Sex Sells.

Guess what this poster is promoting - an advertisement for a new company that designs sexy lingerie? A company promoting breast enhancement products?

English translation for this poster:

"My man doesn't need turtle eggs, because he knows they don't make him more potent."

This poster is part of a new campaign aimed at protecting endangered sea turtles in Mexico. Amazing how in this day and age, scantily clad women are used in such a manner simply because sex sells. Yes she has a solid body. But look at the proportion - picture of the model and the turtles that they are trying to protect.

Guess some things will never change. I just hope that when men ogle at her gorgeous body, they can spare five seconds to look away from her perfect body and look at what the poster is actually about and help protect the sea turtles.

Here's an interesting article 'Sex Sells - Using Sex in Advertising' about why women are used in advertising. Yes we already know the answer. It's because these ads are targetting the men. Are our men so shallow that we need to use scantily clad women to get their attention? Guess not all are but as long the majority is made up of men who need such ads to get their attention (and as long as there are women out there who are willing to be used as sex objects), such ads will continue.

In the meantime, those of us who are in constant contact with the young impressionable girls, have the task of undoing the damage done by such ads. And yes, eating disorder is a big issue among our teens, especially among the girls.

A perfect gift for a newborn!

These babies look so adorable with the headphones. And yes, ladies with babies out there - let them listen to classical music!!!

In this article - 'Babies Unwind Wearing Headphones' from the National Geographic News, doctors are helping new arrivals with a unique way of dealing with stress. They found that listening to classical music help newborns reduce stress and stay healthy. Another study found that listening to a Mozart piano sonata for ten minutes prior to taking an intelligence test improved students' scores.

This reminds me of the time when Fiona and I visited Mag after her baby, Ryan, was born. We were at her place and Mag being the good mother had the radio tuned to the classical music channel. The very minute Mag left the room to get us drinks, we switched the channel to something that was playing the usual pop/rock stuff. She was NOT amused by what we did even though we tried telling her that Ryan seemed to be enjoying the loud fast music alot more.

Thankfully, our little stunt didn't do much harm. Ryan is a lovely boy who is intelligent and super adorable!

Sudoku Away

This is suppose to be the latest craze:

Sudoku (数独) is the number placing game that is taking the world by storm. The rules of Sudoku are simple. Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square. Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.

Read in the papers about this some weeks back and out of curiosity took a peek at the online version. Yes interesting game. But if you have a very short concentrating span like me and give up easily - well this game is not for you. But if you love a challenge and can sit for hours trying to figure out the numbers, go ahead and try the online version Web Sudoku.

Have tried it and it just takes too much effort *grins* My need for instant gratification makes me unsuitable to play this number game. But I can understand how addictive it can be if you are one of those who are 'sensitive' to numbers (that's what a friend said when I asked him why he enjoyed Sudoku) and enjoy a challenge. So Sudoku away!

Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

If you are into making things and keen to trade beads etc, head to Liz's Bazaar. Love the idea that people out there are making exchanges with others from different parts of the world. I have lots of beads and jewellery components that I don't use. In Singapore, they usually sell the pieces in large quantity and since I don't mass produce, I have lots of 'leftovers' which are brand new and seems a waste that I am just putting them aside when somebody else might have good use for it. So at the Bazaar, that's where people who are keen to trade with what I have can get in touch with me. Just give me a few days to sort things out and take pictures of the beads & stuff that I have and want to trade.

Oh yes, the things that we can trade are endless. Am also looking out to trade jewellery that I make for things that you may have made and I may need. Endless trading opportunities!!!

How Time Flies.

Not been coming online as much the last week. Been busy with work work work. Had a report due for one of the bosses. Had to finish some papers (already way overdue on that one). Had to mark papers as had to key in two rows of marks. Didn't matter that I didn't have much to test kids on but had to somehow produce two rows of marks. And also had to ensure that preparation for daily work done to entertain 40 young and restless minds!

Was sleeping at 2.00am each day for that week to finish up all the work. Got up each morning thinking that I could come back straight after work at 1.40pm and get some sleep. But next thought would be...hmm, nope. There would be either a meeting or some more work to do in school. Once I got home earlier so that I could get some marking done and 'early' meant leaving work at 4.00pm. And am work at 6.50am each day. Nine hours on an early day. A late day was just last Thursday where I left work at 7.00pm. Got locked out of the office because guy closing up thought everyone had left and had to frantically look for him because my barang barang were still in the room.

