Sunday, January 3, 2010

Choose Happiness

2010. It's gonna be good year. I feel it. Bye bye, turbulent 2009. I had enough of sadness. This year, it will be Choose Happiness year! Just watch me, I'm gonna have fun, embrace happiness, reach the pinnacle of life!

I choose happiness.

Watched (500) Days of Summer this afternoon. It was highly recommended by a friend. And I say the same to you now. Watch it! It's good, it's surprisingly good! I didn't quite know what to expect from the movie when I watched it. But it struck a chord with me -- in so many scenes in the movie! The uncertainty in love, the blind belief in fate, the unsuspecting turn of events, the pains and despair life brings. I love love love this movie!
Summer: I woke up one morning and I just knew.
Tom: Knew what?
Summer: What I was never sure of with you.
This is my favourite scene in the movie. I woke up the other day, and I knew. I knew I was done with the dark period of my life. I'm choosing happiness. Now.


p.s. Believe me when I say I woke up hearing birds chirping and butterflies fluttering around make-believe daisies in my mind that morning! It's good to wake up happy, everyday.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Hopelessly Hopeful

I found a carefully laminated note on which I had printed some beautiful words many years ago. There is just something so hopelessly hopeful, or hopefully hopeless about this note. It struck a chord within me many years when I first read it. Yesterday, a decade later, the slightly-yellowish note still make me cry a little when I read it.

I never knew the title of this note. I couldn't find one when I google it (there was a grand total of 4 results when I searched!). I name it, Hopelessly Hopeful.

And this note is for myself. I need it. I need to know... that it is okay. I will be okay.

You say that your sky has been changing lately.
That you're tired and broken.
That the answers you thought you'd found don't seem to work anymore.

We've been down these sad roads a hundred times before,
sat quietly on lonely hillsides,
cried with forgotten songs on the radio.

Always it was our belief in other days that got us through.

I remember planting dreams with you,
chasing wishes and watching flowers.
But what I remember best is how you always made me laugh,
even when the world around us was falling apart.

All these years walking the solitary paths where I
found and lost myself a thousand times,
I never felt alone because you were in my memory.
You were there.
And I will always stand by you.

Go outside now
and walk away.
Find one of these roads again somewhere,
in the quiet shade of gentle trees.
Take this note and hug your shadow
and love yourself
and remember these things:

There is nothing in the world worth giving up
what you've already achieved.
You will always be a fighter and a dreamer.
Now more than ever,
you've got to look deep within your heart and
believe.

Monday, November 23, 2009

45 Life Lessons

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.

“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written.”

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Choo Shoe

The days of our lives shall henceforth be defined by the days before Jimmy Choo for H&M collection was launched, and the days after.

Adding more sChoo to my original Choo shoe collection, I didn't mind that these were highend styles at highstreet price. I am even willing to even squeeze my size 7 feet into those delicious blood-red heels which are actually one size too small for me. I had to heartlessly reject a girl's desperate plea and tears for me to give up my heels to her. I almost could overlook the fact that these Choos were Made In China, not Italy. I did battle a mob of 300 shoe-intoxicated women to land my hands on whatever was left on the shelf two minutes after launch time. I do genuinely feel powerful and sexy in these sky-high heels.

"The little blue box" shall not be exclusive to Tiffany&Co anymore. Gimme some Jimmy Choo blue boxes too!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Of Abaya And Niqab

I came across this funny picture when I was surfing the internet. It was posted on this Muslim girl's blog about abaya fashion -- yes, she advises on how to bling-ified the black cloth or accessorise the overall look! She gives very interesting and useful tips for abaya-cloaked ladies. I actually enjoyed her blog reading very much.

I have always wondered how the ladies wearing niqab distinguish one friend from another. Is it just by the different abayas they are wearing? Or eye makeup (which I promise you, the Arab ladies does the best eye makeup in the world)? I've asked this question many times to many Arab friends but never got a satisfying answer. Usually the answer is "you just know". As for me, I only try to differentiate them by their abaya's blings or their handbags. So far it works... but once. I approached the wrong abaya-cloaked lady and spoke to her for several minutes before realising she was not the right person I was looking for. Blimey!

Did I mention I especially love the metal face veil of the traditional Emirati women? I find the metal piece very alluring and emphasises her big black eyes. The professing of my like for the metal face veil is often met with strong reactions from my friends. Same queer looks I get when I tell them how much I adore the Arabic oud perfume! Ah, I'm really made to live in this part of the world! (That'll be another blog entry on its own another day.)

Monday, November 16, 2009

Four Fabulous Years

I know, I know. I haven't been blogging in a long while and I oughtta have a fabulous entry to make up for the the break. But I've just been swamped with... life! And today actually marks the 4th year anniversary since I arrived and lived my life as an expatriate overseas! 4 good years since I flew away from the safe harbour of home. 1461 Arabian nights spent in this foreign land I now call home. The best years of my life too. I will always treasure these days more than any others in my life!

