SHOPPING FOR SHOES GOOD FOR HEALTH...here's proof!

According to a British study, the rise in heart rate that women experience when they buy shoes is good for their health. The thrill of seeing and acquiring a pair of shoes can send a woman's heart racing up to 120 beats per minute, i.e. around 50 more than the normal rate. This is the same level reached by a woman who performs a 5-minute session at the gym.

The study also reveals that this rise only occurs with the purchase of shoes, buying new clothes or bags generates only a 10% rise in heart beats. According to Linda Papadopoulos the psychologist who managed this study, one quarter of women feel more confident when they wear high heels and one third of women choose their shoes before looking for the dress to go with. For most women, buying shoes is an activity they appreciate and half of them enjoy shopping in small groups.

The Danger of Passionate Kissing

I know this posting is a little behind time but I just discovered this hilarious but true article about the alleged dangers of kissing, courtesy of Reuters. Read on...

The kiss of deaf - Chinese man ruptures girlfriend's eardrum

Mon Dec 8, 2008 
BEIJING (Reuters) - A young woman in southern China has partially lost her hearing after her boyfriend ruptured her eardrum during an excessively passionate kiss, local media reported Monday.

The 20-something girl from Zhuhai, in southern Guangdong province, went to hospital completely deaf in her left ear, the China Daily said, citing a report in a local newspaper.

"The kiss reduced pressure in the mouth, pulled the eardrum out and caused the breakdown of the ear," the paper quoted a doctor surnamed Li from the hospital as saying.

The woman's hearing would likely return to normal after about two months, Li said.

"While kissing is normally very safe, doctors advise people to proceed with caution
," the paper said.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Nick Macfie)

So, the next time you embark on that passionate embrace, avoid being kissed on the ear at all costs! Imagine what else got sucked out? How about ear wax for a start?

Dog Abuse at Harbin

Visitors sit on a sled pulled by huskies in front of a giant Santa Claus ice sculpture
for the upcoming 25th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival at a park in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. 

Looking at this picture makes me feel outraged at these Chinese people. In case you haven't noticed, these 2 huskies are dragging a sled equipped with one BIG umbrella, 2 adults and a child. The handler is pulling a taut chain wound around one husky. The tourists in the sled are oblivious to the plight of these scrawny dogs and have a sort of bemused expression on their faces.

You can see the poor dogs straining under their combined weight. This is so cruel. They need at least 8 dogs for this kind of job. Yet the Chinese have no respect for the well-being of their animals. Everything comes down to dollars and cents. 

If you ever make a trip to Harbin, please do the right (singaporean) thing: complain to the management. Animals have rights too!

Me as an Angel

Check out my cute little wings...specially for Christmas

The most handsome PM in the world...


Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva may be the best-looking Prime Minister in office currently. He looks almost like a movie star. His obvious chiseled features are not lost on newscasters, who hardly fail to mention this in reports. 

Many Thais have a good opinion of this intelligent man. Let's hope he does good for Thailand after the tumultuous season last month.

Newest Nike Advertisement Starring George W Bush

George Bush 'stars' in Nike's latest commercial. These Nike advertising agency is really impressive....very very fast to catch the latest buzz. It's so funny at the same time. So, remember to stock up on Nike the next time you wanna throw some shoes. I can think of a certain minister in charge of Transport in Singapore who might wise up with a well-aimed knock to the head.

In case you're not in the know, basically he Mr Raymond Lim claims that fuel prices have nothing to do with transport hikes. Apparently this hike is tagged to wage increases. Like all Singaporeans were born yesterday! With the current decline in oil prices, I should think that the public transport operators are already more than compensated for whatever costs they were struggling with. To hell with him and the lies!

Bottletree Park

Welcome to Bottletree Park at ulu Yishun. This place is really quite cool. Named after the tree i think. There's quite a bit to do in this small place actually, mostly of the fishing type. There was this big big lotus pond and you can ride on this' swan thing'. Then there was this pond I thought was a wishing well, except that there were huge fishes in it of more than a metre long each. They looked really evil..haha.

The restaurant looked quite interesting for BBQ or if you want, can catch and cook your own prawns. Those with kids can fish in their little rocky pond catching guppies.

Well, so there, perfect for the Singaporean family on a budget looking for stuff to do. This place is so un-Singaporean, until you look across the pond and catch a glimpse of the MRT track, a stark reminder that you're after all, in Singapore.

MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA shoes

Like this pair of sandals-booties by Maison-martin-Margiela? Apparently Rachel Bilson from OC has one of these. If you have moolah in excess of USD300, it's now on sale at Bluefly.com. If you don't have that kind of cold hard cash, make your own. Simply use a pair of old sandals and old boots. Trim of the top of those boots and attach to sandals. It's been done before. Good luck with your version!

Tiger at Obedience Class

Look at this array of cute dogs all motionless during obedience class. They've been spell-bound by the sit-stay command. At one point of time, the Goldie was seated where Tiger was. For some reason, he moved and bumped into Jack Russell on the right, who was startled out of place. So cute these dogs..

Musings on Sales

December is normally the time of the year where retailers go for full-margin profits, so sales used to come right after Christmas, on Boxing Day. Then the cheapos who "accidentally forget" xmas gifts come out in full-force to return favours to their debtors.

Last year, I went to a Christmas party where the host had an ingenious idea. Since turkeys normally go for cut-throat prices before 25 Dec, she stocked up on them cheap poultry on 26 Dec, put them in deep deep freeze and voila! there's turkey for next year's party.

This year, due to the world-wide recession, retailers have no choice but to slash prices so that shoppers will part with their hard-earned cash. I for one have been "saving" money...buying at sales helps me "save" money. Dear SM Goh, I have fulfilled my patriotic obligations by whipping out my credit cards to support the flagging retail sector. 

Talking about supporting the retail sector, did you know that Taiwanese and Australian governments actually GIVE out vouchers for their citizens to spend?! In comparison, our government only announced ministers' pay cuts. Big deal. After this pay cut, their salaries are still higher than pre-2008 raise.

Anyway back to sales, shopping during sales does require some kind of stamina and mental strength. At the recent 2 sales i went to, namely Club 21 and Mango, they made customers put their bags into these humongous white plastic bags and 'lock' up the handles to prevent theft. For one, it was humiliating to lug these ugly bags dangling from my arms and leaving even uglier red marks. For another, I am now denied access to my mobile phone. Wonder who came up with the "ingenious" idea?

I think the best time to go for sales is in the mid-afternoon on the first day. If you went in the morning, expect to jostle with early-risers, aunties. It can get quite physical with some very brisk striding involved. Plus there would be a queue. Plus aunties don't care if you think they are coarse and rude. If you went in the late-afternoon, say 6-ish, you would meet the office crowd in full force. More queuing and browsing is near-impossible. Be prepared to mess up the shelves looking for sizes.

At Mango, I queued twice for the fitting room as we were limited to 5 pieces. On the second try, the salesgirl miscounted my items and I went in with 7. Hurray! The secret? Lump all the similarly-coloured clothes together. So after deliberating on my purchases, I yet again had to queue for the cashier. All this queuing will help you develop the fruit of patience. By this time, your arm is probably aching from the vast amounts of fabric you had to lug. Plus that stupid cumbersome plastic bag. Your legs will be threatening to give way any time hence. And your credit card will approach its limits.

On occasion, when the sale is REALLY good, like 80% off, you may be denied the access of fitting rooms. That's when you should come prepared in the tightest-fitting, skimpiest clothes you have. Wear skirts if you intend to buy pants or shorts. Long flowy ones are good for some makeshift camouflage. Gather your loot, plonk them in front of any available mirror, and just fit them over/under your clothes.

Hope you enjoyed the advice from a sales veteran cum survivor. Sales Rocks!

my LBD

This black dress is my new accrument to my ever expanding wardrobe. Tis the season to be merry, and Mango has just made my day with the 50% discount on this piece. I love the bustier neckline and the way the darts run flatters any not-so-heaving bosom.  Then there's the low waist and A-line skirt that promises to camouflage any pear-shaped bottom. Though I'm not so crazy over the metal studs along the waist. Anyway, thank you Mango! I'm your ardent fan. 7 new pieces from this label this month. For those who are not in the know...the sale continues. Grab whilst it lasts!

Anyway, in my endeavour to make your world a bit more fashionable, here's how to dress up that LBD. Today's outfit was conceived for casual chic. The cotton material and the skirt makes the dress a tad casual. So to look more chic than casual I used gold accents: gold necklace, earrings, bangle and pumps.  Throw a little shrug over and you can even pass it off for the office. 