Anyways, got up yesterday morning and got an sms about an old friend's mom passing away. We were both going through some tough times because my own mom is battling breast cancer. So we were checking up on each other about how our mothers were doing. She knew how tough it was having to rush to the hospital after work. She knew how difficult it was seeing a loved one go through the pain. And both of us had to be strong. She had her own family and a grandma to look after too. And her brother working overseas, she was the main one running around and took a break when her brother came back to help.

Yesterday's sms was about her mom passing away. At 6.00am, reading that sms - I was stunned. Took a few seconds for the news to sink in. I felt sad that my friend and her brother lost their mother. But I also felt relieved as her mother was in alot of pain and now she would be able to be rest peacefully.

It also made me think about my own family. Since I started working 7 years ago, I realised I have been spending alot less time with my parents. I remember when I was 'bumming around' before working, I used to go for lunch with my Dad daily. Accompanied him to pick up my mom from work. I miss those times that I spent with my Dad. We used to talk alot about everything and anything. And yes, am Daddy's girl basically. Like what my mom used to say - I could get away with murder with my Dad cuz he gave in alot, sometimes even at the expense of quarrelling with my mom *grins*.

Hearing about my friend's mom's passing made me think about how I have been spending so much time at work at the expense of spending time with my family. My parents are not young anymore. Both are in their early 60s. My parents have been very supportive of my work and they constantly encourage me when I am feeling down at work.

It's a wake up call for me. I don't want any regrets about not spending enough time with my parents. I don't want to wake up one day and realise it's way too late.

Realising this is not enough. Doing something is the next step. It's going to be tough especially with the new challenges that I will be facing at work next year. But I somehow need to figure out how to juggle everything - that will be the real challenge.

Burn Burn Burn!

Every now and then, something happens that makes me totally hate all this 'modern technology' stuff. Yesterday, I tried to open up a CD of all my pictures from my trip to the Great Ocean Road. Stupidly, I didn't make any hard copies of those pictures, thinking that I had time. Big mistake. BIG BIG MISTAKE. Because now, I can't even open the CD to retrieve my pictures.

All my pictures of the apostles (taken before the recent stack collapsed), gorgeous pictures of that trip gone! It's different when you see a place for the very first time. You cannot recapture those moments when they are gone.

So moral of the story - BURN BURN BURN. Am going to buy some blank CDs over the weekend and try and see if my other CDs are still okay. Was very upset before about what happened but realised nothing else I can do but move on.

I have passed the 'denial stage'. That was when I tried opening the CD on five different computers and laptops. I polished the CD with a polisher and even used toothpaste to remove any scratches.

I have passed the 'anger stage'. That was when I took it out at everyone I could. Blamed the whole world, cursed the girl who burnt the photos onto the CD to the people who refused to install the programme for my CD burner on my laptop.

I have passed the 'grieving stage'. That was when I wallowed in self-pity and wailed at how those precious memories are gone forever!! And how going back to those places will not be the same as seeing them for the first time!!

I am in the 'acceptance stage' right now. At least I think I am starting to accept what has happened. I pretty much know that I cannot do anything about it. What I can do now is try to save the other CDs that I have. Am going to get the software installed next week. Buy blank CDs over the weekend and burn at least five copies per photo CD.

Hopefully, soon I'll be in the 'moving on' stage. Unless my other CDs are also .....*touches wood*

Turning 33!

After a certain age, you kinda lose track of birthdays and one's age. For me, I think that happened after I hit 25! It's just another ordinary day that's filled with work, work and more work.

What did I do today ... well, with a colleague, we took young uncontrollable kids out to collect old newspapers and clothings from nearby blocks. And what did they end up doing, one boy took some bags of old clothings from a resident and threw it down from the 3rd floor because it was too tiring to walk down with the bags. Like hello, didn't it occur to him that somebody could have walked by and get hit by the bags??!!?? And when I explained that possibility, he looked totally shocked. And then, a whole bunch of kids came running to tell us that 10 kids were trapped in a lift at a nearby block.

Fine ... walked to the block and heard the lift bell ringing to some familiar tune. And the ringing went on and on and on *sighs* Had to call one of the kids trapped in the lift to tell them to stop ringing the alarm as help was on the way. And his reply, 'But we are bored!' Later, I found out that they were jumping up and down in the lift and that caused the lift to stop. Darn, if I knew that before, would probably not bother calling the repair people so quickly and let them sweat it out a little in the lift!! Brats! That's what we're producing these days!

