Hair, your Crowning Glory

Hair that covers our head and frames our face is otherwise knownas our crowning glory, especially for the fairer sex.

Hair comes in different textures, coarse or fine.Those who have coarse hair appear to have much more while those with baby fine hair appear to have less on their head. Hair also comes in different colours, whether natural or out of the bottle.

As we age, we tend to lose our hair although for the lucky ones, they retain what was given to them ever since they were born.

I'm not so lucky in this department. I've lost quite a lot of hair along the way, after childbirth, as I grow older, so much so that I dont like looking at my image sometimes. I've spent a lot of money trying to arrest the hair fall but unfortunately they don't appear to work.

However, there's a solution for people like me and I'm sure there are many folks out there who face the same problem, whether male or female.
Thanks to creative people, we can have different hair styles, short, long, straight or curly.

Yes, I'm talking about wigs! Just put one on and viola! We look different! Yes, the wigs these days are so natural that one cant tell the difference, unless of course you give the game away.


I've put on wigs on a couple of occasions and my! Some of my friends couldnt tell it was me! Speak of surprises! So don't be afraid to try out wigs, especially the black wigs that can be sassy or sultry, depending on the style you choose.

Hectic weekend

The last weekend has been a most hectic one!

I attended a seminar, had my brain washed and the cobwebs sluiced out! It was quite an eye-opener, this re-conditioning of the mind. Finding out my weaknesses was an important discovery and now I have to work on self-development.

I would like to share that it is very important to have a positive mindset as negativity is a major obstacle to one's success.

At the end of each day it is good to note down what one has achieved that day. This should be in the form of journalling so that we can see our progress. Success is after all a habit of doing the right things. Success breeds success. So the success journal will encourage one to keep on track.

The week ended with a quick peek into Orchard Road. The Christmas

lights are in place and they are very pretty. I liked the lilac Christmas tree in front of the ION building. It's not a real tree as in the fir trees that are the universal symbols of Christmas but lovely decorations and lights built into the shape of fir tree.

This tree is very unusual in that people could go inside it. We went in and saw many people with their cameras angling upwards to catch the lights within the tree.

Indeed Orchard Road looked like a lady all dressed to the nines, with beautiful baubles and accessories.

The difference between Singapore and Malaysia during this festive season is that the Malaysian shopping malls are decorated to the hilt by talented and creative designers whereas in Singapore, it is the street lights that are beautifully creative, not unlike those in Oxford Street and Regent Street in London.

Stress, the Thief of Joy and Well-being

We are all under stress, some to a greater extent, others, less. There's no escape because of our lifestyles.

In our pursuit of a better life, meaning greater affluence, high-end goods, travel and good food, we are under constant stress to perform well in order to bring home these rewards.

However, stress affects our physical and mental health. When it becomes too much to bear, something has to give....either we fall ill or our minds become affected. We can spiral downward into depression.

Bearing this in mind, we should try to avoid over stressing ourselves. Pressure at work is something we must learn to manage. Effective time management can lessen the stress. Whatever can be delegated should be and we shouldn't take on more than we can cope with. Tasks should be prioritised and each should be completed before another is tackled.

At the end of each day, review what has been accomplished. What could not be completed, leave it for the next day. Before you leave for home, complete your list of tasks for the next day. This will ensure that you do not waste any time when you come in the next morning.

Go home thinking of the positives and don't dwell on the negatives.

Kolam

Deepavali is next week, November 5th to be exact. It is the Indian Festival of Lights celebrated by Indians.

The Kolam is a distinctive feature in Indian homes, usually at the entrance. It is drawn in geometrical designs or in curved loops by the women in the family, using colorful rice powder.

The Kolam is to welcome the Goddess Lakshimi, Goddess of Prosperity into their homes and to ward away evil spirits.
There were two lovely kolams in the Mid Valley Shopping Mall.

Many schools also celebrate Deepavali by drawing kolams. This is another way of appreciating the different cultures in Malaysia as the schools have students from different ethnic backgrounds.

Did you know?

I never realised how important our liver is. It is not surprising to think that our heart is the most important organ in our body since its action of squeezing and pumping keeps us alive.

However, do you know that it is the liver that enables us to function properly?

It not only detoxifies the toxin filled junk that we consume but also stores energy by stockpiling sugar in the form of carbohydrates, glucose and fat which it releases when our body needs it. Without the liver the sugar level in our blood could fall so low that we will lapse into a coma. It also stores iron, vitamins and minerals that we need.

What does it detoxify? It detoxifies the poisonous chemicals which come in the alcohol we drink, in the beer, the wine
and also the drugs that we take, whether they are prescribed or over-the-counter ones.
Needless to say the most toxic will be the illegal ones such as cannabis, cocaine and heroin, just to name a few.
It also detoxifies what we breathe in from the polluted environment around us.

We are bombarded by exhaust fumes from motor vehicles and factories. Even the water we swim or bathe in is polluted by chemicals. Without the liver we will soon be poisoned by these pollutants.

What else does the liver do? It makes the blood that goes through our system, delivering nutrients to our various organs. It is also responsible for making our blood clot so that we do not bleed to death when we cut ourselves accidentally.

It defends us against the germs we inhale and manufactures new proteins that our body needs to stay healthy and to grow.

Now that we know how vital the liver is, we should take good care of it. One of the ways that we can reduce the burden of the liver is to drink less alcohol, consume less drugs ( include supplements as well )and drink more water. Prolonged abuse of the liver leads to scarring or hardening which in turn could develop into cancer.


