Arbeit Macht Frei

The current state of affair at work....everyone has been worked into exhaustion...it's Holocaust....but it's okay, health care peeps go to heaven....yah, whatever....no time to blog...

Notable Quotable

" There's no such thing as love, only proof of love"

                                                                                   ---Jean Cocteau 

This is one of my favorite quotes....

Fatty Bom Bom...awww!

OMG OMG....This is a HUUUUGE cat! So funny he's found stuck and trapped in a doggy door cos he was trying to steal pet food...so funny.....he looks like he's saying "Yo mama so fat she thinks she my mama!" LOL!

Spud Loving

I'm under tremendous work stress and I'm having a major craving for carbs and spud...I love spud...Potato rocks! Especially when I'm under stress. And I'm seriously craving that one amazing snack I had while I was in Bangkok. It's this!

Fries Me To The Moon is this fast food snack place I found at the top floor of Central World next to the super market and they sell only potatoes....different types of fries for you....normal fries, curly fries, onion rings, cheese sticks fries, hashbrowns, Smiley fries, you name it, they sell it and it comes with an assortment of dips and sauce too...I chose the assorted fries and some Japanese miso dip (not that great, I should have picked the wasabi-mayo)....It's awesome...see how they cheekily place that happy smiley face on the top? Cuteness....now I want to be back in BKK pronto and live like a princess again!

Notable Quotable

            

            "I'm not GI Jane!

                     I'm Attachment Barbie! "

                                    --Dr Teddy Altman, Grey's Anatomy

Hair Raising

I've gone off my "Chinese Jew Regime" and decided to give myself a bit of pampering and after resisting to buy the new Body Shop shampoo range, I gave in last night and ohhhh, I love it!

The Body Shop came up with the Rainforest Hair Care range that is sulphate-free, parabens-free, colorant-free and silicone-free! It's a no-nasty approach which I'm a big fan off. Now here's what it means...

Sulphate: Love those foamy cleanser and shampoo? Yes who doesn't love the nice foamy sud feeling right? But do you know that a lot of foaming agent contains sulphate? Yes, it does give those luxurious foam everyone loves but sulphate is known to be very drying too....not exactly skin and hair loving....sulphate-free means it doesn't have that harsh foaming agent that strips your natural moisture away...

Parabens: Well, it's well documented that Parabens is linked to cancer and Parabens is somewhat carcinogenic and is also present in a lot of beauty products....

Colorant: Colorant is known to cause skin irritation, so no colorant means it's kinder to your skin and less likely to cause allergy and irritation

Silicone: Now this is most relevant to hair care....silicone is actually a very very common ingredient found in most hair care. It is that thing that gives your hair a marvelous shine and smoothness...sounds good? Not exactly. Yes no doubt it gives hair an instant boost of shine and smoothness, it also tends to cause residual on hair and over a period of time, it builds up on your scalp and shaft and your hair will actually get dull in the long run and those built up around your roots and scalp is known to cause hair loss....so it's best avoided!

So yes, the new Rainforest Hair Care is definitely hair loving cos they're free of all the unhealthy ingredients. I used to use their Honey Moisture Shampoo and totally loved it and now that the old range is being discontinued, I'm glad they have the milder and better ones in. So are they good? Yes! I LOVE the scent of the moisture shampoo! It's not your usual run-of-the-mill fruity floral that's everywhere but a very nice sensual gentle floral honey scent that makes me keep sniffing my hair. The shampoo itself foams up pretty well despite being sulphate-free so that's really awesome and it's a better formula than the old Honey shampoo. It rinses off to give a light smooth finish and after the conditioner, the hair is soft and without that coated heavy feeling that you get from many commercial brand...ahhh, that's what silicone does...it gives you shine and smoothness BUT it makes your hair feels very coated and heavy. So the Rainforest Hair Care is great if you don't want your hair weight down.

And the best part? It's eco-friendly and I've always been a fan of eco-friendly products (another good ones is the Alba Hawaiian range) because the water we use to rinse off shower products go back to our water source, meaning if it's got really nasty ingredients, not only do they harm your health, they do our environment no good to. So whenever I go for beach holiday or my surfing trip, I make it a point to bring and use eco friendly products...I totally love the Alba Hawaiian range (their shampoo smells divine) and now, I have these new Body Shop Rainforest Hair Care as another option...which is awesome! Very happy with my purchase. I actually bought their Rainforest Hair Butter too...haven't tried it...will let you know what I think soon!

Non-lethal Killer Heels

I'm going through a high heels phase and giving the flats a rest for a change (and of course for some desperate height too). And I've been on a heels rampage following the successful debut of my Nine West perfect nude heels. The fact that pretty nude 4-inchers didn't break my legs and turn my toes gangrene was encouraging and yesterday, out of sheer boredom, I discovered that shoes from the local brand Pedro are actually not bad! I've never really been interested in local shoes much cos I always think that they're not exactly very well-made but then lunch yesterday, I got so bored I walked into Pedro and just bought a pair black&white 3-inch heels that's on sale for fun and boy, I can totally walk in them! And it was actually quite comfortable....super surprised! No blisters no nothing and I can actually walk in them at normal pace without falling flat.

So totally encouraged by the new found prowess to walk on high heels, I went back to Pedro after work and went even higher...the higher the heels the closer to god and I bought a satin leopard print grey 5-inchers with a platform front and omg, again, I can totally walk in them!!! I'm actually surprised and god damn it, it's even more comfy than my more expensive Nine West....and it's got very  interesting detailings on the base of the soles with silver chain lining it. So yes, excited by the prospect of the new found ability to strut in height-enhancing device....I might get more from them but let's try not to go overboard now...