Anyways, though it's a cool thing to turn 40 (thanks to all the ladies in Hollywood who are turning 40 and looking glamorous), being over 30 ain't too bad either.

This was written by Andy Rooney from CBS 60 Minutes...

Andy Rooney says:

As I grow in age, I value women who are over 30 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 30 will never wake you in the middle of the night to ask, "What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think.

If a woman over 30 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do. And, it's usually something more interesting.

A woman over 30 knows herself well enough to be assured in who she is, what she is, what she wants and from whom. Few women past the age of 30 give a damn what you might think about her or what she's doing.

Women over 30 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it. Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated.

A woman over 30 has the self-assurance to introduce you to her women friends. A younger woman with a man will often ignore even her best friend because she doesn't trust the guy with other women. Women over 30 couldn't care less if you're attracted to her friends because she knows her friends won't betray her.

Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 30. They always know.

A woman over 30 looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women or drag queens. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 30 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one! You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over 30 for a multitude of reasons.
Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed hot woman of 30+, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year-old waitress.

Ladies, I apologize.
Andy Rooney

For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free". Here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage, why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig, just to get a little sausage...

Shop to Benefit

Many of us love to shop and it's something hard to explain, especially to the men. With the Great Singapore Sale just over, I am going through a recovery phase (financially that is) thanks to all the retail therapy that I had over the last few weeks.

There's a great way to enjoy the thrill of a good buy and supporting a good cause. I have made purchases from Gear That Gives and it's amazing the range of things they have on the site. You can easily find a gift or two (or more) for your loved ones from this site. And best part is, I know I am helping others too. It's also convenient since it's online shopping - so no bags to carry or aching feet.

Infact, you can choose to help for a cause you believe in. So the next time you have an uncontrollable urge to shop, head to one of these online stores.

• The Hunger Site Store
  
• The Breast Cancer Site Store
• The Child Healthcare Site Store
• The Literacy Site Store
• The Rainforest Site Store
• The Animal Rescue Site Store

Infact, I am thinking of getting these Handmade Burmese Dolls as a birthday present.

These unique Burmese dolls, each expertly handmade by women from the Karen people. Former residents of Burma, the Karen now live in refugee camps on the Thailand-Burma border. After years of suffering at the hands of the Burmese government, the Karen were forced to flee their country and now live in exile in Thailand. Your purchase helps these women earn a living wage for themselves and their families.

For just US$22.95, you can give two handmade dolls to children living in refugee camps. Or, for just US$49.95, you can give six dolls! Children love the lifelike features and removable clothing of these soft dolls. And, they're just the right size for hugging!

Karen women will distribute the dolls among nursery schools in the refugee camps. You (or your gift recipient) will receive a certificate in the mail to commemorate that you sent comfort and love to refugee children.

Telemarketer's Nightmare

I definitely don't want to be in this telemarketer's shoes. This is really funny and worth trying the next time I get a call from a telemarketer *grins*. Thanks Slawek for sharing this!

The phone rang as I was sitting down to my anticipated evening meal, and as I answered it I was greeted with “Is this Karl Brumme? Not sounding anything like my name, I asked who was calling. The telemarketer said he was with The Rubberband Powered Freezer company or something like that.

Then I asked him if he knew Karl personally and why was he calling this number. I then said off to the side, “get really good pictures of the body and all the blood”, then turned back to the phone and advised the caller that he had entered a murder scene and must stay on the line because we had already traced this call and he would be receiving a summons to appear in the local courthouse to testify in this murder case.

I then questioned the caller at great length as to his name, address, phone number at home, at work, who he worked for, how he knew the dead! guy and could he prove where he had been about one hour before he made this call. The telemarketer was getting very concerned and his answers were given in a shaky voice. I then told him we had located his position and the police were entering the building to take him into custody, at that point I heard the phone fall and the scurrying of his running away.

Some REALLY strange things here.

Interesting site with a list of 29 'Strange things you likely didn't know'. Am listing my favourite strange things here. Now I know what I need to do to lose weight, survive a quicksand, what to bring along to a desert filled with scorpions if I want to survive that, have the answer for the next time somebody asls why I don't look like my parents and start praying now that I won't come back as a female ferret in my next life!

STRANGE THINGS YOU LIKELY DIDN'T KNOW

• A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate.

• On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily!

• If one places a tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion, it will instantly go mad and sting itself to death.
  

