Relaxed Week

Brought Scottie to get his microchip done recently, he shat ALLL OVER the nurse cos he was sooo scared and nervous when the vet jabbed him. haha, oh gosh, it was sooo embarrassing, cant imagine how he'd feel if he were a human. It stank of puke and shit and all things nasty but im glad we finally had it done.

Also did my nails with Benita last week!! Wore my pretty dress and new Audrey Hobo bag, sponsored by the veri generous Tian Fen Lan! It's a really pretty bag that can be worn many ways with the different straps that they provide that makes it really versatile and elegant. Been using it very often cos it complements most of my outfits! Be it casual or flirty :) Really adore it, thank you :)

Hee, even brought it along to the pool to paint my nails while waiting for Michael and Duck.

Very pleased with my new French nails, out of the 5 times of gel i did, 3 were french, call me boring but i like it simple, clean and elegant, no one can ever go wrong with that!

I love the little glitter detail that i requested to add on to the french, thankfully it turned out well :)

These are Beni's! Veri pretty, nude pink with silver glitter..

Duck picked us up for more awesome salted egg yolk crab after our manicure, seriously i cant get enuff of this, we've been having it 5 times a mth since the past 2 months and i had it 3 times a wk last wk HAHAHA, omg, talk about obsession.

Advertorial - Tian Fen Lan

Had a really long day today! Went to the L'oreal studio, did a casting and had yummy humchipengs before Michael picked me up. Was supposed to meet in town but being the clumsy, idiotic person i am, i left my wallet at home and had nth on me! i thought i put it in my bag but apparently i didnt!

Thought i took it but it was the same colour as my planner so i missed it. Best thing was, i took a cab and couldnt pay the cab driver when we reached!!! Super paiseh, i had to run up and find Eddie for some cash, i felt bad for the Uncle who had to wait for me! Thankfully i had Eddie and Kate to borrow money from!

Did i mention i received a brand new bag from TIANFENLAN! It's Rock, Chic and Pink!! Couldn't ask for anything better! It's what i need to stuff all my personal belongings, especially cos i need a huge compartment for my purse, planner, parfume, sunglass and my huge ass water bottle. You haf no idea what i stuff inside my bag sometimes, little nothings like gloss, sweets, to my camera and thermal sprays. i've even tried to put my dog into my bag!

I chose this colour out of the many other colours becos it was striking and it was bold. And even though i've nvr been one to follow trends, i thought this accessory would definitely make a bold statement, and a bag says alot about an individual. Even in a spag and jeans, this Balenc. City Tote makes me stand out from the crowd =]

Rock Steady

Held a bbq at Michael's the other nite. Isaac volunteered to come up with some recipes for the bbq, they were so yummy! Cheesy mushrooms and buffalo wings, fried rice, and Jessie helped me with the bacon and asparagus! Makes me salivate and crave just thinking about it!

Duckie insisted on playing with the joker

That was all he did.

One of my favourite pics of the lot!

Nothing compares to awesome food and great company! i forgot to take pictures of the yummy yummy food we had before gorging on them!!

Highlights of the nite: Mac and Joy had yummy brownie thinking i made them.

Isaac's hot selling buffalo wings and cheesy wild mushrooms.

Michael's NON-STOP eating.

Ernest getting owned in drums and laughing his ass off at himself.

Eric and Gwen vying to play the drums.

Jessie so loving towards my little dog, she was dead serious about bringing him home! [ Next time ok? :) ]

Abel - Singing sensation with his hit song - Don't look back in anger. He oughta be in a rockband.

Melo singing the sweetest version of No Doubt's "Running". They should haf a duets in RB so the couple can sing tgt!

Duckie surprising me with his helpful act!! Picking me from work, buying groceries and finishing most of my humchipeng. thank you!! ;D

Also, thanks for the great food and the wonderful company everyone!

Photoshoot with Colin Wee

Did a photoshoot with Colin Wee several weeks ago. Will be able to get the high res ones when he's back in town. Hope the clients like the pictures!

This was actually the first shot of the day, and Colin really liked it, he said veri gei long that we managed to get the shot aft the first shot. I liked the other pics but aft viewing the rest, he deleted all of em'! omg so sad, i guess he figured this was it.

