wanna collect hello kitties from all over the world! The Polar bears hugging are from the Maruyama zoo and a gift from Cheesie's host parent's friend.

NEXT DAY!!

If you remember from the previous posts Grand Park Hotel Otaru was right next to the ocean!!

So one of the tourist attractions is to go on a yacht and so we did!!!

Our ultra matchy outfits... Somehow both of us packed lace shorts. And both jackets are actually mine!! I saw them at Tutuanna and couldn't resist... Terry cloth pastel pink with grey hearts and mint green with lilac hearts!! Till today cannot decide which one I prefer. There was also lavendar with pink hearts, ultra regret not buying a third. :P

Bringing our Champoufs out for a sailin'

While waiting for the captain we camwhored... A LOT.

Afterall it was PERFECT weather and we had such a nice background!!

LOL we BOTH drew on fake freckles.

And we got on a really nice 2 storeyed yacht!!

LOL

The yacht brought us to see awesome scenery around the area...

And into a beautiful cave...

Which resulted in me camwhoring with the cave and seeing not really any cave in the picture.

The yacht trip itself was fun because of the awesome wind and great view... But I didn't really enjoy myself because the Captain (old dude, not handsome) was trying to flirt with Cheesie the entire fucking time so he just monopolized her whole attention by yakking non stop to her. In Japanese. While I was left alone to comtemplate if I can push him off the yacht and somehow manage to steer it back to shores. I couldn't so I just had to tolerate him. Note to self: Get Yachting license.

You would think that with the sea, breeze and calming waves I would be perfectly fine by myself and initially I was but after 20 mins of his behaviour I started to get extremely frustrated with him snatching my Cheesie away. After all we are his guests and he is supposed to take a back seat to just bring us around, not try to be the center of attention and have his guest (by that I mean Cheesie) entertain him. URGH.

Note: Yacht dude not under employment of Grand Park Hotel.

After our yacht trip Cheesie and I walked around the malls near the hotel some more and had the awesome Grand Park chef make us yet another award-winning dessert:

It looks almost vulgarly yummy!!

Melting cream oozing out from a puff pastry most delicately baked with a creme brulee caramelized crust on top. OH-SO-GOOD.

Not as nice as the angel brains he did the other day, but really, really close. My bar for desserts got set super high during this trip. :X

Sadly, it was time for us to leave afterwards...

Our matchy everything at the train station.

Cheesie and I were talking about people who bring soft toys on trips and pose the toys with famous monuments to snap pictures and show off ala Amelie...

Cheesie said that instead of soft toys I should post pictures of my disgusting Juicy slippers with famous landmarks because I really wear my Juicy slippers EVERYWHERE.

So here's my slippers with the Otaru ferris wheel.

They are SO filthy and worn out but they are my FAVOURITE footwear!! I don't ever wear flat shoes so these are also my most comfortable wedges. Don't you all have a pair of shoes you are so in love with? I bought these slippers in like maybe 2008? in a Juicy Couture store in Texas for USD$65.

At that point I thought they were so freaking expensive but after so many years the slippers are still 100% intact and they are the ONLY footwear I will trust to bring overseas because I KNOW that they will not break on me. Talk about good workmanship!

And they have been with me on most of my overseas trips wtf. Very well travelled.

Cheesie and I reach Hongkong to fly back to KL and Singapore... Her flight was earlier than mine so with the extra time I went to do my nails, randomly walking into a salon near the hotel.

Very nice!!

Ending with this giant poster of Juicy Couture I saw at the airport. All the girls are so pretty I can't choose my favourite.

Once again THANK YOU PARK HOTEL GROUP for sponsoring such an AWESOME holiday for Cheesie and me!!

LEADERS Insolution 2

2012-09-11T05:48:00.001+08:00

Advertorial

This is my second blog post about LEADERS Insolution's beauty products! The first one is HERE and many of you tried and loved their masks!

What's LEADERS?

The LEADERS Cosmetics Group have owned and operated over 18 professional skin clinics across South Korea since 2001, and it's dermatologist teams researched and developed its professional skin care ranges which are used by many Korean celebrities. More than 10 million masks sold every year in Korea!! That's a crazy amount!!

Today's star products I'm introducing will be loved by many of you because they target very specific problems!!

Problem ONE:

DARK EYE CIRCLES AND EYE WRINKLES!!

Now I must say I am one of the luckiest girls in the world because I don't have dark eye rings nor very severe eyebags, but panda eyes are one of the most heard about complains I get from my friends. They are obstinately difficult to reduce and so much work is needed to conceal them!!

