I was one of those girls you’d love to hate in high school. When I smile, I flash two rows of perfectly-sized, perfectly-spaced pearly white teeth. I was almost a Helen of Troy, the face that launches a thousand ships.
NOT!
Admittedly I had low-maintenance teeth *ahem*, but I was (and some say still am), a nerd. The only club I knew was the Leo Club. The only high society I joined was the English Literary & Debating Society. As a Girl Guide, I won the “Best Camper” award at the Rover’s Venture Camp .
You would think people change with age, but the Peter Parker type of blood still seems to run in my veins. I haven’t been to any of the MOS or St James Power Station and it’s not because I have any skewed view of it but because I indulge by wearing flannel pajamas and reading Philip Yancey paperbacks.
I guess having low-maintenance teeth helps with going through the competitive school girl years without much effort. For those who are not as blessed, may I suggest Beverly Hills tooth whitening services. *ahem*
Lili told me her dream is to wear a white satin gown on her wedding day. I was so surprised. I thought all brides dream of wearing white lace, no?
Then I remembered this quiz she sent me on Facebook.
Surprise, surprise! The results that I got (above) are the complete opposite of Lili’s (below).
Now I understand. There are some women who prefer traditional weddings and there are some who prefer a fun-filled one. God created each of us unique!
Previously, I had excitedly said to Lili how she *must* wear a traditional Kua for her wedding but now I realize, a modern and glamorous gown may be a better fit to let her personality and inner beauty shine. I feel sorry now to have suggested wearing a traditional Kua. Lili, If it’s not your personal choice, you don’t have to feel obliged!
Click to take theWhat Kind of Bride Will You Be quiz on Facebook.
Even though I do not live a fully organic lifestyle, I admit to feeling uncomfortable when I slather on chemical-laden moisturizers on my body and face. That is why, the highlight of my Thailand trip was discovering few range of organic beauty products at Boots Pharmacy for very reasonable prices.
I brought back a few to try and totally fell in love, I don’t even have the words to describe how excellent they are. Too bad Thailand is so far away, how I itch to fly there again. 
Today I discovered an all natural spf 30+ Zinc Oxide Sunscreen online which sounds like another excellent product.
The UV Natural Sunscreens received the highest rating from the Environmental Working Group for both safety and efficacy. It claims to use only natural ingredients, there’s even formulations for babies and sports enthusiasts. The Sports formulation claims to resist sweat and/or water for up to 4 hours.
UV Natural Sunscreens promises each bottle is filled to the brim with moisturizing oils that protect and moisturize skin. Does that sound good to you? It sure sounds good to me! 
So I went for a facial and Renee recommended that I take an algae treatment. I like this idea since the most luxurious cream in the world, Creme de La Mer, is made of algae.
But a few days before, I had walked into a wholesale shop that supplies treatments to beauty parlors. The jars that I saw contained 0.05% algae and were labeled algae treatment. The rest of the ingredients were too dodgy for pronunciation.
Even though Renee’s shop front says “Dermalogica”, I have reasons to believe she does not use only Dermalogica products. True enough, at the end of the treatment, she recommended that I buy a new beauty product and it wasn’t Dermalogica. Worse, I read the label and found its secret moisturizing ingredient - Mineral Oil, slammed all over the internet for hurting more than helping baby soft skin.
I felt so frustrated. Why is it so difficult to get good beauty treatments with good algae over here? Ding Ding! Back home, I had a brilliant idea.
Since I can’t paste algae all over my face, why don’t I just swallow it?
Here’s my bottle of Spirulina. Arguably the world’s best algae for face and body. I feel brilliant. 
Today is a slow day for work, so I went for a facial!
My beautician today is Renee, a lovely girl from Gajah Berang, Melaka. As she gently massaged my face with fragrant cream, Renee wanted to know, what stops me from moving to Singapore.
My instant reply? Accommodation.
Even though there are plenty of homes available in Singapore, it isn’t quite the same as staying in one with my own lush garden and my three scroungy dogs. I know that when I do move to Singapore, it will probably be for years, if not forever, so I’m in no hurry to get there right now.
