choices & paths

i've tried my very best but it ended all too soon. yup the impact was hard to take and i might need some time recovering. Y advanced a step further but news, bad news about the interview came to my ears and she said  the situation wasn't optimistic. it's another round of waiting again. we've still got another shot at another application and results aren't gonna be out until the end of this month.

***

I thought a real long hard period of time when i received the rejection email.

I didn't know what was missing in my submission. Alright, Y and I approached it differently. but she got a headache after writing that piece, most probably because it wasn't her style of expressing ideas.

Well i did it my way. and yoohoos the panel didn't take a fancy to it. i just thought that they could accept the genuine me. oh well, maybe everyone likes to play it safe. so when am i going to even get a chance to perform?

is there really a need to throw away who i really am to be recognised?
why would you need me if anyone, or should i say no particular someone is what you're looking for?
why does this world like replicas?

and boy i can't blend in for goodness sake, it's like some chronic obsession i'm born with!
i know i sound like i have an identity crisis at this moment, but holy cow of lord (where did this even come from?!), how am i going to get anywhere if no one gives me a chance?

i seek different choices along my path but i need someone to answer my knocks on the door. i knock differently but why are you frightful before you even get the chance to see me?

i am tired. so tired that doors are shutting down on me everywhere and i can't see where else i can go now.

it's still sad everytime. after trying so hard but i still don't get anywhere. and people who don't even give 10% of my efforts just become richer and happier.

it doesn't help when you don't have understanding parents who you can totally trust.

sometimes i really feel myself breaking apart from the inside out and my heart feels like an epic earthquake which will raze me down into a wrecked land.

i have been hopefully waiting for something good to happen on me but i have no idea how long i can persist. i mean, i will keep trying but it's agonizing and heartbreaking.

till then.

Review: St.Ives Energising Citrus Body Wash

Scent φ φ φ φ φ

Texture φ φ φ φ φ

Effect φ φ φ φ φ

Overall φ φ φ φ φ

Well well, this is surely a loveable product!

St.Ives Energising Citrus Body Wash has a gel-like consistency, which is transparent with a green tint. Smells great and refreshing, just like its name! the citrus smell isn't overpowering or cheap or fake. You know some merchandise which boasts citrus scents actually smells like mama lemon dishwashing liquid or cheap toilet fragrance right?

Not this one though.

Despite the gel texture, it actually lathers very well and produces small bubbles. it does remove grit and oil away from the skin and leaves your skin feeling refreshed and clean. and that feeling will stay for quite sometime.

On a side note, my mom told me this body wash is niceeeee. we share the bathroom so she has access to it as well. oh wells, just saying. haha.

Gotta love this baby.

i will check out their other body washes as well, till then!

Review: i love strawberries & milkshake

Scent φ φ φ φ φ

Texture φ φ φ φ φ

Effect φ φ φ φ φ

Overall φ φ φ φ φ

the back view of this scrub.

so what about this body scrub?
Let's start from the obvious. The smell is sweet, like a strawberry milkshake but maybe more on the artificial side. Like those food with strawberry sauce/syrup. But it isn't annoying. the pleasantness does dissipates over time as you work this scrub all over your body in the shower.

the pinky content has little specks of brown inside. i presume it's the almond shells after poring through the ingredient list. it lathers a little as you massage it but the thing is, after rinsing it off and coming out of the bathroom, my skin feels dry and i'm like a cell heading to crenation. it's not a great feeling, i had to use lotion to put off that effect.

i have oily skin on both my skin and body. so if this scrub makes my skin dry, it really dries skin. don't ever buy this tube, dry-skin-folks. i repeat, EVER.

You'll regret.

in the meantime, i shall use it on and off and slather my body lotion all over me as soon as i emerge from the shower.

St. Ives Ambassador

It's the greatest pleasure to be part of the first ever batch of St. Ives Singapore ambassadors!

After accepting numerous entries from girls talking about their most beloved St.Ives product on Facebook, they selected 15 people to be part of their party this 2013. and it's my honour to be part of this group.

***

So St.Ives had their first event for the ambassadors on the Saturday and Sunday that just left us, it was a Yogafly lesson. and oh boy, did i enjoy it!

Maybe you've heard of yoga but this is something that sets it apart from your floormat-yoga lessons. There were cloth sashes hung from the top of the studio and our lesson will require us to use the cloth and incorporate it into the yoga regime.