How did I dare leave home for a foreign job, foreign land, foreign lifestyle at a young, brash age of 24? (Yes, you calculated correctly. That'll make me 28 now.) How did I know the world outside was not too tough for my soul and spirit? How did I decide that my appetite for Life is bigger than my fear of being trapped in the pseudo-perfect safe haven back home? I did not know. I did not know that the world could break my spirit; but I'll survive. I did not know my brash decision to leave my home country would teach me this much, enrich my life this much. I did not know many things as a young, fresh-from-university, over-protected, pampered girl from a land far away from this one now. But I leaped. I just decided to take the leap of faith, and went ahead.

It is a decision I will never regret. I've seen many folks come and go in this place -- some endured, some didn't. I've learnt what it takes to survive overseas: tough spirit, open mind, love for life and joy at work. Life, especially life away from home can be harsh. So if life throws me lemons, just made lemonade! Toughen up, and keep moving on! That's how I survive, learn, and grow up over these years.

I would enjoy spending another 4 years in this temporary home. I would even miss watching the progress of this land as its most historical moments are yet to unfold. I love my life and friends made along the way here. After travelling 5 continents, collecting uncountable stamps in my passport, sleeping in the 5-stars hotels in 3rd world countries, but also experiencing 3rd world foolishness in 1st world countries, a hard disk full of pictures of the old and new Wonders of The World, right now the time is right for me to go home. I feel it, I know it.

It has been a good run.

Cheers!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Halo

I love sitting at my desk in my aparment in the late afternoon. The sunlight reflects itself off the building opposite mine, beating the ray of halo and heavenliness into my room. I love stretching out my hand and trying to catch the sun beams, or just letting the ray of afternoon sun cut through my fingers. Or sometimes just closing my eyes and bask in the halo of warmth and glow.

Just another quiet afternoon which I can reflect and give thanks. Just me, my thoughts, and the reflection of the ever-burning sun. Beyoncé's Halo was playing on my iTunes. What an apt song for all that I have been feeling.

This is the moment I love most everyday.

Halo (by Beyoncé)

Remember those walls I built
Well baby they're tumbling down
And they didn't even put up a fight
They didn't even make a sound

I found a way to let you in
But I never really had a doubt
Standing in the light of your halo
I got my angel now

It's like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
It's the risk that I'm takin'
I ain't never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace

You're everything I need and more
It's written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won't fade away

I can feel your halo (halo) halo
I can see your halo (halo) halo
I can feel your halo (halo) halo
I can see your halo (halo) halo

Hit me like a ray of sun
Burning through my darkest night
You're the only one that I want
Think I'm addicted to your light

I swore I'd never fall again
But this don't even feel like falling
Gravity can't forget
To pull me to the ground again

Feels like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
The risk that I'm takin'
I'm never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace

You're everything I need and more
It's written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won't fade away

I can feel your halo (halo) halo
I can see your halo (halo) halo
I can feel your halo (halo) halo
I can see your halo (halo) halo
I can feel your halo (halo) halo
I can feel your halo (halo) halo
I can feel your halo (halo) halo
I can see your halo (halo) halo
I can see your halo (halo)

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

How To Look Fabulous In Ten Minutes

My friends were in their car when they phoned me -- the me which was still in bed, napping. They told me they were on their way over to pick me up to go for a drink. "How long before you reach?" I asked. Ten minutes, they said.

Ten freaking minutes?! Like 600 seconds? To get ready and look fabulous for a night out at the pub where drop-dead gorgeous men potentially hang out? I could either wear the first drab I reach in the wardrobe, go plain-faced, pull hair back into a convenient ponytail, and wished there would be no McConaughey-lookalikes at the bar that night, or I could use the ten minutes to make a fabulous looker out of myself! Well, you know what they say about Murphy's Law, when you least expect it, it will happen. I can't look like a wreck when the Pitts and McConaugheys appear in my life!

So, ten minutes. First thing first, take ten seconds to breathe. Really, this is essential. After emptying your mind of the bucket of nerves, start recalling the most flattering emergency clothes you've bought lately. You know, those clothes which you wear on your fat-days -- and still look fab! Now, get out of bed, pull those clothes out and remind yourself how gorgeous they'll look on you soon.

Next, wash your face. Then your regular toning and moisturising. While waiting for the moisturiser to be absorbed fully into your face, change your clothes. By now you should have some six minutes left.

Foundation is the essential part of this makeup routine since you will have minimal makeup, so you need the foundation to even out any dark circles, cover eyebrow's new growth, or just patch up your facial tones. Always wait for the foundation to be absorbed by the skin before applying loose powder. So while waiting, let's waste no time and start fixing the hair. I had the option of keeping it loose but that meant I had to blow it straight. So I decided to keep it in a loose bun on one side instead. A stylish I-just-pull-the-look-together chic-ness!