I suppose finding apartments in Singapore is similar to finding apartments in any bustling city such as apartments in Chicago. The more developed the place, the less likely you’ll get a chance to stay in a suburban home with deep green lawn flanked with rose bushes.
At least in Singapore, I’ve heard it might be possible to find such homes in Sengkang or Seletar. For Chicago apartments however, you will need all the help you can get from Chicago apartment finders to get apartments Chicago IL at all.
March 14, 2008 – 12:13 pm
After a few days in the drier climate of China, the delicate skin on my face started peeling. Ouch! I felt so sad when I felt my face with my fingers. Not only was it slightly painful, I thought I wouldn’t be able to take any pretty photos of myself for the trip. 
Before I left, Steph had warned this may happen so I did prepare my skin with an extra layer of moisturizer. The locals didn’t have any trouble with peeling skin at all though. I wonder if it’s simply a matter of drinking more water? Or is their famous Longjing tea boiled in mineral water from the Tiger Springs?
When I came back, I felt I should search for a more hydrating moisturizer so I read with interest how Dr. Chantal Burnison had recently produced a breakthrough skin-rejuvenating molecule, Ethocyn. This molecule not only moisturizers well, it also claims to be able to help both men and women reduce the natural effects of aging on their skin’s appearance.
To get Ethocyn, I will need to seek out my friend who is a full-time Nuskin distributor. I am also feeling tempted to get the SKII Facial Treatment Masks over the counter.
Helloooo hello! For the next eight days, I will be in a land far far away. Can you guess where this is? Here are photos from my first day to give you a clue.
Based on these photos, I’m sure you will easily guess which country this is. But can you guess the specific location in the specific city? If you guess correctly, I will bring back all the way from here a special gift for you. I will personally go shopping on the last day and pick out a gift just for you!
Have you figured it out yet? Leave a comment to guess!
February 2, 2008 – 1:35 pm
CNY is coming! Time to prettify my pretty self. *shy*
I went for a walk around the town centre and knocked on the door of a salon. Forty minutes later, I came out looking like this:-
You like?
February 1, 2008 – 10:03 pm
The weather is slightly less humid in Chiang Mai so after a few days there, my lips were chapped and my skin was peeling. M suggested that we girls should have a facial night where we lounge around in the hotel room with our faces plastered in masks. What a great idea!
She showed me her Garnier mask which I unabashedly slathered over my face. It did sooth me for the moment, but it didn’t perform miracles.
When I reached Singapore, I stumbled upon this Chinese concoction while window-shopping.
It promises to be 100% natural. I was suitably intrigued.
At home, I unwrapped the first mask and almost vomited. You know those herbal concoctions that your grandma brewed over a charcoal stove? The kind that includes the head of a cockroach and the left foot of a lizard as well as assorted roots of plants? Well, that’s how “fragrant” it is.
I held my breath and pasted it carefully over my sunburnt and dehydrated face.
The results? Teeheeehee, tell you later! 
January 31, 2008 – 7:11 pm
Heya peeeple, how are you right now? I just came back from a time-wasting appointment. I was called out for some work but after hanging around for two hours, discovered that the person I was supposed to meet had not been informed of the date! Fa-lala-lala. It was all the way in the west too. Thank GOD my taxi fare was reimbursed.
Today I’d like to talk about choosing names. When I was born, my dad choose a really cool name for me which I love very much. I love it because it sounds so cheerful, I love it because it is so easy for my chinese friends to remember, and I love it because I was named after an amazing woman who was the first female President of the People’s Republic of China.. My name in chinese is
庆龄
Isn’t that lovely? *smiles*
However, this isn’t as easy for my western friends to remember. So, when I started a sales job years ago, I googled up lots of baby names and shortlisted a few. After that, Nic and I sat down together to pick our favorite - Hillary. To keep things simple, I decided to use Hilary with a single ‘L’.
Later, Hillary Clinton would run for presidency and the name Hillary would become well known in both Asia and Europe. This stirred confusion among my friends because they couldn’t figure out if they should spell my name with a single “L” or a double “L”. Since I’m all for keeping things simple, I’m now a Hillary with a double “L”!
You can call me Hillary or 庆龄 or Precious, whichever you prefer.