• By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot sink into quicksand.

• Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.

• The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher.

That's Life!

Last few days have been a little hectic and did not have much time to write anything. After work at 6pm, would head to the hospital and not get home till about 10pm. By then too zonked to do anything but had to force myself to work on a report due for the boss.

Mom's in the hospital due to a high fever after her first chemotherapy session. She had a relapse after her first breast cancer surgery 15 years ago. And a few months back, we were told that her cancer was in Stage 2 so she would have to go through 6 cycles of chemo that will end in December. And after chemo, she might need to go for radiotherapy but it depends.

It's hard to see her cope with chemo and even harder when you cannot do anything to ease the pain. We did what we could to prepare for the chemo. We read up on the internet about the procedure, the effects, what we can do to make it a little easier. You try to prepare for it mentally but when it actually happens, it's a different thing. It hard seeing her cope with the blinding migraine that only morphine could help ease for a little while. It's scary when her fever jumped from 38 deg celsius to 40 deg celsius in 30 minutes. It's scary when you see her hair on the bed or see her hair come off even at the slightest touch. It's hard seeing her not be able to get up from bed on some days because she is just too tired. And this is me just seeing it happen to her. I can only imagine what a person battling cancer has to go through. It's one of those things that you have to go through to truly know what is happening so I am not going to pretend to know how hard it is. I can only empathise.

Am going to help her cut her hair some more tonight so that it's even shorter. It's recommended that you shave your hair off before chemo because the sight of your hair dropping can be a very difficult thing. My Mom is being very brave about the whole situation. The rest of the family is also trying to be brave and support her. But this whole thing about 'being brave' cannot be very good. I think it puts alot of pressure on the person to be okay when he or she is not okay. I think it's good to talk about how one is feeling rather than hide behind a brave front. It can be very therapeutic but maybe it's not an Asian thing to talk about how we feel....

But I guess in life things always happen for a reason. And it's up to us to see the good in every situation, even when it seems very dark and bleak. For my Mom, since her cancer is in Stage 2, she has a higher chance of recovering. And for me, this experience has given me an insight to what it's like for a person going through chemotherapy and a wake up call for me to take better care of my health.

Excuses, Excuses.

In the Singapore education system, we encourage our young to be innovative and entreprising. We encourage creativity. We try to think out of the box. And when stuck in the box, we try and see the box from different perspectives. Get the drift ya...

Was reading a great post in a blog that Slawek recommended and came across this article post on the site - 'My Dog Ate My Homework: Excuses We've Heard'. It's hilarious as I've heard these classic excuses a zillion times. I remember using some of these excuses as a student. And guess what, things have not changed. Some of these excuses are still being used by students today. Can we fault our kids for being creative in their excuses then?

Some other excuses students have used:
1. My book is in my locker but the locker key is with my friend. So I couldn't take the book out for class. (Must be a teen trend to carry things that belong to others)

2. I failed the test because the test paper was poorly set by the teacher. (Oh yes, it's never the student's fault, it's always the teacher's).

3. I cannot do the class work now as I have a Maths test later and if I do your work now, I will forget what I have studied for the Maths test' (Tip to doing well in a test: One must do NOTHING before a test to prevent loss of information in one's brain).

4. My homework was in the pocket of my uniform. When I got home, I forgot about it and washed my uniform. By the time I remembered, it was too late and I couldn't even find the pieces of paper in the washing machine (Yeah, students carry files and huge bags to school and yet, homework/assignments go into their pocket - how convenient).

Recently, I was looking for metal foil/tape to use for my craft work and went to a few places to see if they had them. A salesperson at Art Friend was nice enough to say that they don't have what I needed and recommended some D.I.Y places that might carry them instead. Very nice of him.

I went to a few D.I.Y stores and when I asked them if they had the metal foil I was looking for, I got a 'huh' look from them. Not one to give up so easily, I tried again and described the item using simple terms and hand gestures. It turned out to be a futile exercise. I reached a conclusion that these salespeople are trained NEVER to say that they don't know what I am talking about. Also, they cannot say that they might not carry it...big NO NO there.

Instead these are some of the excuses that I was given:

1. 'It's all there' (they wave their hands in a general direction and expect me to know where to look for the tape).

2. 'We're out of stock' (and when asked when they will have stock, the reply I got was 'it's out of stock' ).

I just ended up leaving the stores totally frustrated. Sometimes, I don't know whether to cry or laugh or bang my head against the wall when I hear the excuses that people use.

