In preparation for not having to see any corporate clients for two months, i told Alex at The Met to do WHATEVER he wanted to my hair. I just let him be and read my magazine… when i looked up to see colour so neon splattered on my head, i got a tad of a shock. I’ve never had hair this BRIGHT before!
At least noone is gonna lose me at the festival, or anywhere for that matter.
I had so much to pack for and Clem and i were just PROCRASTINATING putting things together. He showed me this meme on how he felt and i burst out laughing:
As i write this i still haven’t packed everything into my bag. Things are just lined up on the floor. How does one pack for 7 weeks?! I know i’m going to shop… so i’m trying not to bring TOO many outfits. This is really hard.
I have a feeling i’m going to leave the books i’ve read during my trip, in London with my uncle and aunt to enjoy, so i intentionally got some local authors to share with them. I’ve just read the first page of Bernice Chauly’s book and i can’t wait to get properly started!
My drug stash for Europe. Haha. I asked Chelle for chili powder cos i KNOW i will DIE without chili like how i almost did the last time i went there for so long. She gave me a huge bag of it woohoo! You can take the girl outta Asia but you can’t the Asia outta the girl.
Next to the chili powder is tiny bubble bottles i found in Toys R Us, so i don’t have to carry big ones around all day long!
What does it mean to live great? I think i’ve been trying to the best of my ability by making changes to my life in the past two years. It’s not like i sat down one day and thought “OKAY! i want to get healthier, and see the people i love more, and sort out my finances better…”
No, it didn’t happen that way. What really happened was a slow and i would say, natural, progression of how i WANT my life to be.
I want to be healthier. But i hate going to the gym. So i turned to different forms of exercise like yoga and powerplate. I love both these exercises, and try my best to go for classes even if it means sleeping an hour less or timing my work to the minute so i can reach class on time. Most people work out to lose weight… but obviously that’s not the case for me cos my parents think i’m too thin! I work out because:
1) I want to be FIT. i want to be able to lift erm some things without looking like i’m going to bring everything down in a crash! i wanted to be able to open my office door without having to lean on it -_- And now i can yay! Haha
2) I wanted to be toned, so i’d look better in my clothes (and bikini) hee hee
3) And most importantly, i really believe all this exercise will benefit me in the long run. We all die one day. I would like to delay that as long as possible. Bam. That’s the truth.
I want to be more financially stable. I’ve always been a terrible planner with my money. I earn and i spend. End. I never think of how much i should be saving, or what i should be saving towards. I’m just… kind of an irresponsible adult that way! But one day i was thinking… what if i had to make sure i have a roof over my head? What sort of assets did i have? Nothing! So i started scouting for property to buy – to invest in. Now that i’ve chosen a piece of property, i feel a bit more secure that i have some GOAL to be saving towards – to furnish it, rent it out… then go buy another one (maybe, don’t know about that one yet!). I just needed a reason to spend less on clothes and frivolous things and KEEP CONTROL of my spending and at least, have an asset at the end of the day instead of all my money flying away.
I want to be healthier. Already i’ve cut down my drinking by half of what i used to consume in my early 20s, but without meaning to. I just didn’t FEEL like going out and drinking so much anymore. I can probably attribute that to living with Clem too 🙂 I’d rather spend time at home with Clem on weeknights instead of drinking them all away. Oh and also i was so busy with work. So they’re both reasons to decrease my alcohol intake! – Love and Work 🙂
I wanted to eat a lot better. And i do now. I let myself eat whatever i want when i want (i know i AM so lucky), but i think about the type of food i’m putting into my mouth. I avoid oily and fried foods if i can, and allow myself a KFC craving once every two months. I avoid McDonald’s altogether cos it’s just so awful in KL. I started cooking just so i can prepare and consume better ingredients, and eat my favourite dishes whenever i want. I’ve cut down on meat and favour fish and salads/veggies a lot more than i used to. I didn’t plan it tho… i just slowly lost the desire to eat out, especially at places where you don’t know how the food is prepared. I don’t scrimp on food. I was just thinking the other day that as long as i have money to buy me all the good food i want for the rest of my life, i’ll be FINE.
I wanted to be a lot happier. As it is, i work and plan my entire year so that i can travel cos that makes me utterly happy. When it comes to a daily basis, i found that i wasn’t being as HAPPY as i was, and should be, and CAN. So i started working towards making some changes in the WORK that i do, the PEOPLE i hang out with, and to be able to spend more quality time with Clem and my family. I’ve missed working on fashion so so much, and finally told my bosses i’d like to drastically cut down on my hours in the office just so i can spend more of my effort and time working on fashion projects i enjoy more. I want to bring Leftblock to life again. I want to be more involved with the fashion community again. I would like a balance of all these things that i do – and finally got over the first step towards that, by getting over my FEAR. I had this fear for quite a long time. And one day, it just SNAPPED in my head – “What am i doing? What would i like my life to be about? What do i want to ACHIEVE?” I don’t want to be like everyone else stuck in an office job and slowly/scarily conforming to it. That’s not what i believe life should be about, and i would be a hypocrite if i let myself continue living it.