Of course, there is the issue of wrinkles around the eyes too which makes you look tired and haggard. WHY MUST WE GIRLS FACE SO MANY PROBLEMS??

If you are looking for that one heroic eye mask that may solve your eye beauty problems, I would like to suggest the very much acclaimed....

HYDROGEL EYE Therapy Patch

So many accolades, where to start?

Winner of the Cleo Beauty Hall of Fame 2012, owns 2 international patents on its temperature sensitive state-changing soluble hydrogel system, selected as one of the world-100-superb patent products and won 3 most innovative awards!

Not bad, you!

The mask is a 6-in-1 eye therapy!!

- Elasticity care
- Nourishing
- Wrinkle refinement
- Brightening
- Cooling and Soothing
- Moisturizing

Talk about solving all your eye problem areas in just 20 minutes flat!!

Once you open the packet you will see two crescent shaped masks like this

The hydrogel eye therapy patch is actually a transparent jelly, very soft and moist!!

We are always abusing our eyes be it through lack of sleep or staring at electronic screens all day long... Give our eyes (or rather the skin under them) a treat and you will see the grateful results!

As you can see the hydrogel patches are very adhesive and barely visible!! Even though I put the patches on with makeup (for demostration purposes) I can immediately feel relief from the cooling effect... The water soluble hydrogel is already working its magic as it is instantly absorbed into the deep skin layer by skin temperature of 36.5C!

After 20 minutes you can really feel a difference...

Skin is moisturized and QQ... Bouncy and firm!!! And of course your eyes don't look and feel so tired anymore!!

I love it!! Would totally recommend people who do all nighters or have very dry skin around their eyes.

Happy eyes from all the active ingredients and their effects!!

Snail Mucus (new star beauty ingredient!) - Moisturising
Marine Collagen - Enhance skin elasticity
Berry Complex - Antioxidants
Broccoli Extract - Brightening
Green Tea Extracts - Skin Calmness

Problem TWO:

BLACKHEADS!!!

Do you have huge pores that are full of black and whiteheads? They are so gross!! If blackheads or whiteheads are not cleared, they will soon fester and clog up pores, turning into pimples!!

What is your solution?

This?

Not only is it super painful it is harmful to your delicate skin!!

Why not try the Pore Clinic Care?

Two steps to clean pores!

Step 1:

Take a Black Head Clinic sheet!

I know that there are a lot of pore strip brands out there so how this is different?

Traditionally charcoal is used but for the Black Head Clinic Sheet it is Morocco Lava clay!!

Not only does the Morocco Lava Clay clean pores with FOUR times stronger waste adherence than charcoal, it also removes dead skin, effectively cleaning your pores in just 10 minutes. :D

Very simple... Just wet your skin, peel out a sheet, and paste!

Next, be PATIENT!!!

All of us LOVE the guilty pleasure of looking that our blackheads being stuck on the strip but it is essential to wait for the strip to dry before ripping!!

And the strip doesn't just contain Morocco Lava Clay... There is also vegetable ingredients such as tea tree oil, witch hazel, Aloe vera extract etc to calm your skin.

Step 2:

Apply the Pore Tightening Serum!

This serum contains anti-acne complex ingredients and vegetable complex with anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effects to control excessive sebum.

Not only does the Pore Tightening Serum give a cooling effect to your newly evacuated pores, the extract of gallnut also keeps pores tight and clean.

We all want super poreless fine-looking skin!!

Hope I helped today if you have tired eyes with eye circles or a 'strawberry nose'!

Used both products and I love them, hope you do too :D

They are available exclusively at Watsons only at these outlets so take note!!

IMM Building #01-53
United Square #B1-53
Orchard Centerpoint #B1-107/110
Orchard Forum Galleria #B1-20/21
Marina Bay Financial Centre #B2-57/58/59
Telok Ayer Street #208 Telok Ayer Street
City Square Mall #02-42/43
Anchorpoint #B1-23
Sun Plaza #01-32/33/42/43
Beauty World Centre #B1-11/12
West Mall Plaza #02-26/27
Choa Chu Kang Lot 1 #02-07
Yew Tee Point #B1-14/15
Serangoon Garden #NO. 2 Kensington Park Road
Bedok Point #02- 18
Ngee Ann City #B2-06 to 09
Ion Orchard #B4-12
Marina Square #02-212
Raffles City #B1-42
Bugis Junction #02-27 to 33
Vivo City #B2-17
Parkway Parade #B1-14/15/16
Tampines Mall #B1-07/08
Jurong Point #B1-12/13
Compass Point #02-12
Toa Payoh HDB Hub #01-510

From now till 19 September, you can buy any 3 of their highly raved masks and get 1 free!! :D :D :D

And this is not all!!