Because of the cloth pieces, we were able to do seemingly challenging poses that aren't exactly that difficult. We went upside down, round and round and flew to and fro.

it's great exercise if you want to tone your muscles! trust me when i say this because i'm still aching at my armpits, tummy and back 2 days after the lesson. for girls who want a rocking hotbod to sizzle eyes at the pool, this yogafly lesson would be awesome. for proof, check out my instructor, Saniya's taut and beautiful body! WOOHOO.

In tandem with St.Ives's goal to strive for a natural, healthy body, they decided that a yoga lesson with a twist will be most apt for the ambassadors. So we get to look AND feel healthy.

It was a great deal of fun. and sweat, which was unexpected, at least on my part, that is.
But come on, the perspiration didn't drown the laughter and fun during the session. Check out what we did!

I'm amazed when Saniya demonstrated this posture to the class. Even i can see i'm happy and excited from this picture haha. and then we got to give it a go!

it was major blood flow in the head, in a good way. it was like reliving your childhood, remember how we used to bend under and look at the world through our legs upside down? major nostalgia.

After everything, the St.Ives people had to be so nice that they provided light refreshments from TCC for us. sandwiches and cute little cupcakes.

Had to play around with the balloons. i had nothing to do anyway. 

hello Jasmine! found a same age friend who lived in the same area as me :D so happieeeee

The girls on the same session!

hip hip hurrayyyyy~~~~

Oh and credits to St.Ives Singapore for some of the pictures!
Thank you for snapping away while i'm battling with the sash and my (lack of) balance and coordination!

if you're curious about Yogafly lessons, do head over to check it out.

it's a lovely place because you get to see pretty horses strolling outside the glass windows as you flip and twist and fly in the classroom.


100 Turf Club Road #01-02L/X
Singapore 287992

Tel: +65 64651559

Email: enquiry@upsidemotion.com
Facebook: facebook.com/UpsideMotion

This is what we got in the goodie bag.

I'm gonna try them out and do some reviews on them real soon (:

So keep looking and follow St. Ives Singapore on facebook!
then you'll get freshest news about their new products, promotions, events and also about us, the ambassadors (:

Take care for now, toodles!

the land of Oz

there are tons of exciting movies that are coming out to the theatres this year. i've been waiting with much anticipation since i saw the trailers sometime late last year.

one of them will definitely be OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL.

here's the trailer for some nosy interested readers who's reading this right now!

Are you already itching in your seat to watch this on the big screens?

and OH YES the male lead is very familiar. you might recognise him from the Spiderman movies, Eat Pray Love and also Rise of the Planet of the Apes! Definitely, this adds extra brownie points for the anticipation of this movie.

Coming back to the movie, I guess the main highlight for me is the theme magic. The male lead acts as a magician who travels to another world (which is essentially Oz); meets 3 female witches and a bunch of creatures which are inanimate and some, animate (but nonetheless, possess the ability to move and emote); tries to solve the mystical problems faced by this very land.

It's like duh, how can you actually resist the theme magic?!
And it's interesting because a magician who actually doesn't have "real magical powers" has real witches pinning their hopes of saving the land on him. It is ironic.

And magic is wonderful on its own because there's absolutely no saying on whether a certain thing is right or wrong. Magic is more of a belief than anything else and I guess magic is open to different renditions and free from all restrictions. 

Maybe the male lead uses his pseudo-magic to find the magic that lives within him. In the end.
I don't know, just using my imagination and trying to make my magic work. 

I am stoked to catch this in the cinema and i guess i will update sometime later again!
by the way, I'm curious to find out how this Oz movie relates to the others.
Hmm, i'll get here when I get back!

So remember to catch Disney’s OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL in Singapore cinemas this 7 March 2013, like the Official Walt Disney Studios Singapore Facebook Page, follow @disneystudiosSG and subscribe to the Official Disney Studios Singapore YouTube Channel!

shoot in style with Nikon 1 J2!

Let's face it.

There are moments in life we wouldn't want to miss depressing the shutter button on the camera.

it's awesome and all if you own a DSLR.
i do.
but the thing is, it's bulky and heavy to bring out for everyday use.
yes you take brilliant quality photographs but your arm suffers a fair bit as well.

as the female species, we have to admit that we possess lesser bodily strength as compared to our masculine counterparts. so a day out with the professional (-looking?) DSLR boosts your image value and it also means a couple of days of salonpas pads on your body, until the aching dissipates. and boy do we have to say, we are sloppy at times that we find bringing too many stuff out a hassle. that's including the guys as well. no bags means no fuss, right?


and so, wouldn't it be rocking AMAZINGGGG if you get to snap pictures with top-notch quality AND not sacrifice your muscles to process the excessive lactic acid the next day?!

