Guilty Pleasures

Have you heard about the latest BSTC virus? I read about it on my friend's FB WALL a few days ago.

*WARNING!!! WORST VIRUS EVER TO HIT FACEBOOK! The BSTC Virus (Butt Stuck To Chair). The virus glues you to your chair for several hours at a time! No housework will be done, children will starve, the cat will not eat, and the dog will not get its walk. You lose contact with the outside world; your butt goes numb! Put this on your status to warn all friends ~ it's too late for me ~ SAVE YOURSELF!!!!*

Sounds familiar? Hehehe. Because of this message and the fact that I have less than 3 months to complete my thesis, I  decided to deactivate my Facebook account 2 days ago. That's the time I've set for myself, not the official submission date.

It wasn't easy clicking the confirm button but in the end, I managed to go through it.  

Now, my only form of virtual contact with the outside world is this blog. And oh, email and twitter. But anyway, I don't tweet that much. When I told hubby I don't facebook anymore he started applauding and said "Baguslah, cepat siap tu thesis". I knew he'd be ecstatic cos he always said I spend too much time on the net.

A few months ago, he gently suggested that I spend less time blogging. I responded by talking about how women lead more stressful lives compared to men and how talking about their lives reduces that stress. I went on babbling about how women are emotional and how they don't have a filter. Because of that, women tend to throw everything out. I need to throw eveything out. After hearing my melodramatic debate, hubby said I over-reacted blah blah blah.

He also said I  love you to shut me up.

So. For the time being, blogging and blog-hopping remain my guilty pleasures. That plus watching Pretty Little Liars, reruns of Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girls and SATC on Channel C4.  Oh! Before I go, I've got something to show you.

Presenting you my polka-dot nails!

My dad borrowed my camera so I had to use the PC cam. Now that I don't snoop around Facebook anymore, I've got more time for my nails. I owe this new-found therapy to Chegu.

Looks like I'll be blogging more about nails now :)

Wordless Wednesday: Chegu's Influence

That's the best I could do after two hours of trial and error. I'm not showing the other hand cos it looks like Alden's painting. So what do you think Kay?

Having a Vain Moment

Aside from wanting to lose weight, which I'm still working on by the way, I am also trying to keep up with my beauty regime. I'm sure this task is a no brainer for most of you ladies out there but if you have a 3 year-old demanding toddler and a 9 month-old baby, you tend to put everything else aside.

I have listed this task as one of my new year's resolution after discovering the appearance of fine lines under my eyes. The discovery gave me a mild stroke at first but then, when I reflected on the possible culprit, I realized it was all my fault. You see, during my second pregnancy, I transformed into a moody, hormonal hippo with a bad case of morning sickness. Due to this transformation, I became extremely frumpy and  sloppy.  And then, I did the unthinkable; I stopped using skincare! (did you just gasp?).  Well, I didn't see the point of sticking up to a beauty regime cos none of the creams I used could stop the hormonal breakouts on my face. So against good judgment, I went au naturel for almost a year.

Two months after my delivery, my fine lines and I met for the first time. Me: Hi y'all.  Wrinkles: Hello mommy! I'm fine lines and that's crow's feet. So yeah, we had an ice-breaking session. My first impulse was to go for a facial and pamper myself from head to toe. Something like this.

However, after visiting one of the salons in Riccarton, I had to reconsider. Spa treatments are  simply too expensive here and being a student, I can't afford it. A complete facial and body massage costs about $200 and this takes only an hour and a half (including consultation time). There are cheap ones which cost around $45 for just a facial but this is only for 20 minutes and it doesn't include face-steaming, facial massage  or extraction. It's just exfoliation and mask. Pretty pathetic. So I opted for a more economical solution and after seeing a very convincing ad on the net, I purchased this for my peepers. The price is quite reasonable at USD17.99 and delivery is FREE.