If you like Korean skincare, I bet you also love Kpop right?

YES YOU CAN STAND A CHANCE TO SEE BIG BANG!!

What are you waiting for??

Ending with a pic of me:

Leaders on facebook

Leaders' website

Quirky Kwerkee

2012-08-24T04:09:00.003+08:00

One new post below this advert! :)

Advertorial

Look what came in the mail!!

I'm gonna open my first box of KWERKEE!!

You are probably wondering what Kwerkee is... Well, everyone knows Reebonz right? I did two adverts for them before, HERE and HERE... Reebonz sells designer bags at very competitive prices and I know loads of girls LOVE them!!

And now there is Kwerkee by Reebonz! If designer bags are not your cup of tea, how about out-of-this-world, unique, and yes, quirky lifestyle items?

Just like Reebonz, Kwerkee is not like any usual online store.

They hold extraordinarily discounted sales of up to 70% off for 2 or 3 days and you have to sign up with their website to get notified so you can participate!

Ok let's open my Kwerkee box because I cannot wait to see what is inside!!

Even Igloo is having fits of excitement!! The items are so cute!!! Let's take them out one by one...

♥ Hello Kitty mimobot ♥

4gb thumbdrive!!

I love how hello kitty is dressed in nerdwear... Perfect for students to bring to school! :D

All of you know I love cutesy stuff but there is a difference between cute and quirky I think, and I am beginning to see quirky's appeal!! The long neck of the kitty is so funny!!

And quirky items often have to be very carefully designed. It isn't easy to make a long necked hello kitty look expensive and authentic!

Pretty and functional!! :D

If hello kitty isn't your cup of tea the mimobot flash drives also come in many other designs... ISN'T C-3PO CUTE?? Mike would like it so much!!

♥ Boiley ♥

A microwave egg boiler?? What is this? Everyone knows eggs cannot be cooked in microwaves as they will explode!!

This is how I will look like if my face is an egg

BOILEY MAKES IT HAPPEN!!

You can now cook eggs in the microwave!!

Amazing or what? Boiley comes with a needle. You have to poke the needle into the egg to let extra pressure escape, and put the egg into Boiley, then pop egg and Boiley into the microwave!!

No need for boiling anymore, no need to wash pots!! Experiment with the timings and you can get the PERFECT soft boiled or hard boiled egg EACH AND EVERYTIME, easy peasy!

And now for the only mysterious item left in the box.....

It is a NOOKA X HELLO KITTY WATCH!!

So cute even Igloo is trying to mark his scent on the box to make it his. Sorry, not gonna give it to you!

Perhaps you have seen Nooka's watches around with their extremely interesting time-telling interface. I imagine that you can have plenty of interesting conversations with people when they ask you for the time and you go like (show watch) "What time do you think it is?"

The answer is 3.53pm... Did you guess it right?

Kooka collaborated with Sanrio to come up with a limited edition piece to launch on Hello Kitty's birthday on 1st Nov 2011.

I love how the design is so simple and pretty with such a pure white and that striking red accent!! If you love hello kitty but you don't want to appear too childish or girly, this watch is just perfect. :D

It can easily match anything you wear too!

I'm loving it on me! :D

Thank you Kwerkee for bringing so much quirky into my life!!

And yes Kwerkee's items come in biodegradable boxes...

Not only that, shipping is FREE for Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Hongkong!!

Here are some more of Kwerkee's merchandise you might be able to get! Click to enlarge!

Although the items chosen by me are sorta girly, there are many Kwerkee items that are unisex or for boys too.

Enticed to join yet? Why not, membership is FREE!!!

Simply go to Kwerkee and sign up!!

AND AND AND THIS!!

Just refer your quirky friends to join and

you can get so many goodies!

Kwerkee on facebook

Kwerkee on Pinterest

Kwerkee on twitter

Kwerkee on instagram: @kwerkee

Get your Daily Design Sauce at up to 70% sale now now now!!

Xiaxue the Cover Girl

2012-08-24T00:52:00.001+08:00

Some of you may have already seen the following pictures because I've been asked to be on the cover of Lifestyle magazine for the National day issue!!

And Lifestyle is actually the largest circulating magazine in Singapore!! *claws face*

Don't know what I did to get so lucky. Actually when I was asked, I didn't even believe it was true until I went for the shoot and like a billion people fussed over me.

