ClubCouture

In the last post I touched a little on fitness and I am making a resolution to a health in 2013. That means a better balanced lifestyle, eating healthier and exercising. As a result of this new resolution, I’ve taken up to trying out new supplements to increase my body’s health and immunity. I generally don’t have a strong habit of taking my vitamins daily even though I’m trying. My latest trick is to place my vitamins and supplements in front of my computer so I can’t miss it instead of having them stored in an inconspicuous location inside my fridge.

I’ve 2 current supplements that I have been taking on and off in 2012. The first one is cod liver oil that I bought from Japan for omega 3, DHA and EPA. And the second one is Skinbiotics (available at all Watsons stores) which works on a cellular level to protect the skin from ultraviolet rays, sun and oxidative damage. It helps enhance cell regeneration that will repair damaged skin and promote the growth of new skin. Both have worked really well for me.

I have also bought several new supplements in my recent trip to New Zeland but I don’t intend to start them immediately. I feel that the best way to test out the supplements is to try them slowly; incorporating them to my routine one by one. There are so many out there in the market and most of them can cost quite a bit over a lifetime so I need to pick those that truly makes a difference.

Here’s my testing plan, I’ll add a new supplement to my routine, try it for a few months and see if there are any results (harder to measure) or more importantly, any side effects. If all goes well and I react well with the supplement, I’ll add another new supplement to my daily intake and test it out again.

The supplement I’m intending to start taking and trying out is DHC Coenzyme Q10 Inclusion Complex. DHC is a japanese beauty and health brand that is hugely popular in Japan and internationally. Their products can be found at all Watons stores in Singapore and while I’ve tried a few of DHC skincare ranges, I’ve yet to try any of their supplements.

When I was browsing at the Watsons store last month, I saw a multitude of supplements by DHC and I didn’t know which one to try so I went online to do a little research before deciding.  DHC Coenzyme Q10 Inclusion Complex turned out to be one of the popular ones. It seems that most people who have tried DHC supplements have no allergic reactions and the reviews I read were mainly positive so off to the counter I went with my choice.

I’m going to add DHC Coenzyme Q10 Inclusion Complex to my routine starting tomorrow.  Here are some benefits of Coenzyme Q10 that I’m hoping to gain.

1. Coenzyme Q₁₀ helps to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system. There is evidence of CoQ₁₀ deficiency in heart failure thus increasing CoQ₁₀ helps to strengthen your heart.

2. Supplementation of coenzyme Q₁₀ has been found to have a beneficial effect on the condition of some sufferers of migraine headaches. I tend to get migraine from time to time and it’s probably one of the worst feelings ever. If this can reduce my migraine, I’m hooked!

3. Coenzyme Q10 is widely known to be antioxidant rich. It produces energy from cellular growth, protect cells from damage by active oxygen and fight free radicals. All these means a younger looking skin

Sounds good to me! The capsules are really small so it’ll be easy to swallow 2 pills a day.

Of course I’m not advocating using only supplements to replace all other aspects of healthy living. Other than supplements I need to maintain a healthier lifestyle with more sleep, better foods and exercise. I’ve not been doing any sports such as playing tennis or swimming in quite some time but I’ve been traveling quite a bit. Holidays usually entails a lot of  walking as public transport may not be as efficient as what we are used to in Singapore. When I’m back in Singapore in 2013, I intend to play more tennis, swim more often and walk my dogs a lot more as well.

I’m heading to the airport very soon and will be spending Christmas Day as well as New Year Day away from Singapore. If you leave me emails and comments, I might take a longer time to respond but I will read and respond whenever I can. Merry Christmas and an advance Happy New Year to you!

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Outfit post

Since we are on a topic of a healthy lifestyle, I thought I’ll align my outfit post to the topic. This was an outfit photo I snapped last month before heading out for a game of tennis. I really love the super soft ClubCouture tank top I had on. It has been a staple in my wardrobe and I wear it for sports, travel, sleeping and more. Basics like these are just awesomely versatile.

Sports Bra: Nike

Basic white top: ClubCouture

Tennis skirt: Holister

Dolce Far Niente!

It’s italian that translate to “The sweetness of doing nothing”.