The key was to look comfortable and MATURE, veri veri mature!

Lawrence, was my partner for that day. We were actually reading a photobook filled with pictures of famous naked women haha it was pretty embarrassing but thankfully it also broke some ice.

Sun Care & Recommendations

Did you know you're not only exposed to the sun's harmful rays when you're out shopping, strolling at the beach or driving in your car but even when you're at home behind the curtains? At the office and even under strong studio lights?

There are many harmful effects from sun exposure such as wrinkling, premature skin aging and skin damage due to UVA/UVB rays, therefore it is very important, for everyone and even more so for us girls to protect our beautiful skin (becos we wanna stay beautiful!) from the sun's harmful rays.

There are two kinds of ultraviolet radiation that affect the skin: UVB and UVA. UVB (the one that causes sunburn) does not generally get indoors whereas UVA (the one that causes skin wrinkles) does so with relative ease.

So unless your home and office have special windows with full spectrum UV protection, otherwise, i'd suggest you start protecting yourself from UVA/UVB as soon as possible!

So i thought i'd share a few products that i personally use because i know girls who don't apply sunscreen (e.g. my 22 yr-old sister who has no skin care regime) and boys who don't apply sunblock at all (even before they tan)!! That's a BIG NO NO!


The first product i used was a PRINCESS sunscreen lotion SPF 30 (arnd $30 for slightly less than 50ml) that my mom got me from People's Park. Dermatologists agree that you need at least SPF 30 to protect your skin from the sun. And usually in the beginning, i'd sometimes wonder if these products REALLY work because i wldnt know unless im out in the sun all day and i come home with my face 2 shades darker than the rest of my body, then i can truely say that it doesnt work, but the truth is, after the application, my skin remains the same or a shade lighter than the rest of my body. So im guessing what experts say must be true and sunscreens really do work right? 5.5/10.

I decided i wanted something stronger so i got the Avene - VERY HIGH PROTECTION CREME SPF 50 (ard $50).

Usually, the higher the SPF, the oilier it gets. I guess this product is best suited for people with sensitive skin, however, i'd like to add that my face was quite oily after the first app and i'd always dab on some powder after. So i wasnt very thrilled about that but overall, i thought this product was pretty good. 6.5/10.

Btw, ALWAYS ALWAYS ask for a sample before you decide to purchase any product, the sample usually enables you to use up to 4 apps (depending on how much you use) and you'd be able to tell whether the product is suitable for your skin or not.

Lately, i tried a new series of products from CHARMZONE, it has a range of luxurious skin care cosmetics from Korea that isn't very readily available in the market yet but is really big in Korea (more on that later).

One of the first few products i tried was their Albatoss Powder Sun after i heard about its awesome matte finish. It has an SPF 41, thats very high considering its non-oily and my skin feels so good! I don't haf to dab on extra powder or worry that my skin is gonna turn sticky in mere minutes.

It's perfect for days when i wanna go out without any makeup and when i'm at home especially in a city like Singapore, we literally perspire indoors even with the fans turned on! So the powdery effect is a huge plus point for me! I'd say out of the many sunscreen lotions i tried, this has got to be the best. (You can drop a comment if you are keen on the product as i might be ordering some soon!) 9/10.

And for my body, i use the SUNPLAY SPF 130 ($17), it's waterproof and its perfect for ppl like me who don't wanna get the slightest tan in the sun when im out. Though I only usually use it when i go for a swim. Guardian is having a promo now, i recently bought mine at arnd $15 and it comes with a complimentary mini bottle of the same product. 8/10.

Apparently, the Best Sunscreen in the world is the La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL which i havent tried but i'll let you know when i do. It has a chemical "Mexoryl" that is known all over the world to protect skin from wrinkle-causing UVA-rays.

Of cos, other than sunscreen, we may use products that may contain SPF too, products such as lipbalm, bb cream, foundation etc but because their SPF is usually lower and it's a 2-in-1/3-in-1 product, i would not rely them alone because i'm not sure how well they work.

Just to run over the facts/products again:

1. Research shows that 90% of wrinkles are caused by the sun's UVA light and sun damage is the #1 cause of premature aging in men and women.