Scratch that. Until the magazine ACTUALLY GOT PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED I didn't believe it was true. I kept thinking someone will object to so controversial a figure on the cover... But there you go!! It's become fact now!

ME!!!

OK before I post scanned versions of the rest of interview + photoshoot pictures, I'd like to blog a bit more! Tolerate this please!! Or skip it if you are a rebel, I know I have no power over what you want to read.

I WANT TO THANK PEOPLE!!!

Tommy Wee, Handsome editor extraordinaire: Thank you for the chance, the choice, and the defense, which you guys can read in a bit in his Editor's Note. Understand that your unusual choice in cover figure must have turned a few heads, but hey, if you wanted attention for the magazine, you got it. Controversy is the least I can do for you, LOL. You guys can follow him on twitter here, and girls, don't get too mesmerized.

A picture with the editor

Germaine Lim, Ultra inquisitive wordsmith: Thank you for the in-depth interview, the deep, probing questions, for doing so much research for the article and lastly making it so interesting beyond the typical QnA format. Even I enjoyed reading this because there was so much you wrote that I didn't even know about!! And for your patience in my slow responses to emails!

Gillian, Good friend, Mentor, Sorta Boss: Thanking you a million times won't be enough and I bless the day the doctor saved your life when your burst appendix tried to take it away. Won't be where I am today without you, believing in me 100%, telling me where I can do better (and sometimes video recording it), giving me guidance and always wishing the best for me. For all that you gave selflessly, you add on to my debt by always saying the sweetest things about me to others, including in this article. And I love what you wrote about me here. Getting too mushy... Just... Thanks.

Vernetta, Yi Ying, Frazer - some of my best sponsors: Thank you for all the kind words. I already had the best products and services from you guys and never expected praise for me on an interview afterwards!! Vern - never thanked you enough for the the dream wedding you made possible, even when you broke your foot! Frazer for the beautiful Electrolux products I cannot wait to use at my new home, especially the oven! And Yi Ying for the indulgence... many ZA foundations bestowed upon me that I haven't finished using them till now! It was, and is, a pleasure working with you guys.

The crazy team of photography, hair, makeup and stylists working for my Lifestyle shoot... Thank you for the patience, the glamour, and making my few hours super fun!! And the pictures turned out SO NICE!!! I love them very much!!

With my hairstylist and makeup artist Sean and Shaun!!

Tommy picking the final shots...

You cannot find a more decisive editor!

Done in like 2 minutes.

Ok here are the scanned pages... I don't have a scanner so my mom scanned these for me. The resolution turned out pretty bad. :( But it will have to do.

Credits to Lifestyle Magazine:

Yes, thank you for the faith, impartiality and candour, everybody.

You too Tommy

Bit of a mistake there...
100,000 facebook likes.

Don't like this minus one zero leh!!

Also 92k instagram followers by now!

Love the styling...

After this shoot I actually got inspired to wear more bright colours instead of always pastels!!

(continued 3 pictures down)

This is actually my favourite picture, the one in front of the mirror. It's so chic!!

And I LOVE the timeline of hair colour changes Germaine did!! :D

Plus tips on how to snap a good profile picture

This is obviously my favourite part of the interview... People praising me!!

:')

And my least favourite because it contains my least favourite people's faces.

Thank god Sophie and Qiu are there to balance it out. Actually, I like Peter Coffin too. He gave me international fame!

Some of you asked me where to buy Lifestyle magazine... Short answer... You can't, it is purely based on subscription.

Gillian told me that some readers wrote in to Clicknetwork asking for a copy. A girl even said she looked at newstands all over and didn't manage to find it. So Gillian asked Lifestyle for some copies, and Lifestyle obliged by giving her ten. G replied the reader, who promptly went down to Click's office to collect. She even offered to pay for the magazine!! I don't know who you are, random reader, but thank you for liking me and I like you too!!

Now isn't this story just full of niceness and nice people? So anyway if you desperately want to keep a copy, you can try emailing clicknetwork at gtl@clicknetwork.tv to see if there are still any left. Self collect only!!

If you wish to subscribe to future editions of Lifestyle, here is the form Tommy kindly reproduced for me. Print it out and mail it to them!! There is also a phone number and email address there for more enquiries.

I'm in one of those moods where I feel like I LOVE EVERYONE!!!

CONFETTI AND BLESSINGS FOR ALL!!

Sexy Look Noir

2012-08-17T15:59:00.000+08:00

Advertorial

This is my fourth advertorial for Sexy Look and Love More!! So far I can say that all my readers love their products because all I've heard are good feedback about these two brands!