I think that we often live our lives in time blocks and schedules, and I have been doing that a lot for the past year and I must say, even now. Advance planning is necessary in most situation but I feel that a lot of us who live in fast pace cities forget how to take the time and liberty to do nothing.

To bake for the enjoyment of baking in a kitchen that smells wonderful and not because you have to rush out a batch for your family or a party. To lie in the middle of the garden to read with a glass of cool water,not caring what time it is. To do gardening or to watch the clouds changing into a million possible images. Just living the moment and feeling alive. That is Dolce Far Niente, the sweetness of doing nothing.

Time is a precious commodity and yet we spend a lot of time doing things that doesn’t necessarily bring us happiness. Yes, of course we need to work and earn a living. But more often than not, work and our responsibilities & commitment consumes us. We forget ourselves and forget why we are working so hard for. Is it for another promotion, or a new handbag or a new car? Does the sacrifies we make for a better lifestyle give us a better lifestyle? Meanwhile, life passes by us each minute we don’t realize that we need to take time to do nothing, center our souls and just be happy.

One of the places that is most conducive for me to practice the art of doing nothing, is in Kuala Lumpur. Not in the city but a secluded home by a golf course filled with a familiar warmth of love.  It’s somewhat of a holiday home for me, a home away from home and I go there with no plans, just ready to do whatever I feel like at that point of time.

As I was telling some friends, it’s hard to wind down and do nothing. Everyday I’m busy, running errands, doing god-knows-what. The only time I can really do nothing is when I get away from Singapore and away from my overactive phone and email.

I love reading books, printed on paper, old school style. Sometime a thriller, sometimes fantasy or even children books that forces your mind to veer as far away from reality as possible. Where pink hippos fly and mermaids swim in lavender fields. Okay I know I sound a little like I’m drugs but for the longest time, books had the ability to emerse me in worlds of possibility that even movies can’t rival.

I also love to bake. The smells of fresh bread or cookies makes me happy and so does sharing the end products with family and friends and just sitting down to good, preservative-free baked goods.

I love photos and cameras. I love taking photos and also being in photos. It’s a narcissistic indulgence and helps me appreciate the beauty that surrounds me. I’m in love with the beauty of nature especially. Photos reminds me of how happy I am and how blessed I am for the moment, captured in time, even if it’s just on a digital copy. Some day when I’m too old to recall my moments and memories starts slipping away from me, I’ll have my whole life in photos and I’d know I lived my days out beautifully. I only take photos when I’m happy so the more photos I have, the more happy I have been.

And I  also write notes to myself, notes that I don’t put on my blog, notes just for my eyes only so that when I look back I remember life as I saw it then. I’ll remember my foolishness, my hopes, dreams, my fears, my pains and laugh at it all. It’s not exactly a diary cause it’s so random and sometimes it can be as short as one sentence. Or it can be written on impulse on my current thoughts just like this post is written. All a little fragmented.

What else do I do in my time away from the world? I paint, play card/board games, take a hike, sunbathe, play word games on the ipad. It may all sound really unproductive but it’s good for the soul to do this and take pleasure wasting the day away. Stress levels drop, perspectives on life changes and you sleep a lot better. No active mind syndrom while trying to fall asleep because you really have nothing to worry about.

But mainly, I read a lot. Time disappears. And when I get back to Singapore again, I feel recharged. My soul and inner peace is ready to conquer another day. I get a lot more focus and a lot more productive.

Work-life balance. That’s my goal for 2013 and I’m going to work towards that and base my choices on that. Might have to hold back on any new Hermes purchases or on shopping sprees for new clothes but I’m still happy cause I know I’m still surrounded by lots of love.  I’ll just spend my days in a simple tee and shorts, like my photos.

People make you feel guilty for enjoying, for doing nothing, for wasting your life away while they work hard. And I can understand where they are coming from. If they only knew the happiness they can get from where I am coming from as well. So if you can, I challenge you to take time away from your usual routine. Maybe a weekend off (or if you can afford it, even longer) and do all the things that you normally feel guilty of doing cause they are such time wasters. Stop time for the weekend, leave your responsibilities, commitments, diets, restrictions and societal conformity aside for just awhile then embrace living and find where your soul can feel free to run with the wind.