Maybe to maintain my sanity, I should just laugh and spread the silliness around....

SEALed with a Kiss.

If only humans could get along and live happily together with one another. Maybe we should take the cue from these seals *grins*. They seem to be getting along just fine.

Happy Birthday Singapore!

I am not the most patriotic person but once a year, you cannot help but be patriotic. It just happens and you have no control over that. Growing up, I remember hiding the national flag when it was close to National Day so that my younger brother would not be able to find it to put it up. Why did I do it? I have no idea. Now that I am older, I don't hide the flag anymore. To think about it, I don't think we even have a flag in the house actually *thinks*. Some weeks back, I was surprised to see a national flag flapping in the wind outside my flat. Thought it was probably the neighbour who put it up. But one evening, on my way back home, I happened to look up and saw a whole row of flags at my block. It seems that the RC people put up the flags this year. Guess they gave up trying to get the residents to put up the flags and went ahead and put it up for us.

We've gone through alot as a country and sometimes we do take things that we have here for granted. It's only when we are away from home that we miss what we have. When I travel, I think that's when I miss Singapore the most. I would miss the food that we have here - from the humble prata at Bencoolen to the array of delicious dishes to choose from at Hajjah Maimunah (at Jalan Pisang). Oh yes, the heavenly desserts that we have - my favourite being goreng pisang! Yummy!!! I would miss the fact that I can shop in the evening after work and not worry that the shops will closed at 4pm! I would miss calling the taxi driver 'uncle' even though he is not a relative! I would miss punctuating my sentences with 'lah' and 'lor' and have the other person understand what I am saying perfectly. I would miss watching Phua Chu Kang on telly. And I guess I would even miss some of the irritating things that some Singaporeans do that make us 'Uniquely Singapore' *grins*

Anyways, here's to more good years for us here in Singapore. To every Singaporean out there, 'Happy National Day'!

Sand Art Anyone?

When was the last time you played with sand or built sandcastles or whatever you're suppose to build when you're at the beach and playing with sand? For me, it was a long time ago - so long that I can't remember when was the last time I actually played with sand. Am wondering if I can convince my boss to agree to allow the kids to have 'sand play' day. Think about it - it's a great team activity, it's fun, it encourages creativity and brings out the kid in everyone of us!

Source of inspiration - retreat last year to Krabi, Thailand. On one of the islands that we visited, we came across this sand art.

Would be really lonely for this dude to be alone on the beach. But thankfully, right next to him, was this pretty lady!

I was amazed when I saw that part of the beach covered with other sand people basking in the sun. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to talk to the guy responsible for such beautiful sand people. But according to my tour guide, the sand artist does nothing but create his sand people everyday. When the tide comes up and washes the his creation away, he comes back the next day and does it all over again. It's this kind of patience that I know I don't have. I would have given up and ask myself 'why bother'. But the sand artist kept coming back day after day simply becaused he enjoyed it - for the sheer pleasure of doing something he enjoyed. Many thought him to be a looney. I thought he was a talented artist that definitely made my trip to the island a wonderful experience.

So here's to the sand artist! Hope that he will continue to bring joy to visitors of the island. And for us who have seen him at work, it's a reminder that simple things can bring great pleasure if only we take the time to stop and enjoy them.

Singapore - A Gracious Society?

I grew up with the Courtesy Campaign. I knew the Courtesy Lion, I used to sing the jingle with the lion when he came on TV. The then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew launched this campaign in 1979 and said 'We want to be courteous because life will be better for all. Courtesy is part of all cultivated societies. Our better material life challenges us to a better quality of human relationships'.

We had to have this campaign run for over twenty odd years and for the very simple reason that Singaporeans were just not getting it. It was embarassing that we needed to be taught to be courteous. And after twenty odd years, we STILL need to be reminded to be courteous. At least for one month a year during the campaign, Singaporeans had to be courteous. Never mind the rest of the year. And it's still around now but it's called the Kindness Movement Campaign. Sounds alot nicer but it serves the same purpose - getting Singaporeans to start thinking about others rather than just themselves.

Went to the movies today. Had a young couple who sat next to me. As the movie was about to start, a guy stood along the aisle looking for his seat. He looked down my row and mumbled to himself that his seat was taken. The couple next to me gave the guy a cursory glance and continued to watch the advertisements on the big screen.