Personally I love using their masks!

Having good skin is hard work, must remind myself to mask more!

In case you haven't seen my previous adverts, Sexy Look and Love More are famous for their awesome masks!! Their products are wildly popular in Taiwan!

So I've been sent a few more of their new masks the star of today's advert is the...

♥ Sexy Look Intensive Care Black Cotton Mask ♥

What's so special about these masks?

Perhaps you already guessed from the picture? THEY ARE BLACK!!

Unlike most black masks in the market which are colour-dyed, the Sexy Look Black Cotton Mask uses advanced technology to infuse activated carbon into the pure pulp cotton.

The result? A thorough cleansing of your clogged pores with powerful absorbing ability!

All your excess sebum and dirt and impurities are eliminated, leaving your skin glowing with less visible pores!!

We all know carbon is great for cleansing purposes, like carbon pills clean out our stomachs... So I guess it works for our skin too. :D

Not to worry, the mask doesn't only do power cleansing!!

Choose your favourite!

Intensive REPAIRING Black Cotton Mask:

For those of us concerned with aging... Fight against it with European Beech and Obsidian Extract to promote skin mineralization!

Intensive WHITENING Black Cotton Mask:

Want fairer skin? Black bee honey whitens while Black Pearl moisturizes!

Intensive MOISTURIZING Black Cotton Mask:

Vitamin C enriched Blackcurrant boosts nutrient circulation while roserock deeply moisturizes skin. The result is more radiance!

They all sounds so good so which should I pick today??

My skin has been plagued by some zits lately so I've been using loads of whitening products in hopes of reducing scars... So I pick the Intensive Whitening Black Cotton Mask!

I CHOOSE YOU!!

(FYI the reason why I am biting a string of pearls and this mask has pearls around it is because black pearl is one of the special ingredients in the mask. I know, lame camwhore excuse)

Will I look like the girl in the picture in a bit?

And I got kinda a shock when I saw the mask...

IT IS SO BLACK!!

I don't know why I was surprised but I guess I'm so used to seeing white masks... This is the first time ever I've seen a black one!

And it looks a bit like the wet seaweed lol...

Another thing I've noticed? The mask is EXTREMELY SOFT. In fact, I will say that this is the softest mask I've ever used... So soft to the point of being a bit hard to separate for fear that it will break!

You can see how thin it is!! Despite that, it is extremely absorbent... So much juice on it it kept dripping!

Have the mask on now! Tadah!! Look scary not?

(ps: Obviously not supposed to have the mask on with makeup on. This is just for demonstration purposes I've already tried the mask earlier on without makeup.)

I love how the mask almost feels like a second skin because it is so freaking soft... It sticks to every contour of your face!!

Here are some mask tips:

1) to make the mask absorb better you can massage your skin with the mask on.

2) My friend told me she lets her husband use her masks after she is done with them coz after 20 mins of being on your skin the masks are still very moist, so you can just let another person benefit from it!! (if he/she doesn't mind)

3) After finishing with your mask don't throw it away! Scrunch it up and squeeze the rest of the goodness on your arms, hands, even legs if there is excess. It is like serum, don't waste it.

I just need to be blonde again and wear a black tube lol

Conclusion?

I love it!! ♥

Skin feels really dewy and cleaner, plus on top of that I noticed that after using the Black Cotton Mask my face takes a longer time to turn oily. Must be because it is so moisturized. :D

Plus the texture feels so extremely comfortable on my face. With some masks you constantly get air bubbles so you keep having to press them down but with this one it is completely snug on your skin!

Can't get enough masks?

Love More also has 4 new masks for you to choose from!!

All improved formulas!

Mediterranean Pomegranate: Lifting and Whitening

South Pacific Gold Pearl: Amazing White

French Caviar: Anti-wrinkle and Firming

Perhaps you noticed the most interesting one of all:

YES FOR REAL, SNAILS.

This mask has snail mucin (nice name for their slime actually) in it! Snail mucin is the new darling in Korean Skincare, with Snail creams simply flying off the shelves!! Yes it may sound a little gross but we have fish scales in our lipsticks and we can eat Hashima (xue ge) which is the uterine tubes of frogs just for beauty... So really this is nothing is it? LOL

Here's an extract I found about snail mucin:

Snails never have skin infections, they can squirm across the the most razor sharp of knives and not pierce their skin.

It is the secretion produced inside their cells that affords them the ability to protect their skin from environmental dangers. It is the same serum that gives humans the opportunity to clear acne, rosacea, and stretch marks, among other skin afflictions.