it's definitely a godsend gift like this.
and you can shoot with utmost freedom with Nikon 1 J2 for sure.


without the bulky DSLR, you can definitely shoot more comfortably and maybe get a few snaps of your BFF's most embarrassing (but hilarious) moments. no compromising of the quality at all. take mouthwatering food pictures, stunning scenery, adorable kids and animals or even some eyecandy who caught your eye across two tables in the restaurant.

other than the features that are quite similar to what a DSLR offers, the Nikon 1 J2 also tops it up with others. i've summarised a few of them i find interesting, below:

• High-speed continuous shooting 
• don't miss out a second of proposals, goal scorings, bungee jumping and the likes!
• Smart Photo Selector 
• the camera takes a series of pictures from the moment you half press your shutter button to the moment you release the fully pressed button! best photo is selected for you!
• Taking photos during Full HD movie recording 
• self-explanatory much! a lot like how we print screen when we view videos on the computer but HQ here.

Actually much of Nikon 1 J2 is like a DSLR, it's like a semi-professional camera.
With interchangeable lenses and built-in editing features, it's very suitable for people with some knowledge about photography already.

and what's more?

it's lightweight (approx. 280g) and available in 6 delicious colours (orange, red, silver, black, white and pink)!

personally, i love the white one!
i do feel that the colours add vibrancy to the whole photographing process so you can actually shoot in style; in pure chicness; pull off photographing with swag. anyway that sounds more melodious to you!

there's no need to dress up in jeans and t-shirt to shoot anymore. dress up like yourself and express yourself through the pictures taken with Nikon 1 J2 (:

here's my getup, all ready to ROCK&ROLLLLLL and play with the white Nikon 1 J2!
whooooooooooos!

wanna know more?
check out this amazing camera here!

meanwhile, rock on and peace outtttttt, yo.

Think.Eat.Save – Reduce your foodprint!

No doubt this last century has been one that has seen the most amount of waste.

After revolutions of differing nature (not going into details here), our lives became generally better. We have a shelter over our heads and enough food and clothes to keep us satisfied and warm. This situation holds true for most of us, that is.

And I am often thankful for all that I am blessed with.
While we take a moment to say our prayers for our beautiful food that fuels us to chase dreams and do what we wanted to everyday, I guess it will be good for us to consider how we can share the same beauty with other people who aren’t as lucky as we might be.

There are a few things I do when I go grocery shopping. Well, I might not be a saint, thinking about the less fortunate people all the time but I do take pride in reducing wastage. It’s a culture thing in my family and blood, so these deliberations just come naturally.

#1. take what you eat
easy to understand, yes? No matter if you’re at a buffet outside or eating a homecooked meal, just remember not to go overboard with what you put into your mouth.

By consuming what is needed, you don’t burden your body. Excessive eating can bring about potential health problems like diabetes, high cholesterol, heart attacks and other undesirable whatnots. Just for reference, a grown women only requires around 2000 calories/day and a grown man, 2500 calories/day.

Most importantly, you reduce the production of unnecessary demand of food and therefore, the food resources can then be allocated to other people who NEED them.

#2. less is more

Less packaging is good! Less packaging to get rid of and it also means you can see your food clearer, without the endless wraps of plastic around it. Or you can take note if they use recycled materials for packaging!

Another thing, check out the labels on your food package before you head down to the cashier’s next time. The lesser ingredients in the list, the safer they are for you to ingest. If the ingredients are all familiar names, that’s a bonus! That means minimal chemical additives.

The thing about “less” is you don’t have much to trash after cooking. The same goes for your kidney and liver; they do lesser work after your breakfast/lunch/dinner.

#3 Get creative
Sometimes, we can’t help it but leftover food situations happen. It’s alright, get your cool and use some imagination.

Make use of the remaining food and transform them into another meal. Use leftover meats to do sandwiches or wraps, veggies to make salads or add broth to rice to make some tasty porridge. If you are truly lazy, just throw them together and stir in some chilli paste or other pepper/soy sauce and here comes a plate of piping hot fried rice.

It’s easy to do something to reduce food wastage. It just takes some thinking but no worries, brain cells won’t be burnt out in the process. It might seem like a hassle but once you start to do it as a habit, it becomes a part of you. it’s awesome like this.

I know individual efforts are baby steps to make a change but if each individual starts to do something, something good is bound to happen, in time to come.

So quick, do your part to redistribute resources and love this wonderful planet for what she’s given us!

Comment to share your ideas!

And check out UNEP’s anti-food wastage movement here: http://www.unep.org/wed/blog-competition/