One more tip: if your necklace reaches all the way beyond your hips and you don't want to give it free reign, try knotting it up like I did.

     

I intend to stretch my dollar with this LBD, so more looks coming up in this blog.

Christmas Gift Idea

Look what I found at the Furla warehouse sale. This leather coin purse was just going for S$20! It's such a cute but luxe gift for xmas. One of them is gonna be my gift to MOI. I like the cute gold star.  

Introducing the Quikpod...

For camera whores, this gadget helps you to take close ups without the hassle of setting up a tripod or straining your arm muscles in the bid to take your narcissistic self in various poses.

Get it on ebay. I should get one of these for myself hah!

Tiger and Tricks

Here's my Tiger baby doing some tricks, all for nothing but the amusement of his mommy. Nope, no rewards were given out. This is a low-res video, but if you would like to see TiGer in all his high-res cuteness, click here.

Of course, even though Tiger's sugar and spice and everything nice, he has not attained nirvana yet. Today we brought him for his daily night walk then left him at home as we went to skate in the park. He was very unhappy about that arrangement. To show his displeasure, he threw a tantrum by defecating in one of my rooms, and on the bathroom mat.

Strangely enough, he knew that was not the right thing to do. When we saw the mess he made, he immediately adopted this sheepish (no insult to our sheep friends out there) look, with flattened ears and lowered head, not daring to approach us. I wasn't really angry. But as a wise parent, I had to put on a facade to discipline Tiger. Anyway I made the most out of the situation. He was willing to do ANYTHING for forgiveness and I didn't have the heart to torture him. So we made up and all's well now. :-)

Bizarre Mother Nature

This pile of strange-looking medusa, wormy sand was found along the Bintan, Indonesia beach. On closer inspection, the sand was being churned out by a marine creature. All I could see of it was what looked like a semi-transparent tube in the centre of the pile. I prodded it with a leaf and it shrunk into the depths of the sand, pushing out more in the process.

This photo below shows what seems to be Siamese snail twins. On closer inspection, there is a white tube connecting the two mollusc. Then it dawned on me that they were mating. So this is how little snails come about. So in a way, this picture can be classified as snail porn huh? Imagine their horror as I sneaked upon them with a camera as they were doing their thing, and worse still, post their pictures all over the internet. I'll let you know if I get a an attorney's letter from Snail Land arriving by snail mail of course.

Clothes for the Daring, and Desperately Cheeky

Need an ego boost? Take a look at this hilarious cleavage shirt. Guaranteed to get you a double-take! I thought the way this Japanese gal has teamed it with a jacket is so cool. It's not so in-your-face and only gives a sneak peek, adding to the mystique and curiosity. Very clever!

Team them with some seriously spiked, dangerous motorcycle boots by Junya Wanatabe Fall 2006 are what you call "statement boots". They vamp up your cool factor by several notches instantly. Whoa, funky!

If you're now seeking that cleavage shirt to add to your wardrobe, sorry can't help you there. But a similar idea below is available at Vintage. So get your fix there! Hurry though, as their clothes are vintage and come in one-off pieces and it's going for USD $68. Btw, thought the long necklace ending at the crotch is very suggestive. You might wanna go for a short length.

The Pregnant Man, Thomas Beatie

34 years old Thomas Beatie from U.S. was born as a woman.
After his sex-change he was the first "pregnant man" in the world
and he has given birth to their daughter.
Now he is in the second time in a pregnant situation , so he told in the show. He decided to go through the labour of love because his wife was unable to conceive, and underwent artificial insemination both times. He even had a natural birth.

For more info on the whats and hows click here.  (Like the technical/physical stuff, the controversy, how his daughter and wife looks, all the kaypoh stuff)

I wonder if he could breast-feed? What would his offspring feel when they found out daddy birthed them? Would they be teased? Would they grow up dysfunctional? Did he wear maternity dresses? He owns a T-shirt company...maybe he custom made one for himself! Haha. Besides more publicity for his business, he even sold his daughter's first picture for USD300,000. He was also featured on Oprah. After all, this fella is a thoroughbred businessman.

Here's a picture of him as a woman. With looks like that and beautiful, sleek, silky hair, he probably had more than his fair share of suitors. Even as a man, he retains his smooth complexion and beautiful arched brows. In my humble opinion, he should have remained a woman, but of course it's always a personal choice. 

how to look like a rock chick

In order to prop up the economy (on the wise advice of our SM Goh), and to satisfy my insatiable materialistic consumerism, I went shopping today. So cathartic!