NOW I WANNA BUY MORE SNAIL MUCIN PRODUCTS!!!

I want super good skin!!

Want to get your own Sexy Look and Love More masks??

They are available at Watsons as well as online at

http://secretive.sg

If you buy from Secretive.sg, remember to mention "xiaxue" during your checkout to receive a free cosmetic pouch worth $20 + a Elishacoy Skinny Mineral Pack worth $55 with a minimum purchase of $20!

While stocks last so HURRY!!

http://fb.com/secretive.sg

http://fb.com/SexyLook.sg

http://fb.com/LoveMore.sg

Bridesmaids

2012-08-14T03:45:00.002+08:00

I think a lot of brides-to-be and bridesmaids-to-be are gonna be appreciative of this blog entry because I'm gonna be writing about

1) How to pick your bridesmaids

and

2) How to be a good bridesmaid!

I've been a bridesmaid 3 times now. Once for my cousin, once for my childhood friend Xiao Feng, and once for Audrey.

Here I am yelling at the best men to give us money before they can fetch the bride

Although I've only had my ROM solemnization which had no bridesmaids involved, I've once been a bride and I know the importance of bridesmaids in a wedding.

First, for people who have no idea, what do bridesmaids do and what is their role in a wedding?

A bride will usually pick 1 Maid of honour and about 4 to 8 bridesmaids. The number can vary of course.

During a traditional Chinese wedding, the Maid of Honour will be in charge of taking care of everything for the bride including holding her train.

All of the bridesmaids including the Maid of Honour have to do certain activities including - Organizing a hen's night party, trying and sometimes buying a bridesmaids dress before the wedding, being wedding receptionists, and organizing the gate crashing games to "torture" the best men.

Other things are optional such as walking down the aisle with the bride, going with the bride for gown fitting etc.

HOW TO PICK YOUR BRIDESMAIDS

Most people only get married once so they don't have the experience to wisen up when picking bridesmaids. Most of us just think we should pick every single close female friend we have, which is seriously... a huge mistake.

Of course nobody envisions themselves to turn into a bridezilla on their wedding day, but unfortunately, unless you are really weird or really lucky, you most likely will be.

Everything that can possibly turn out wrong will. Your caterer would have forgotten the vegetarian food for your boss. Your florist turns up with the wrong flowers. Your brother went drinking the night before and is MIA. ETC ETC ETC.

All these contingencies happen and the last thing you need is girl drama.

When you think bridesmaid - think of it as hiring a helper, not someone who will make your life more difficult for you. Think of it as getting a good... well... slave for the day.

Here's who NOT to pick. Consider this fair warning.

1) DO NOT PICK THE DRAMA QUEEN

Never ever ever. Biggest mistake. Do not pick someone who simply cannot stand someone else being the center of attention for even 1 second. Have you ever seen a girl who keeps steering the conversation back to herself during a group chat?

"Hey have you guys seen Batman?"
"Yeah it is good... But did you know I pierced my ears? Let's talk about me and my feelings."

DO NOT PICK HER. Especially if she is not married or engaged, or worse, single. The entire time she will keep harping on how she is envious of you and talk about the nasty men in her life.

The last thing you want is to keep hearing how horrible men are and marriage is a scam. Or how sad and forever alone she is.

You know what drama queen does when the attention is not on her? That's right, she creates drama. Once she finds life boring, she creates bad situations so people pay attention to her.

She will make your wedding day about HER.

It will always be about her and her self-created issues. If you dare get angry with her for screaming and crying on your wedding day, she will say "How can you be so selfish? Do you know I fought with my boyfriend and we almost broke up?" ROLLS EYES

Not all drama queens are bad. I'm an attention whore yes but I've been married before so I know how it feels like to have attention seekers ruin a wedding so I don't want to do that to others.

It shouldn't be hard to sieve out the horrible ones... Think back of your previous birthday parties... did your attention seeking friend try to steal your thunder? Answer is yes, ditch her.

2) DO NOT PICK THE WET BLANKET

There are girls who are excited about weddings, and there are girls who aren't. Those who think that weddings are a waste of time will keep acting like she is doing you a huge favour by being your bridesmaid.

A true friend will be happy for you and work hard to make your special day special for you, even if she doesn't enjoy all the bridesmaid duties.

Pick the excited, enthusiastic girl.

Do not pick the one who sighs when you ask her to do the littlest thing. I've literally seen bridesmaids who refuse to help at all, and even worse, create problems for the bride by refusing to wear the dress the bride picks (she hates all colours probably), or whining about how early she has to wake up for the gate crashing.