October Muse

Reading: The Elephant's Journey by Jose Saramago...the Portuguese
Nobel Prize laureate (1998) has a really good sense of humor and The Elephant's Journey's a pretty good read with a very strong anti-religious stance and cynicism all in good fun. Love it!

Also reading Real Simple Magazine....good practical advice on every day's stuff from home, health, fashion, beauty etc...comes with really good and simple recipe...pretty interesting...

Wearing: Nude peep-toe heels by Nine West. FINALLY found the right nude heels. Every girl needs a pair of nude heels cos it goes with EVERYTHING. LITERALLY and this pair of Nine West is not only a fraction of the price of the Louboutins and Zanottis but they're as comfy. Okay, the first wear was rather painful but it wasn't that bad after a couple of wears...and about time I get back on heels for a change...

Miss Selfridge Lace Dress with velvet peter pan color and trimmings. Found this gem during my solo Bangkok Bender and it's so pretty. It's got a vintage feel to it and it fits really well. In beige and black combo that Mademoiselle Coco would agree with...well, at least Uncle Karl with agree with the lace bit...but I love it...

Using: Soap&Glory The Righteous Butter Body Lotion. Like I've said in my previous review, it's really the best body lotion I've tried so far. It gets absorbed real fast so it's a god-sent in our humidity, then it melts in, sink in to give me the silkiest of all skin...No other body lotion has done that so far...and it smells so nice and girlie too. And it has really made me religious about applying cos I want to touch my silky smooth skin...I would buy it by the truckload next time

Boots Gorgeous Feet Rapid Crack Heels Repair....This one is cheap and good and really works...I notice significant improvement the very next day if you slather it on at night. Totally worth it and the pretty pink packaging is a plus...

Drinking: Clipper Detox Tea....this one is super awesome with a very nice refreshing taste...I'm addicted...I'm a 100% Clipper Tea fan...their Rooibos is really good too....

Loving: Vanessa Paradis....she's my muse of the month...actually, not just the month cos I've been her fan since she came out with her first album singing Joe le Taxi with her girly baby voice when I was in my teens...I recently watched her in the latest French rom-com L'Arna Coeur and it's soooooo good and funny. She's got the ultimate je ne sais quoi about her with that awkward but so-oh intriguing gap in her front teeth and pixie face...and after 2 kids, she still cuts a super svelte figure...yeah, French women don't get fat I know....and I'm sure Johnny Deep agrees...

Advocating for: The release of the new Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiao Bo! He's still locked up and China is now kicking a major big fuss on how this year's prize went to Liu Xiao Bo and saying he's a criminal in China for the simple fact that he fought for his belief. Seriously...sigh...good guys don't finish last...he might get locked up but he's got great recognition and that is something!

Soap & Glory Galore!

I'm back from a short solo trip in Bangkok and I trawled back a big bunch of my favorite Soap&Glory products at Boots. I went nuts....buying all the bath and body stuff and cosmetics too...here's my loot

The Soap&Glory Laundry List:

1. Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel

2. Clean Almighty Shower Gel

3. The Righteous Butter Body Lotion

4. Off My Face Cleansing sheets

5. Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Gloss

6. Trick & Treatment Eye Concealer

7. Glow Lotion

8. Sexy Mother Pucker XL Extreme Plump

9. Endless Gloves

Yes I know...I bought most of their products and would buy the WHOLE range if I could cos I totally love Soap&Glory. I think it's coming to Singapore or is it here already?? Not sure...but I LOVE their stuff! They don't test on animals, have brilliant and eye-grabbing packaging and excellent products. And the person who started Soap&Glory also started the Bliss Spa chain and she started Soap&Glory to bring affordable and great beauty products so "you won't spend an arm and a leg trying to moisturize one". Cool! And you know what? The products kick ass....I've tried all and I love them all. Every single product but perhaps with the exception of the Glow Lotion cos the scent is a bit too strong cos it'll definitely interfere with your perfume...but everything else is excellent.

I LOVE The Righteous Butter Body Lotion cos it's so light, smells nice and from all the body lotions I've tried and tested (including really expensive ones by the way), this one leave my skin the most silky...it's so soft and smooth I can't stop stroking my arms and thighs cos the skin just gets real smooth. The shower gels are god-sent too and Clean On Me has got a very nice girlie scent with very great creamy texture that leaves a film of moisture after shower. Clean Almighty on the other hand has got a nice soothing Zen feel and I use them according to my moods...

And Endless Gloves is the BEST overnight handcream I've tried and again, I've tried really expensive ones that cost more than $50 bucks and this one seriously leaves your hands very very soft and hydrated the next day. It's meant to be like a cream and "mask" in one...and yes, this stuff works wonder

Now the cosmetics...Sexy Mother Pucker not only sounds super smart, it's really great and it really does plump the lips...expect some strong tingling of the lips like most plumping lippy. And again, I've tried quite a few including the more expensive Lip Venom and stuff...and this, again works better than the rest of the brands...The Trick & Treatment is good but not the best I've tried though. The Off My Face Cleansing Sheets are great too...so  much that I bought a few more packs in fact....so there you go....Soap&Glory totally ROCKS!!!!!!

Now click here to check out their website...lovely girlie pinky website...what's not to love? The next time I go BKK, I'll buy the whole shelf back!