Letting go: Having happier thoughts makes us look better & younger .

I bump into a friend just yesterday while shopping. Have not seen her for ages- 15 years to be exact. We ended up having coffee at Dome, catching up with each other's life.

She used to be a very cheerful person. This 15 years had been tough. The children are driving her nuts. The son who could study didn't 'choose' the 'right' insituition & courses. The ones who couldn't study , she worry about their future. She also worry about her husband's career & mother's health. The list goes on! Poor thing!

It all show on the face. She look so intense, there's like a perpetual angry look about her. I told her that & that's when she told me all these things that has been bothering her. In retrospect, her situation is hardly unique. Many are suffering almost similarly right? These problems are universal. She said I'm lucky. But am I? I told her that's because I see things a little different & dwell not on the problems at hand, but more on the would be solutions.

I do have the same problems with my kids but I don't let it bother me that much. We cant 'protect' them all their lives. They will make mistakes, just part of life & growing up, no use worrying too much over them.Just be there when things go south for them.

As we grow older we need to let go. Nothing makes us look better than having happier thoughts all the time. Hope my friend will see that eventually.

LKY is the Biggest deal Singapore ever had !

I cant help but want to say Thank You to LKY,  for his foresight & his sacrifice for our Singapore.

For those of you who were born after the 8o's, you might not know what's the big deal. As you were born into an already modernized country. Well let me tell you, he is a big deal- NO- he is probably the Biggest Deal ,Singapore has, since Day 1!

Just to mention the most rudimentary things like our fancy roads, aircon buses ,MRT, efficient services like : the ease of opening of pub accounts, telephone services, getting a passport- do you think, all these things you take for granted came out from nothing? He made it all possible. Dont believe, just go to any of our neighboring countries, & compare just these few things I've just mentioned. You are living a better life & have more opportunities because of him !
So be thankful, stop complaining & do better  !

Quotes on Beauty :)

To begin the new year I would like to share some quotes from famous people about beauty :

People are like stained-glass windows.  They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Beautiful isn't it?

 “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”

― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

“Sometimes people are beautiful.

Not in looks.

Not in what they say.

Just in what they are.”

― Markus Zusak, I Am the Messenger

“Crying is for plain women. Pretty women go shopping.”

― Oscar Wilde

How do you dress fashionably at middle age ?

1. Choosing the right hemline

Choosing the right hemline is important. Above the knee can be too muttony, whereas below the knee can seem a tad matronly — in your 40s it’s flattering to hit the knee.

2. Flatter your waist

Believe or not, we all have a waist hidden away somewhere and defining it is a good way to look chic in your 40s. You can use a belt with things you might not have thought to, such as shirts, cardigans and even coats. Structure is the key thing to bear in mind as you age. It helps to frame your body and face.

3. Cropped jackets & Scarves

This is one of my favourite tips. The cropped jacket really is like a magic wand of fashion. It’s youthful, and creates a great silhouette. Scarves are another big tip for your 40s. They soften your look and help to inject the latest fashionable print. But it’s important that you tie it carefully so it doesn’t look frumpy.

4. Don’t squeeze into clothes

This tip isn’t about being slim - it’s about thinking about the shape around your body that your clothes make, whatever your size. You want it to be strong and clean, with enough room to breathe and adequate material not to cling to tricky zones. So don’t squeeze yourself into clothes that are too small. Buy ones that give you the best outline.

5. Forget the mini-skirt

You’ll look as if you are competing with your teenage daughter, in a mini-skirt. You want to look good in your own right, not as if you’re desperately trying to cling on to youth.

If you still have great legs , & do not want to wear a mini-skirt any more, straight jeans  & leggings are the way for you to show them off. But it’s important to focus on just one area so we can kept the top half looser. The jacket provides structure and is reminiscent of a Chanel boucle jacket. It’s very elegant.

Bad Habits :

Taking bites all day instead of having a proper meal

Two bites of your child’s  leftover breakfast be it noodles or pancakes, a kopi C on your way to work, a quarter of a bun or donut before 9 , and all of a sudden, you’ve eaten at least a quarter of your daily allotment of calories before you’ve even sat down to start work for the day.

I know,it's lovely BUT so fattening !

When you’re busy and stressed, taking small bites here & there seems simpler than actually planning a proper “diet” meal. But this way can backfire when you’re trying to lose or maintain weight. It is better to have a few go-to breakfast and lunch options. They don’t need to be fancy: Two halfboiled eggs, & some crackers can work fine as breakfast.

For a satisfying lunch, make or pick up a  light tuna salad or order a fish soup with half bowl of rice. Having and sticking to a few easy-to-pull-together options that are rich in protein will keep you feeling full, help you consume fewer calories, and give your body more nutrition than simply eating whatever crosses your path. When you are older, you really need to be more careful as the body does not process food in the usual way anymore!

OMG.... Raquel Welch at 73 !!!

You might not know her, but Miss Raquel Welch was one of those super first SEX Symbol of the generation before mine :) Saw this pic of her  & I thought I really have to include it in my blog. Ladies this is how you rock it at 73 !!!!

Also the picture that made her famous & cement her status as a sex symbol. The bikini that changed everything: The then 26-year-old became one of the world's most desired woman after being cast in the 1966 film One Million Years B.C.

Tips on staying young

1.    Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them -- that is why you pay them.

2.    Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3.    Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4.    Enjoy the simple things.

5.    Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6.    The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7.    Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8.    Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9.    Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county. Travel to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10.  Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.