All you need is ONE wet blanket to make your wedding seem like a chore.

No, it is something FUN. And if she cannot understand how by being sweet and hardworking for your wedding you will do the same for her... DITCH HER.

3) DO NOT PICK THE FLAKY

This should go without saying... If your girlfriend constantly goes missing, does not pick up her calls, bails on meeting you for the most absurd reasons... Don't pick her.

You can be sure she will bail on your wedding day too, probably she decided to stay another week in Tibet or her distant relative died (they are always dying).

Either that or she turns up extremely late or forgot to do something important you asked her to do. Don't risk it! Just pick responsible people!

It may seem like with all these criteria you will have nobody else to pick. But actually a lot of times drama queens are also flaky and are wet blankets about stuff that aren't centered around them lol.

Who to pick then?

Pick helpful, enthusiastic girls. Girls who are patient, understanding, and don't mind being in the background for a day.

Pick people whom you can trust to do stuff for you, who do it right and do it well. There will be loads of stuff you need to delegate that day! Of your entourage try to get at least 1 bridesmaid with experience (either was a bridesmaid or was married).

Sometimes it is hard to pick someone in your clique who is helpful and nice and leave out the drama queen because the drama queen will be offended. If you find it very hard to talk to her to ensure she doesn't create problems for you on your wedding day, then just find some sort of excuse like your fortune teller says her ba zhi clashes with yours.

Or that you can only have a certain amount of bridesmaids and you picked straws and she didn't get picked. Or just show her this blog entry lol. You can go ahead and risk it of course, but you will most likely regret it!

Now for the second part...

HOW TO BE A GOOD BRIDESMAID

DO:

- Be extra alert and keep your eyes open for when the bride needs help and go help her
- Smile and look happy
- Put in effort when organizing the hen's night or gate crashing
- Look pretty without overshadowing the bride
- Accompany the bride throughout the whole day even though you are bored or tired.

DON'T:

- Turn up late. Big no no!
- Talk about yourself or your problems. So your dog died or you found out you are pregnant. Save it for another day.
- Be fussy about your bridesmaid dress
- Flirt with the groom
- I'm just adding nonsense to my very short list now.

Just as a disclaimer - I wouldn't say I was the best bridesmaid for my friends' and cousin's weddings but I think I got a little better with experience and I tried harder each time. Sometimes I cannot help it, like I think I whined a little too much during Audrey's hen's night coz KL bars are so completely filled with smoke. Tried to tolerate it and normally I can't stand being around cigarette smoke for even 1 minute so I have to say after 3 hours it wore me down. Oops!! Sorry Aud!!

OK that's it for this entry!

I know a lot of you girls who grew up with me reading my blog are of marriageable age now. Just thinking about this makes me feel so touched and happy!! Hope this blog post made your wedding a bit more enjoyable and I hope everyone has a happy, long lasting marriage!! ♥

Instafiller

2012-08-04T05:25:00.000+08:00

I've been so super busy lately!! Everyday is jam-packed with activities!

In case you don't follow me on twitter or liked my facebook page (grrr) I've just got back from KL and Penang for Nuffnang's blogopolis and for Audrey and Tim's wedding! Rushed back so I can meet Michelle Phan. Then I'm doing intensive car lessons now so that I can take my practical test on August 11th wtf. So I haven't had much time for blogging!!

But I did make an effort to snap more Outfit of the Day (aka OOTD) photos nowadays before I leave the house! I never used to have that habit, I guess mostly because the sunlight in my old room wasn't optimal and I was fat. LOL

So here are some of the pics I stole from my own instagram to patronise you. ~~I apologize if you have seen them.~~ I apologize for nothing, they are so nice they are worth looking at twice.

Literally wore this today... New H&M loot from my shopping yesterday! Top and bag and iphone case H&M. Shorts Mango. Bracelet F21.

Such a good deal for the case... $7.90 only and it's a beautiful mint green and bejewelled all over. Love it. Necklace and giant sunnies from Bugis Street.

I've been so into neon!!!

Skirt H&M, hair flowers H&M, neon pink jelly case Juicy Couture on sale at $25. I also bought the neon yellow version!!!

That day's makeup

Wore this ensemble to meet Michelle... And I'm standing in front of my new Princess Room's wallpaper!! SOON renovations will be done omg!!!!

Working overalls with a floral top! Both from F21. The funny pose is because I wanted to show off my topshop floral anklet. HOW CUTE IS IT??

That day's makeup

Shared my OOTD this special day with 7 other girls for Audrey's wedding...