Four minutes.
Concealer.
Then grab a few chunky accessories to spice up your outfit. Throw them into the bag you intend to carry. Haven't decide which bag yet? Start thinking now. Leave the accessories on the bed first. Do not wear them now.

Three minutes and a half.
Loose powder. Blusher
Then eye liner.
I really do not think one will have time for mascara. I did not. So I needed to draw my eye liner thicker and with more definition. This will dramatise the eyes without the need of a mascara.

One minutes.
Choose your handbag. Throw the accessories in it.
Choose your shoes. One change is allowed. Afterall, shoes really do make or break an outfit! So let's cut us some slack here.

Half a minute.
Throw lip gloss into handbag.
Spritz on some of your best feel-good fragrance!
Take a look at the fabulous you in the mirror. And remind yourself "Damn I look good!"

Ten seconds.
Get out of your apartment and put on your accessories and lip gloss in the lift.

Walk glamorously (and calmly, the last thing you need is breaking out a sweat!) to your pick up point. Yes, it's okay to be a little late. That's hardly close to being fashionably late.
Now air-kissed your friends and compliment on how fabulous everyone looked. Because you know you do too! All in ten minutes' effort!

Be fabulous, girlfriends! Be fabulous, always.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Cougarism

There I said it.

Indeed, cougarism is the word these days. Older women with younger men, there's just a shady excitement to it like eating a forbidden fruit, an unspoken naughtiness that such combination exudes, an illicit discovery we crave to learn more about!

Yes, Demi Moore has done it. So has Madonna. And Mariah Carey. And Jennifer Aniston, and Drew Barrymore, and Kim Cattrall, Cher, Elizabeth Taylor, etc. Cougar is an urban term given to a woman who pursues much younger men. Wikipedia goes as far as specifying a cougar as a woman who sexually pursues men who are at least eight years her junior. Wow, strong words. But what used to be a social taboo and since been glorified by Hollywood -- well then again, doesn't everything get popularised this way these days? Yesteryear's restrains have since turned into victorious conquests and for some women! Hallelujah!

I definitely see this cougar trend growing among my friends. There's always a certain inner-circle cheeky smile that lights up their faces when I get them to talk about their relationship with their younger men. It's hard to pinpoint what it really is but it's like they know something we don't. As if one has to be initiated into the Cougar Club before she can learn the secret thrill of such relationship. It's intriguing, it's alluring, it's tempestuous! Here are a few things they've shared about their cougar relationship.

1) Eager to please
Younger men are eager to please their older girlfriends. They show more attention to the women. Whatever the younger men lack in financial sense, they make up for it by showering the women with special sweet surprises and aplenty attention to their every detail in life. I have to agree with this because older men then to believe they can buy their way into the women's world. And that whatever we need, they can satisfy by buying for us. Well, sometimes what women really need is just attention. Undivided attention from their all-so-important career, or golf/poker nights/beers. With younger men, their older girlfriends are always their priority in life. And most of the time, that's all a girl needs.

2) More respectful
Like shadow that comes with light, older men have inflated egos that comes their age and knowledge. With younger men, they acknowledge that their older girlfriends may be more worldly and thus tend to be more respectful to their opinions, ideas and perspectives. Younger men look up to older women, and shower them with the respect they deserve! For women, it's tiring, not to mention boring, dealing with older pompous men all the time. R.E.S.P.E.C.T, guys. You'll win if you can do that more.

3) Younger, Hotter, please
Like this t-shirt that says "Go for younger men. You might as well. They never mature anyway." That's right! Like men who always prefer younger, hotter girls, women also prefer young hot bods over saggy belly and balding head too. Younger men dresses well, put in effort with their hair, hygiene, skincare, lifestyle, etc. Older men unfortunately mistakenly think that tough and rough is sexy. And that unshaven and unkempt reveals their manliness. I'm just gonna say it once: NO, IT IS NOT. Gimme a metrosexual guy, I'll show you what is sexy.

4) I already have a father
I don't need another father figure in my life, thankyouverymuch. There is a difference between feeling secure with a man and feeling paternal with a man. We are confident, accomplished women who knows what we want in life. We don't need our older boyfriends to judge us, set rules for our lives, or restrict my lifestyle. Pussycat Dolls's song Hush Hush says it well:

I never needed you for pointing out my wrongs

I never needed you for judgment
I never needed you to question what I spend
I never ask for help
I take care of myself

I never needed your corrections
On everything from how I act to what I say


Why is that that only older men judge their girlfriends on who they hang out with, what time they should get home, how they should do things, what they wear, etc? I have a friend who openly declares his preference for older women. He was over at my place before we went clubbing the other day when I asked him for opinion on my ultra short dress. He said that there is no such thing as a dress that's too short. Or a cleavage that's too much. Bless him! Younger men really do know how to make a woman feel more beautiful!