2. Why are UVA rays so bad? Even at low-level exposures, UVA light breaks down sun collagen,
which causes wrinkles. Even worse, scientists have found that UVA is the main culprit for many melanomas because it reaches deep into the underlying support structure of the skin.

3. You need at least an SPF 30 to protect your sun from the skin.

4. Sunscreen must be applied every 2 hours when staying outdoors for a prolonged period of time. Sunscreen should also be applied 30mins before going outdoors.

Products:

1. Princess Sunscreen Lotion in SPF 30 ($30++)

2. Avene Very High Protection Cream in SPF 50 ($50++)

3. CHARMZONE Powder Sun ($30++)

4. La Roche - Posay Anthelios XL (price unavail.)

5. SUNPLAY SPF 130 ($17 ++)

That's about all for Sun Care today, i hope the products turn out well for you if you decide to use them, and rmb to ALWAYS apply sunblock/tanning lotion if you're going for a swim! (My bf just returned with a massive sunburnt after his swim last wkend because he decided he did not need sunblock ;D)

Cheerios!

You know when you ask a man/your bf what you should eat for lunch, and they always say anything because they know whatever that they suggest, we(girls) would most of the time just say "No" even though previously, we said "i can eat anything la".

Well thats not so true and hence, they've become accustomed to using the word "anything" more than anything else ( i may be just generalising).

Or sometimes, when we asked if we could go this place, and later do this thing and watch this show and they'd say," anything", and it annoys you to no end because thats the answer he ALWAYS gives and it makes you feel as if he doesnt care, that he doesnt wanna do it but he's just patronising?

Well, i've kinda tweeked my thinking a lil bit and i've come to the conclusion that i'd be more accepting.

Gwen: Do you wanna go out for dinner after i have my hair done or eat my mom's food?
Gwen: I also wanna watch Iron man 2!!
Michael: :o
Michael: anything la
Gwen: -.-
Gwen: don't like the anything answer
Gwen: but i guess its better than no right?
Michael: thats right. LOL

Ip Man 2 ( No spoilers!)

Babylin and i just ended the Ip Man 2 Premiere at the Grand Cathay. We're so fortunate that his sis-in-law gave complimentary tickets to the movie!)

We've been looking forward to watching the Donnie Yen sequel ever since we watched the trailer. We arrived early for the premiere thinking it would commenced on time BUT of cos, ppl being ppl were late haha but it was all right, we waited in anticipation and im glad premieres never had to air any commercials.

I MISS the old chinese kungfu movies, all those stories about war and disputes with the different schools and clans - packed with breath-taking fist fights and awesome kungfu choreography. This is THE martial arts film of the year and you wouldn't wanna miss it! The movie did not fail to live up to its prequel and the entire show was literally packed with non-stop kungfu scenes! i love kungfu, and i love Donnie Yen! His personification of Ip Man was genuine and believable. Sammo Hung was really impressive as well.

I thought the pacing of the movie was even better than the first, it was slightly faster than the previous and i liked the built-up of the tension before each fight, the cast was great, and i thought the new guy in the show is pretty cute too. And i made so much noise in the cinema cos some of the fist fights were really brutal! I'd go YAY when he won a fight and WOAH! when the shi-fus got punched hard in the face T_T hahaha

All in all, this has got to be the best kungfu show since Huo Yuan Jia, and i love Jet Li in all his chinese kungfu shows but Donnie Yen has got to be the new king of modern chinese kungfu movies.

Ip Man or Donnie Yen, i've got to say that this awe-inspiring film is undeniably one of the best chinese films we've seen in a long time. I've come to discover more about this great hero who's made all us Chinese proud (even though what i loved most about the movie was really, his unstoppable Wing Chun fists). It's already hard enough for me to keep up as a good daughter or a good student, least to say a good person but i genuinely believe he was a good father, husband, grandmaster, a good person and a great hero (perhaps even unknowingly). His passion, humility and generosity has humbled me. I really hope i'd turn out to be a good parent and a good teacher as well "when i grow up".

I hope film-makers continue to make more old chinese martial arts film like this in the near future! :)

Ratings: 9/10 ( 1 star less only because i wished the movie never ended!)

"In this life, we may have different statuses, but one's integrity should never be more or less than another's." - Ip Man