Anywayz this entry shows you how to jazz up a basic top and denim mini skirt with a few accessories...and hopefully help you create your very own rock chic look on a budget.

On the left is the plain, no-frills, go-about-the-neighbourhood look that any fledging fashionista wouldn't be caught dead in...nope, nowhere near any sort of look. Where are the accessories??

Vest is at S$59 (discounted), brown top $25, skirt $79 (all from Mango)

What you need:

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
•  Bling bling: diamente hoop earrings, metal bracelet, shades (optional at night haha). In fact, anything with crystals is welcome E.g Ed Hardy tees.
• Vest is strangely made made of acrylic (bet you never knew clothes can be made of acrylic!). Leather will do fine too, if you don't mind the heat or the price for that matter.
• shoes: Never underestimate the importance of shoes; they make or break an outfit. Get something in shiny black patent. Or booties/boots.

• 
  In this pic above, I've chosen black pumps for a day look. You could pin up your hair or try a tousled I-just-got-out-of-bed look for long hair. For the skirt, try to get something with  zipper details or studs. You could also add a metal belt for more zing. And the make-up: black eyeliner and faux lashes are essential. Use dark eyeshadow to create smoky eyes. Ring around the lower lid too. Keep lips light to balance out.
  

In this second pic, I've changed the shoes for a grungier effect. I'm also more posey-posey. Rock chick rrright?Actually, the truth is booties do cut off the silhouette of your legs, making me look shorter. Moving on, these are kickass shoes add at least 6 inches to you to balance out. Great for clubbing...they help short people like me to breathe fresher air higher up;-)

Now, accessorize with black patent bag, Harley Davidson bike and beefcake-hunk-clad-in-leather-jacket in hand for added effect.

There you go.

Thumb (literally) drive

LOL how cool is this gadget!? Imagine the delight/horror on your classmate's face she asks for a thumb drive and you pull this realistic-looking thing out. Sticking it into your USB port will guarantee lots of stares for your macabre taste. Fyi, it stores 2GB.

Fashion candy

4 outfits from Urban Outfitters I dig. 

1. The lightweight sublimated tee with lace prints on it is so tongue in cheek. Plus the waisted skirt in satin seals the deal. Like hejin, I love the lingerie connection.
   
2. The tassled top is sassy but looks really cumbersome. Have to put my finger on this one and think about it.
3. The black polka-dotted lace dress with ruffles round the neck is so sophisticated. Plus the ruffles gives a boost in the right places.
4. I think this V-neck tee is so clever, with a belt and fox fur shrug. The only thing I'm not impressed with are the white patches under the armpits!

Arsenal for Sore Aching "Bitten" Feet

Since many women all over the world are suffering from foot pains, I feel it is my duty to blog on some methods of pain relief...

If your feet can speak, what would they say?

Here are tips from the Foxtrot Guru for the suffering, most frequently-abused members of our body:

For 'bitten feet'

The seams of your new shoes cut your feet today and now you've got a blister, and plaster and probably swore off that offending pair. Don't fret! Try the humble candle. Use the sides of the candle to rub liberally against all the seams on the inside of the shoe. The wax helps to lubricate the inner of the shoes and minimize abrasion.

For toe-squash I

Your toes feel squashed, crushed and battled, imprisoned in a dark enclosed space calling out for help. Try the Shoe Stretch Leather Expander (see Photo). Simply spritz into the inside of your shoe onto the spot of tightness and wear the shoe immediately until the shoe takes on the contour of your feet. Tip: wear a pair of stockings. This works better for leather.

For toe-squash II

Bring your shoes to your retailer and ask for the shoe to be expanded using the manual method. This involves a gadget that looks like a torture device. Leave the shoes with the retailer for several hours for maximum effect as the expander does its magic. Maintain the shape with stuffed newspapers back home.

For severe toe-squash

Consider taking the shoes to a professional shoe repair shop. They often use a stretching machine to apply specific pressure and heat precisely where the shoe hurts ' including length, toe raise, instep stretching and so on. On occasion, they'll speed up the process with a leather softening agent.