While working in the garden when we use insecticides or pesticides, we should protect our skin from absorbing the fumes by covering up and wearing a face mask. This goes for the aerosols that we may use in our homes too.

Last but not least, a regular checkup at the doctor's is recommended.

Change Your Look

It's easy to change the way you look when you have a bad hair day.

There are many types of wigs that you can try on and immediately see a different you in the mirror. It's quite an experience and you should try it out. I did.

If you've never tried having long hair ( oh, those lovely long tresses! ), you dont have to wait for your hair to grow. That could take forever. You can have instant long hair by getting a wig or a hair extension.

Or you could have short curly hair. When you sport different hair styles, your appearance changes too. You can also have hair of different colors. There's no need to dye your hair. Simply try a wig of different color, be it blonde or brunette or simply black.

Getting Testy with Age

Age changes a person. When once you were quick on the move and energetic, these days your movements are much slower. Doing things seem to take a longer time. Those of you who are older will know this, right? We change not only physically but also mentally. I find myself no exception.

On the flight back I got rather annoyed with the passenger in the next seat whose arm and elbow kept crowding my already limited space. Aircraft seats are notoriously narrow and placed much too close together these days in order to squeeze in more passengers.

I dislike being in close contact albeit an arm on the armrest separating the seats. I waited to see if the person was sensitive enough to realise that his arm was continuously brushing against mine because his elbow had intruded into my space. I was getting uncomfortable by then as I couldn't concentrate on my reading.

Not wanting this situation to last throughout the duration of the flight, I told him not to crowd my space and pointed out that his arm should not cross the middle of the arm rest.

I think that shocked him and he quickly moved his arm and kept it on his lap.He promptly closed his eyes and went to sleep. As for me, I was able to relax in my little bit of space for the rest of the flight.

Some people feel that it isn't "nice" to tell people even if it means having to put up with your own discomfort. But hey, you are equally entitled to your comfort and you don't have to put up with any situation that makes you feel uncomfortable. We need to speak up at times. We shouldn't have to feel that we must be "nice" all the time.

Mid-Autumn Festival

On Sept 22nd, the mid-autumn festival will be celebrated with mooncakes and lanterns. People will join those of Chinese descent to enjoy the mooncakes while watching the moon and the children will be playing with lighted lanterns of different shapes and designs. That night the moon will be at its largest and prettiest.

Many legends surround this festival but the main one (narrated by my grandma) is that of Chang Er who flew away to the moon after stealing and swallowing the pill of immortality, to prevent the wicked emperor from consuming it so that he would not be able to oppress his people for eternity.

The traditional mooncakes were usually lotus paste with single or double salted egg yolk and red bean paste (tausa). Children were given mooncake biscuits put in small mini replicas of pig cages.
In the olden days, couples found guilty of adultery were sentenced by village elders to drown in pig cages. These biscuits can take different shapes. Today we saw some in the shape of piglets but these were not put into the mini pig cages.


Nowadays the mooncakes are of countless varieties, ranging from the traditional cakes with lotus paste filling and salted egg yolks to modern ones filled with liquer, and others with pastes made from different fruit and vegetables.
There are also green tea and herbal mooncakes, tiramisu and cheese and chocolate mooncakes as well! Fortunately they also have sugarless mooncakes now so that diabetics can also enjoy them.
Then there are the snowskin mooncakes. The skin is not baked but the paste filling is cooked. These snowskin mooncakes also come in many varieties
The durian snowskin mooncakes which we were given as a gift were absolutely delicious. The durian flesh was very aromatic and the mooncake skin was very thin unlike others which were thicker.

Chinatown has its own decorations to welcome the event. This year there are lanterns of different colors.

At Clarke Quay, along the Singapore River, there are lantern floats on the river,

and along the banks are lanterns made to represent the different zodiac signs.

There are many stalls on the bank, showcasing Taiwanese food but they are only open in the evening into the late night when the place will come alive with lights and tourists. There is an on-going promotion of Taiwan at the moment to encourage tourists to visit it.
Meanwhile in Kuala Lumpur there will also be events staged to celebrate the festival and lanterns will also be featured.

Happy Autumn Festival, everyone!

Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore

It was a quick ride on the packed Sentosa Express from Harbour Front to Sentosa Island where the Resorts World Sentosa is. This is the view from VivoCity, a shopping mall at Harbour Front which is opposite Sentosa Island.


The first stop was Water Front where the integrated resorts are built. The structures that greet you once you step out of the train stop are very modern and pleasing to the eye and there is ample space for moving around so that you will not feel cramped and crowded-in even if there are many people.



There are different levels which make the place more interesting. The Lake of Dreams, actually pools of water, has fountains and sculptures with a picturesque background.


There are six hotels, I think, in this integrated resort and a casino that draws both locals and foreigners. In the lobby there is a huge sculpture of Adam and Eve.

Leading off the lobby is the gallery that houses branded boutiques selling watches, bags, jewellery, etc. catering to the well-heeled.


There is the Forum which is a long walk with restaurants, pubs and souvenir shops on both sides and on two levels. People were thronging this area and many were seated on the benches placed here and there for the feet-weary.


Outside the Forum are candy trees that draw attention to the shops that offer these tempting candies.
Tickets for Universal Studios were sold out and many disappointed people had to content themselves taking photographs outside the entrance.

Other attractions were available and queues could be seen at the ticketing booths. Popular restaurants also had queues waiting for tables.

After our feet’s long ignored protests and with energy levels flagging, we decided to call it a day and took the express back to the mainland where it was another hassle boarding the tightly packed MRT back to where our son stays.