So this guy, went to the row behind me and took a seat that was empty. Ten minutes into the movie, a lady came along and told the guy that he was at her seat. And the guy pointed to the couple infront and said that they took his seat. And the couple, turned around and looked at the guy and 5 seconds later, they moved to their own seats. They had taken his seat, saw him looking for his seat and had done nothing then. They actually thought it was perfectly okay to take another person's seat and leave him stranded without a seat.

And the worse part is that I have witnessed similar incidents like this happening on three other occasions in the cinema. And on one occasion, two young boys couldn't find their seats because two adults took their seats and when the boys came to look for their seats, the adults simply feigned ignorance. Poor boys did not know what to do (probably too scared to approach the two men) and the show had already started and people were telling them to sit down. I felt so bad for the boys and had to go up to them, asked where their seats were and went to the two adults to tell them to go to their own seats. And the adults actually gave me a rude look for telling them to move. Like hello? What's happening here?

I just cannot understand how people can just feign ignorance like that. There is a reason why we buy tickets with seats allocated to us. Too bad if you have bad seats. Just have to come earlier to book tickets then the next time. Adults are doing this and kids follow after adults. Many adults don't realise how kids tend to model after them and by behaving inconsiderately, young kids are learning that it's okay to do so.

How many of us have had instances where people cut queue infront of us for cabs or put their shopping bags on seats at a crowded food court instead of giving it up for others to use? These are just a few of the horrid things that we see happening all the time.

It is so true that life WOULD be better for us if we all learnt to spare a thought for others. We are so focussed on our pursuit for materials things that sometimes we forget what it means to be human, to help out another human being. I know there are many people out there who are kind and courteous. But there are even more people out there who are not.

Are we ready to be a gracious society? I think not. I think we have a long way to go still. Till then, I can only pray that our young will somehow learn that being good, kind and considerate to others is something really important and the reward for being good and kind is knowing that some one else has benefitted from our act of kindness.

Accessorise Me

To cope with work related stress, I make jewellery from beads, stones, glass and whatever else I can get my hands on. It helps me relax and the lovely part about beading is that I get to do what I love and more importantly, avoid doing the work that I am suppose to be doing. Yes, it's basically me in denial and procrastinating and avoiding the inevitable but hey, we all have our own way of dealing with stress!

When I was in uni, I was so into silver. On a good day, I would have about four to five silver rings on each hand. On a bad day I would have err....

Anyways, it was quite a task each time I went to the loo as I had to remove all my rings, wash my hands and then put them back on. Thankfully, it was simply a phase that I went through.

Nowadays, I like making necklaces and braclets. Only thing is that I don't wear them. My friends think I am odd but it's hard to explain *frowns*. I had quite a collection of necklaces and bracelets that I made from semi-precious stones and different types of beads that were collecting dust. Thanks to a good friend who suggested I sell them instead, I now sell my pieces online. I have not made enough to cover my cost yet so my dream of becoming a tai-tai will have to be on hold for now. I have no self-control and no understanding of the word 'budget'. I buy the beads and stones first, and then think about what I will do with them - and it's this kind of thinking that gets me into trouble financially.

But my focus is still on making jewellery and the satisfaction comes from beautiful pieces created that I am proud of. I am currently experimenting with glass slides to create pendants and earrings. Many broken glass slides and a few bleeding fingers later, I completed a few of these glass jewellery. The pendant in the picture is the latest one that I made - one pendant with two different designs (front and back). Yesterday, I wore it to work to test it out and was pleasantly surprised by the positive comments I got.

Looks like the weekend will be spent making more pieces like this! And yes, it's the excuse I need to not do work that seems to be constantly calling out to me *grins*

My first ....

I didn't think deciding what to write for my first entry would be this difficult. Being a typical Singaporean, I could whine about all the things that I am unhappy about. Or I could do the unthinkable and write about the things I AM happy about. Or I could go on and on about myself. Or I could go on and on about my lovely family and friends.

The first entry has to be perfect. And yes, am a perfectionist - just a wee bit though. My friends would beg to differ here but since it's my blog, I get to say how much of a perfectionist I am. So other perfectionists out there would understand how it took me hours (okay fine, I had three failed attempts before this and the last attempt was three months ago) to decide my blog name, which template to choose and yes...what to write for my first entry.

What the hell! This is way too stressful! The first time is always painful but just need to get it over and done with and it's smooth sailing and even enjoyable after that! *grins*

So, here goes - my less than perfect first entry!