I got all the images above off a Facebook page, Great Eastern’s Facebook page, to be exact. Their page surprised me with all these interesting anecdotes and links on how to lead a happier, healthier and better life. I particularly love this link i got from there too – 50 Ways To Nurture Your Happiness. I bookmarked it so i can revisit it 🙂
I know Great Eastern as an insurance company but it looks like they’ve made some changes to the way they look at life insurance:
“At Great Eastern, we’re renowned for a strong legacy of putting you, our customers first. We’ve been providing you with the best solutions to protect yourself and your family over the years. But we do more than just that. We are also committed to help you achieve your good intentions of living healthier, better and longer so you can spend more time with the ones you love. Because we’re not just a life insurance company anymore. We’re a life company.”
I like the sound of that, a LIFE company.
Great Eastern Group have just launched “Live Great”, the first integrated Health and Wellness programme by an insurance company in the region, signaling a bold new direction for the life insurance industry. This programme stems from the company’s belief that there will never be another you to love your family as you can and that while life insurance is important, it can never replace what matters most to them… YOU!
The “Live Great” programme is targeted at helping people turn their intentions into actions as they embark on their life journey to live better, healthier and longer.
I went to their Live Great website and surfed around to find that it’s got all this content that makes it look more like an online mag or portal, than an insurance one.
There are all these tabs which drop down to MORE interesting information (When i really delved into this website, the first thing i thought was: “Wow. They really put a lot of effort into this” mostly because i know what it takes to run a website!)
There’s Health & Wellness – a library of useful tips and information to help you achieve your intentions.
If you click on Uncontrollable Habits, you’ll see pictures of smoking, drinking and… shopping. Erk.
“All addictions have two main characteristics in common — they are both uncontrollable and persistent. An addict becomes uncontrollable when he or she cannot stop the behaviour, and despite knowing they shouldn’t, they persistently engage in those activities.”
Erm, okay, i’ll go back to that one later.
Under the Wellness Tools tab, you can find out how healthy you are and keep track of your progress.
I did the Safe Backpack Weight Calculator and discovered that 6.15KG is the backpack weight i should be allowed to carry without compromising my posture or spine. That’s… puny -_-
I checked out the Ovulation Calendar and that’s gonna be real useful for those who want to get pregnant (or not) and are horrible at keeping track (like me).
Great Eastern has even gone so far as to have a mobile app to help you live healthier, better and longer.
Plus, you’ll get to attend a full calendar of workshops and events that promote healthy living, including the Yoga for Life and the Live Great Run.
You have to sign up to view all the pages, but it’s really easy cos you can sign up via your Facebook account (Don’t tell me you don’t have one. Even my mom has one and has started posting on my wall :p)
On the website, you can register for the Live Great Card (for policyholders). If you are not a Great Eastern policyholder, you can still register and have more access to a wealth of health and wellness information in its portal.
With this card, you’ll get exclusive access to medical, pharmaceutical, wellness and holistic health benefits throughout the region. There isn’t any other insurance company here that offers a loyalty programme like this one, and it’s the first-of-its-kind regional customer recognition programme with exclusive access to benefits and privileges at more than 700 health and wellness partner establishments across South East Asia.
Some of the Live Great benefits you can enjoy:
– Exclusive Privileges – Exclusive discounts and rewards at wellness merchants across Southeast Asia.
– Wide range of health and wellness privileges at more than 300 partner establishments
– Member only invitation to seminars, workshops and sales preview
– Up to 40% savings with our Live Great Deals
– Up-to-date health and wellness content from establish health experts
(The Live Great card will be available to customers, agents and staff members.)
I’m fortunate to have, what most make up artists have commented, as ‘good skin’. I’m also fortunate to have Asian genes, and therefore age less quickly than Western women. However… in the past year, i’ve noticed some deep set smile lines that appear at the corner of my eyes in pictures. They’re SO obvious, that i got a major shock the first time i saw them. Goodness! Is that really how my eyes look in pictures?! Maybe it’s the lighting. Oh don’t beat yourself up over it. It’s just a picture.
And i left it at that.
Then more pictures ended up in my folders with the same lines at the corner of my eyes. Part of me is mortified, and part of me just shrugs cos What can i do? Age is age, and i just have to embrace it while preventing it as much as i can.
When i was at the Giuseppe Zanotti event a few weeks ago, i remember this conversation i had with Kevin (Clouds’ boyfriend). We were talking about how someone mistook me for a really young age and i was commenting how lucky i was for having a ‘baby’ face. You know what Kevin said? – “But i do notice you’ve got these crinkles at your eyes when you smile.”