Our Mary Julian bridesmaids dress!! Will blog more about the wedding soon I hope, although I really didn't snap much pictures. I was rushing around doing bridesmaids duties!

To answer questions to why I'm not in pink... Pink was obviously the most coveted colour and I think most of the girls didn't wanna pick it first (Asians must act like they are shy) even though Audrey told us to choose the colour we wanted. I just requested for no reds coz it will clash badly with my hair and Aud picked turquoise for me. Ended up looking good I think, pink hair with pink top is a bit too matchy matchy!

Our nude shoes that day!! Which do you like the best?

Don't know if you guys are patronising me but apparently when I asked this on facebook most said mine. *shy*

I love this pair of nude chiffon ribbon wedges too!! It cost me about $120 in Osaka :(

All the shoes there were so expensive but Japanese shoes are ALWAYS so comfortable with a cushion lining so I bought it. The brand is Baby Pure.

Personally I'm mad in love with Angela's shoes, the one with the hard ribbon. I asked her if they are expensive because they LOOK expensive (look how the heel is special from the previous pic). She just laughed it off. Later I saw it was Prada wtf.

So if your first choice is the hard ribbon pair, you know you have expensive taste. LOL

NOT THAT MINE IS CHEAP GODDAMN IT STUPID EXPENSIVE JAPANESE SHOES

Yutaki snapping pics for me in the Juicy fitting room. Hi-low skirt from Cotton on...

The hi-low trend went as fast as it came but I don't care I still like hi-low skirts because of the dramatic way they billow out behind you as you walk. Nothing really compares except a cape I think. LOL

$2 cotton on tee. Topshop shorts. Flowers from Diva.

So my OOTD is my own face. Clicknetwork will be selling these limited edition Guide to Life tees!!

Tropical flower print shorts from Topshop...

And that day's makeup

Adidas top (I don't know what got into me that made me buy this, not my style at all), Mphosis lilac shorts and a $18 lilac inspired Balenciaga bag from Bugis!!

Dotted zits with eyeliner to pretend they are moles.

Another $2 top from Cotton on. Ridiculous sale!!

Fishtail braiding

For the haters

Filmed a hair tutorial... I will be teaching y'all how to do this hairstyle!!!

Neon skull top H&M boys

Flight getup. Jacket F21, floral jeans H&M. I SAW THEM ON SALE YESTERDAY FML

Dress H&M necklace Diva

Cape top Bugis Village

Top F21 kids, shorts Bugis Village

Ok that's it for the self-absorbedness. It is kinda cool to see myself in so many outfits lol.

After I posted these photos on facebook a lot of people started asking me why my head is so big.

EXCUSE ME WHAT SORT OF DUMB QUESTION IS THAT?

It is big because it is big lah idiot!

Yes I have a big head but it did not suddenly expand because I lost weight! I just have a very petite frame and narrow shoulders ok! And I never used to take full body shots so I guess people never noticed?

Anyway it is not like I can get head shrinkage surgery so stop harping on it!!

Mike likes my big head ok he says I look like a lollipop and he is amazed I can even balance hahahha.

AND MY HEAD HAS TO BE THIS SIZE TO ACCOMMODATE MY LARGE BRAIN.

DEAL WITH MY BIG HEAD!!! Embrace it and love it. LOL

Speaking of big heads...

FREAKING IGLOO

IS DAMN ACT CUTE...

Eating a rose. THOSE FREAKING CHEEKS I CAN'T EVEN.

No these photos have no edit except a filter!

I love it when he sleeps on his side right next to my foot. ♥

Stretchingggggg

Sophie X igloo. BTW Sophie asked me to blur her out with instagram, I didn't do it because I hate her.

This is my freaking ABSOLUTE favourite picture of Igloo!!!

The guys were hanging out at my place and I put a hair scrunchie on Igloo just for fun. It is very loose around his neck don't worry...

His grumpy like hell face + the scrunchie + the paws + the fuzzy head + the eyelashes + the freaking yoda ears + the bushy tail + 1 visible ball sack... SERIOUSLY I CAN'T DEAL WITH HOW CUTE THIS PHOTO IS.

Flat out asleep. #punny

Eyelashes

My caption for this was: "Please help! My mommy won't stop snuggling me!" ♥

Sometimes I still cannot believe how adorable he is or that he belongs to me and loves me so much that he follows me everywhere. He makes me so so so happy!!!

Will try to update again soon!!

p/s: I think comments are still fucked. Lionel is fixing it.

p/p/s: All pictures are taken by the iphone and edited with the iphone!