Walking a "Panda" in the Streets of China

PANDA-LOOKALIKE DOGGIE

A girl walks a "panda" in a street of Wuhan, Hubei Province in central China, attracting the attention of lots of people around. (oh man..can you imagine what WWF would do if it was a real panda? Swop down on the unsuspecting girl and kidnap the victimized endangered species? And I'm not talking about World Wrestling Federation here.) 

The "panda" turns out to be a dog wearing pandas' make-up. Now, I wonder what sort of make-up they use to get this effect. This is giving me evil designs on Tiger..haha! And what sort of dog is this in the first place with such round ears. I suspect it is a Chow-chow. Didn't think they come in white colour though.

Sign of the (Bad) Times

Bad times are here. Retailers are offering discounts on everything. Now's about the best time to die cos your cremation comes free!! Die before 31st Dec yah...offer ending soon.

Wakeboarding in St Marks Square, Venice

In this image released by the SportandNews agency, Duncan Zuur of the Netherlands
rides on a wakeboard through a flooded St. Marks Square in Venice, Italy. Wah, so cool yah...to be able to surf through a historical landmark in such poetic settings. This is a million times better than drinking longkang water at Ponggol Marina every time I have a "prata". (For those of you not familiar with this term, it's when a wakeboarder falls flat on his/her face)

The tidal surge peaked at 102 centimeters, well below Monday's 156 centimeters, which marked the fourth-highest tide in the city's recorded history and the worst since 1986. Good thing I wasn't there on Monday..I would be exactly covered..all 156cm of me, with a few reluctant strands of hair sticking out.Still, the water Tuesday was high enough to flood the city's landmark St. Mark's Square and other low-lying areas.

When I was there 2 years ago, we spoke to the owners of a cafe beside the river. They were very curious cos we brought some cup noodles and had asked for hot water. They've never seen anything like it! Anyway, back to the subject, they had photos of themselves all over in the cafe, all flooded, wearing thigh-high goulashes (bright yellow, like Phua Chu Kang) and having great fun with pails and all. Wah lau...my mother will go crazy with all the mess...stuff floating about...Lucky for her we don't live there.

That's the 2 Italian men below eating my noodles. Their verdict? "Very delicious"

Walrus See Walrus Do

Sara the walrus and her Russian trainer Sergiy perform during a show at the newly-opened Istanbul Dolphinarium in Istanbul, Turkey. This walrus is a catch..handsome (yah i know it's a gal) and smart. The trainer looked quite ridiculous in the video though. 

Watch them on Youtube for a laugh!

Dog Fight Club

Yeah! Dogfighting is the pits! 

Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton announces, at a news conference, Monday in Los Angeles, that the department has made two arrests and rescued 17 dogs in the breakup of a dog-fighting operation.Police say the dog fighting outfit was a major player in the illegal training and breeding of animals for fighting.

First you get bull-fighting in Spain, then cock-fighting from the kampong days, then there's fighting-fish we imprison in glass containers to watch for the sheer fun of it, and there's Fight Club by Brad Pitt, and now this...

Gloomy Day @ Sentosa

The weather was undecided so we were vacillating between a lazy slouchy stay-home day and fun-in-the-sun day. I was decidedly upset with the sun. Why can't it just work overtime like everyone else in Singapore?! Grrr!! I sulked as I sat on a deck chair getting fried by Mr Sun and drenched by Mr Drizzle alternately.

Ok, I'm positively Singaporean...more complaints coming up. Besides the gloomy weather, which made Palawan beach look like an oversized longkang, the water was murky and green-brown in colour. Just 2 steps in and you can't see your toes... The sea floor was even worse! I cringed as my toes dug into the slippery muddy floor. All these seaweed danced around my ankles like willows in the wind. What's wrong with Singapore beaches?? Whoever said that Sentosa beaches are white and clean is lying!

When I visited Siloso beach, not much of it was left after "Songs of the Seas" obliterated much of the landscape, leaving a small private beach for privileged guests of a certain restaurant. So pathetic!

Tiger seemed to be the only one having fun. Here's photos of him doing a bit (literally) of  swimming. Like me, he didn't get too far.

And here's Tiger after his bath at the public toilets. Now I've got something to say about the regulation against pets using public toilets. Apparently some Singaporeans think that toilets are meant for the sole use of homo sapiens and all other species must be banned. How else are our dogs gonna get cleaned at with this stupid regulation?