Me: Goddammit! I thought it was only me who noticed it! OH WELL -_-
So i can’t kid myself anymore that i AM starting to develop wrinkles, and the most worrisome parts of my face (personally) are
1) the crinkles at my eyes
2) lines under my eyes
3) line from my nose to corners of my mouth, like where the cheek kinda starts to hang over *shiver* when you get older.
A few weeks ago i started using a new product Olay has come out with, called Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Relaxing Cream. Seeing i had just finished using my moisturizer, i was able to exclusively use this cream and nothing else for two weeks. I even brought it to Tioman and Shanghai with me.
The new Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Relaxing Cream is formulated by Olay scientists and is said to help reduce the appearance of wrinkles in just ONE application, and the appearance of deep eye lines in 14 days. That sounded pretty miraculous.
Then i read how nine out of ten international Elle editors testified that it’s an essential quick-fix wrinkle minimizer. I like the quoting of people in the fashion industry.
And lastly, another tidbit i picked up was how the cream works over time to reduce the volume of deep eye lines by 20% after 14 days of twice-daily treatment. Well, there’s no harm in trying this if it’s gonna help my eye crinkles!
Before i started using the cream, my facial skin was going through a rebellious phase and breaking out. I think i was trying too many different types of creams, washes and toners so i just STOPPED all of that; stuck to my regular cleanser and toner; and religiously applied Olay Regenerist Wrinkle Relaxing Cream every morning and every night. Of course, there are things that i like and didn’t like about the cream.
First few days when i was in KL (Day 3):
– i didn’t like the slightly gloopy consistency/texture of the moisturizer when i first started using it. Maybe it’s because i’m just so used to my regular creamy ones that this was unusual for me. A girl friend said anti-ageing stuff has to be sticky to work (?) so i thought the texture may be a good thing after hearing that.
– i really like how the cream makes my skin slightly matte after that. It’s GREAT to apply make up on, as moisturizer that doesn’t absorb quickly into my skin tends to make my make up slide off or streak easily.
After Tioman (Day 8):
– Was a bit worried whether this cream could take up ‘repairing’ my skin after a day of harsh sun and outdoors, but it felt smooth and fine after application.
– Also, still loving the matte feel cos my face didn’t feel sticky after taking my evening shower and going out for dinner on the beach.
After Shanghai (Day 14):
– I got really used to the cream in China, and actually looked forward to applying it regularly
– Also, i don’t know if it’s my imagination, but i do feel my face is less ‘tired’ looking. (The word that came to my mind was ‘chan’ but i don’t think everyone will get it).
– I can also clearly see how my skin has got smoother (incredibly)
Sorry to scare you with my makeup-less face, but it’s a lot easier to show you the Before and After pictures!
I modeled for The Met, a hair and colour specialist salon in Parkroyal KL, for their submissions for the L’Oreal Colour Trophy Awards this year. This is the picture that got them into the finals.
Please play this video… cos it’s TOTALLY my mood right now and the song that SET ME OFF on the ADVENTURES that are about to take place!
Sarah sent it to me this morning, saying it reminded her of me. And of course i LOVE IT SO. I have Noah & The Whale somewhere but just haven’t had time to sort out and go through all my new music!
Hours later i thought about Rockwerchter festival i’m going to go for in Belgium, with Yishyene and Rahul. And realized i’ve been so busy, i never even checked what the final line up is. Thanks in advance to the Blink 182 peeps who sorted out our tickets for us 😀 😀 😀 Thanks to Rahul for being a rockstar too heeeeeeee
Regina Spektor!!! Lana Del Ray! Metric! The Cure!!!! Red Hot Chili Peppers!!!!!!! Garbage!!! M83!!! The XX!
Others i love and have seen live before like Florence & The Machine, Temper Trap…
And so many more like Kitty Daisy & Lewis, The Kooks, Deadmau5, Gossip, Incubus, All American Rejects, Snow Patrol, James Morrison… oh its so many i can’t be bothered to write them all down!
And andddd the band of the song that Sarah sent me this morning – Noah & The Whale – will be performing too! OH JOY.
I just got ALL EXCITED and CRAZY and started dancing around my living room, laughing to myself like a crazy person, and hugging myself.
THIS IS what i worked for! THIS IS WHY I WORK. So i can go to a european music festival like i did in 2010, run, dance, drink, swing, laugh, and drown in music. OHMYGOD i’m SO EXCITED. I think for a moment i was crying with joy, that my REAL HOLIDAY is really about to start and it hit me – all the things and adventures i’m about to have!
AHHHHH IM SO HAPPYYYY
I tweeted that as long as i die after this festival, i will DIE HAPPY. Ming replied me with, “Choi!”
No but seriously… this is WHY i work harder and more hours than most people i know. This is why i will never buy designer handbags. I cannot and never will bring myself to pay thousands of RM for a BAG when it can be used for THIS. MUSIC. FOOD. LOVE. TRAVEL. LIFE.
I’m going to come back a changed person.
I’m going to return reenergized, inspired, and spilling with experiences and love.
I know it. I’m so happy to be alive!!!