5) Younger men makes women feel young
I still like clubbing, extreme sports, spontaneous travel, dancing in the rain, staying up all night, etc. Every now and then, I like to wreck some havoc. But older men are just too conservative, too proper, and most of all, too tired. Yes, they've been there, done that -- last decade. But I haven't! Why don't you have some fun with me too? In that aspect, younger men live life on the edge, seek fun in everything they do, and love with everything they have. And that is why women feel younger when they hang out with their younger boyfriends! Feel young, look young! Now beat that, SKII!

6) Less baggage
The last thing I need is to be a step-mom. Or dealing with a psychotic ex-girlfriend. Or those so-cliched emotional baggage. It's hard enough being a women. Let me be the only one in your life. Older men are often too jaded, too hard-heartened, too unwilling to love totally again. Well, girls, stop wasting time with such men. Find a fresh young thing and be the one that breaks his heart if you have to. But chances are you'll be in for treat for being his first love!

7) Sexually Compatible
A man's sexual peak is in his 20s and a woman in her 30s. This cougar-match will ensure equal bedroom desires. Also younger men are eager to show their older girlfriends they know what they are doing in bed. So they are eager to satisfy their women. Finally a man who puts our desires before theirs! God bless our younger men!

8) Stamina
Need I say more? 'nuff said. Yum!

I am neither advocating cougarism, or discouraging it. I applaud my cougar girlfriends, and totally respect my guy friends who prefers MLIF.

Hello, Zac Efron! Hello, Chace Crawford. How do you not be a cougar with these hot young bods perfect with those puppy eyes tempting you?

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Miss Say Reviews: Skincare Stuff


These are the stuff I bought recently. Spending way too much! Okay, they are "investments", as some girls put it.

Shu Uemura's Cleansing Oil has been much raved about everywhere. They really do remove every trace of make up as oil is the only product that can remove the toughest of mascara. Every bit of my foundation dissolved into the oil too. I love watching the oil emulsify into a milky solution when water is added to the oil. It's like science lab experiment everyday when I clean my face! I do however have two reservation about this. Firstly, I can't get the cleansing oil to spread around my eye properly. Either I get the oil into my eye resulting in blurry vision, or I'm left with residual eyeliner or mascara on the inner eye. Still finding my way around this product -- I've only started using this one week ago. So far, it is as good as the reviews raved everywhere. Get it.

Biotherm Aquasource Non-Stop Moisturiser. This product came highly recommended to me by many flight attendant friends who swear by it. Trust me, nobody knows better about moisturiser than flight attendants. The aircraft cabin air is so dry and the flight attendants have to wear full make-up for as long as some 16 hours at a go. They really do know how to pick a good moisturiser. I have been using Biotherm Aquasource for the last four years and I have no complaints at all. It is super light texture, easily absorbed, and best of all very very hydrating. Imagine this: 5000litres of enriched water in each jar. I literally feels my skin "drinking" up the moisture every time I splatter on this moisturiser. Because it is so light on my skin, using it under make-up ensures a matte face all day. My skin is constantly hydrated and refreshed. I can't emphasise enough how great this product is. Go get it! Pronto!

Kielh's Acne Blemish Control Treatment Gel. I've never used Kielh's product until recently. I had a minor zit outbreak so I thought I'd try this product. It is formulated with a powerful blend of blemish-fighting acids known to minimize the appearance of acne and blemishes. Well, frankly I think it works little to reduce the blemishes once they've already appeared. But perhaps it would be good as a preventive measure. Slight tingling feeling when I use it all over my face. I'd say this is not a must-buy.

No 7 Protect & Perfect Eye Serum. Works just like any other eye cream. Nothing spectacular. I'll stick to my SKII Advanced Eye Treatment Film. The ergonomics of the bottle is not well-designed either. Gotta stick your finger into a small hole to dig out the cream. I'm not liking it. Pass up this one, girls.

Dior Snow Sublissime Whitening Liquid Foundation. I have never been a fan of any whitening product so I was a little hesitant about getting this. Since my Lancome liquid foundation is running out soon, and Dior came highly recommended by some friends, I decided to try it out. The texture of this liquid foundation is thicker than expected -- just a little thinner than a gel or mousse. Because it is quite thick in texture, a very tiny pump of foundation is enough for my whole face. The thick texture does take a little getting use to but you'll find the smooth and brightening effect this foundation brings is enough to compensate for any negativity. My face appears more brilliant and tones the face shade evenly. I simply love how my face appears brighter after using this foundation! This is perhaps the "whitening" effect, and not a paler shade as expected of whitening products. Great buy.

That's all for my recent purchases. Go get 'em.