I may be harder doing than it sounds because we are trained to respond to responsibilities, check our phones, watch our waistlines and stay connected. Just remember that while you are connected to a whole village on Facebook, you have neglect connecting  your mind, your soul and your believe system which should be your strongest moral compass through life.

“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”

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Outfit of the day

Tee: Disney World Florida

Shorts: ClubCouture White Denim Shorts

Hair clips: Alannah Hill

Flats: YSL

Woo hoo! A whole new range from #dhc to try out! Thanks @watsonssg ! #beauty #skincare#japan #watsons #instagram #whitegram #augustphoto

In my super comfy #flats on a #friday ! Too many errands to run! #shoes #chanel #fashion#nude #instagram #sotd #whitegram #augustphoto

Boarding the plane now. Almost missed my flight! Praise the lord everything went smoothly. #airport #luggage #bag #lv #weekend #travel #instagram #whitegram #augustphoto

Aikee and andrew making #cute #angrybird #breakfast for me! #food #foodporn #instagram#whitegram #augustphoto

The amount of #alcohol finished in a small #BBQ gathering is staggering. No wonder all the guests were #drunk and some had to stay over! #home #party #travel #kl #instagram #whitegram#augustphoto

One of my #comfy #shoes I wore last week. #black #toryburch #sotd #fashion #instagram#whitegram #augustphoto

@sushiwu gave me the #smallest and #cutest #hellokitty #luggage ever! Guess what it contains? #instagram #whitegram #augustphoto #bff #gift

#red and #white for #singapore #47 #national day! I love my country! #instagram#whitegram #ootd #clubcouture #skirt #augustphoto

Here’s what is inside the #hellokitty #luggage that @sushiwu gave me! Did you guess right?#bff #gift #lipgloss #instagram #whitegram #augustphoto

Made a huge #decision today and it’s a little sad but #life is a #journey. #quotes #instamood#instagram #augustphoto

The #gift of #time . Don’t waste it! #hermes #exhibition #singapore #instagram#augustphoto

Guess who am I tonight. #costume #party @siewkum #home #japanese #instagram#augustphoto

#pearls on a #sunday #weekend #brunch #singapore #turf #club #racing #instagram#augustphoto

Some extra #love for my skin #gadgets #skincare #pink #instagram #augustphoto

Still on my #skinbiotics #skincare #supplement . Just 2 #pink #pills a day for clearer brighter skin! #instagram #augustphoto

All the kissable #lip #colors from #za #cosmetics  #instagram #makeup #augustphoto

All my #bags are packed I’m ready to go. I’m leaving on a jet #plane  #airport #luggage#travel #weekend #instagram #augustphoto

#dessert #train at @adrianozumbo #sydney #australia with @reginachow_sg and@bitsofsparkles #food #foodporn #macaron #instagram #augustphoto

#violet #crumble #dessert from #zumba #sydney #travels #australia #food #foodporn#instagram #augustphoto

#hot #chocolate is fantastic in #australia especially with good #friends #sydney #travels#instagram #augustphoto #aircoffee

Back to the office with a little hari raya goodie box of #yummy #treats and #cookies on my desk thanks to @nvrussel ! #office #colleagues #singapore #instagram #food #augustphoto

Still sorting out #shoes and had to throw a whole bunch of old shoes and boxes last night but there is more to clear! #cleanup #declutter #springclean #instagram #augustphoto

One half of my #shoes #closet packed! Tonight I need to sort out and pack the other half!#cleanup #springclean #declutter #instagram #augustphoto

A glass of lycee #wine to start the weekend. It’s going to be a tough month ahead juggling work and personal. #tgif #weekend #instagram #august

Happy #birthday to @euniqyou at her #mustache #beach party  #weekend #instagram#augustphoto

Lunch with my #sister and #family #weekend #girls #instagram #augustphoto

Happy 26th August  #hellokitty #gift #instagram #augustphoto

There’s no rule against looking your best when you sleep! Thanks @zacosmetics and@lesaffaires #sleepwear #fashion #instagram #augustphoto

Crazy #huge #jenga spotted at the #sentosa #beach last #weekend #augustphoto #instagram

#wealth is measured in so many ways #instagram #quoteoftheday #augustphoto

At #glamgirl pj party having a manicure and trying out #dirtyworks  #beauty #blogging@sunkisstiffy #instagram #augustphoto

#birthday celebrations at the office! @euniqyou looks so cute! #august has record breaking no. of birthday peeps! #instagram #augustphoto

Left my #watch and #ring at the office table yest and found them untouched this morning. Feels so good to have such a safe office. #forgetfulness #cartier #bvlgari #instagram #augustphoto

With @sushiwu for a mad men night! #esquiremag #weekend #party #augustphoto#instagram

In a #vintage #dress and ready to #jet set anywhere with #esquire #men #magazine#airplane #hanger #weekend #party #madmen #themed #launch #instagram #augustphoto

This was taken about 2 Saturdays ago. It was an intense and incredibly hot day! This premium silk chiffon romper by ClubCouture was simply perfect for such a sizzling day. I love the lightly draped shawl collar and my favorite part of this romper is that there are 2 side pockets!

My short hair has grown considerably fast in the last month and I had to trim it twice! Having shorter hair challenges me to try to use different ways to change my looks.Since I can’t bun it up or tie a pony tail on hot days, a braid keeps the hair off my face and neatly in place.

I paired this summery white ClubCouture romper with Chanel ear studs, Bvlgari B.Zero ceramic white ring necklace, Hermes belt, Cartier Santos watch, Mont Blanc sunglasses, Christian Louboutin heels and Celine Luggage Tote.

Although I initially wanted this to be an outfit post showcasing Clubcouture’s super lovely silk chiffon romper, since I haven’t had time to blog in the past week, I’ll share with you what I was up to on the day I wore this outfit out.

I met my girlfriends for brunch at Bukit Permai. We were supposed to try the famous Lor Mee there followed by some shopping for vintage finds at Dustbunny. Unfortunately, the Lor Mee stall was closed that day so we had to make do with whatever food we could find there. Dustbunny with it’s elegant owner, Pia, is always a lovely shopping experience for me and she has the cutest little dog in her shop that always follows me around when I shop!

Regina was actually falling sick that day so she had to go back to rest up while Sushi needed to rush back to take care of my little godson. I had to rush down to Suntec check out Blueprint with Eunice!

“BLUEPRINT is a one-stop fashion trade gateway for East-West exchange, created to present up-and-coming International and Asian designers. It uniquely specializes in launching Pre-Spring collections and curates fresh and forward menswear, womenswear and accessories including jewelry, shoes and bags from emerging designers destined for international markets.”

Eunice and I have been looking forward to head down all week but we were always so busy and even when I went down with her, I had only 2 hours before I had to rush off to the airport to pick my grandparents who is arriving from New Zealand.

I guess it was a blessing in disguise that I had recently splurged on a couple of Hermes items and went to BLUEPRINT with a little more fiscal caution because everything was so cool and so exciting! There were just so many unique items that I was captivating my attention. Being up and coming designers, they manufacture smaller quantities then most large luxury brand names so you get quality with exclusivity.  However, be warned that sometimes, the prices rival large luxury  brand names as well.

My happiest purchase there is this tube monokini! It was a steal for the design and quality and though I bought a couple of bikini’s as well, this piece is the one that stole my heart! There are tons of bikini’s in my wardrobe but I love looking out for standout monokini pieces.

Eunice and I for some reason always dressing in some sort of theme! In the photo above we had a summer look with braided hair. There are so many occasions we’ll go to office in the same outfit colors, or have crazy shoes together even bags with the same color! It’s never planned but it’s really odd and really fun

Kelvin has bouts of time when he’s out of the country so on one of those occasions, I met up Bernice after work so I could spend time with her and Arielle.

Arielle is such an inquisitive little girl! Always checking out what’s new around her, moving about and trying out new stuff! I love the pretty headband Bernice got her and I think it’ll match real pretty with the pink dress I got her from one of my trips!

As you can tell from the multitude of photos, I could stop snapping her! We ended up having dinner at Bernice’s parent’s place. Thank you for the sumptuous spread!

And here’s the outfit I wore. This dress is from ClubCouture. It’s been a year since I have been their ambassador and it’s been a lot of fun but for 2011, there will be new beginnings! I’m not saying much yet but watch out for it!