It came in a small bundle last week and I've been using it for three days; morning and night without fail. I am hoping for some kind of miracle to happen but so far, no such luck. Maybe it's too premature to tell. Aside from the ad for this supposedly effective UNT eye cream, I've also seen an enticing ad for Susan Lucci's microdermabrasion kit. It was aired on TV a while ago and I can't help thinking about it. After all, microdermabrasion has been said to help rejuvenate the skin as well as eliminate fine lines. I read about it here. Very tempting you know.
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Today, I saw another product on the net which claims to diminish the appearance of fine lines under the eye with botox-like effects. With such enticing words I am convinced yet again. Read about it here.

So that's my dilemma for today. Cheap botox or microdermabrasion. I'd like to have both but hubby will probably over-react and start his lecture about how all these ads are superficial marketing gimmicks designed to fool vulnerable people like me. Bla bla bla. This happens all the time.

I normally let him finish before I start my rebuttal talking about the sacrifices of motherhood, which I had to go through. About pregnancy, about getting fat, having morning sickness, backache, hyperpigmentation, water retention and finally the C-section. Then I ask him, "Dear, after all that, don't you think I deserve a bit of pampering?"  He normally gives me a knowing smile. I then continue my argument talking about post-partum challenges like the pantang after delivery, engorged breasts, sore nipples, having unsightly love handles, endless hours of babysitting, sleepless nights and of course the subject of this entry; under eye wrinkles.  I conclude with "Dear, what did you have to go through other than the process of contributing the baby's chromosome?" I rest my case.

The Hot and the Not in Gym Class

I'm not trying to turn this blog into a training log but I just can't help talking about my fitness classes. They are after all, more appealing than my academic work. Anyway, after attending regular classes for almost a month, I have decided to stick to the ones I like. The schedule looks like this and I have tried almost all of the sessions offered.

All except for STEP, YOGA and SPIN classes. STEP is a stepping routine for beginners *yawn* and it's sort of like an oriented session for beginners to learn the basics in aerobics. Yoga is a flowing sequence of asanas or poses (boooo-ring) and SPIN classes are indoor cycling routines which cost an extra $3 fee. That leaves me with these:

Ko-Extreme - Kick boxing inspired workout

Blitz - Jumping around three different disciplines

NRG- High impact workout

BAT - Butt, abs and thigh workout

CardioFunk- low impact dance class with creative choreography

So my favourites are KO Extreme, Blitz, NRG and BAT. It's not just the routine you see. It's the people in class that make it interesting. Certain people have definitely made an impression on me like stripey aunty, fit aunty and yes, cute blond instructor with perky butt. Ahhhhhh....how I'd kill to have those perky butts. They look like J-Lo's butt on steroids! All fleshy, round and springy. You could make a guy do a whole thesis for you with that kind of butt. Well, not that I would, if I had those assets. I'm just saying.

Now where was I? Oh yes, interesting people in gym class right? Well, there's a girl from my KO Extreme class who seems to attract a lot of attention by her mere presence. I noticed her in my second session and my friend tells me she's been a regular since last year. Like the blond instructor, she turns heads too, but not exactly in the same way. People practically stare at her cos she's so skinny.

I mean, really skinny. As in anorexic-looking skinny. You know what I mean?

Whenever I see her, I get all maternal and all I want to do is feed her with a whole load of hamburgers.  The sight of her is depressing. Despite being so awfully skinny, she is still able to jump, run, skip and kick through all the routines. I don't know where she gets her energy from. One thing's for sure: You should never stand next to her in gym class cos you'll end up looking fat. Next to her, I'm obese.

If she's around, it is also best NOT to go to the changing room after a workout cos she normally showers at the common shower room. Yes, in a room where everyone can see her N-A-K-E-D. Okay let's take a moment for a communal jaw-drop. The vision of her body is like a mental torture to me. The sunken face,  the protruding ribcage, the pale skin and the whole shrunken body is just too much. I feel really sorry for her cos she obviously needs help but how do you tell a girl she's anorexic?

You don't. Unless of course you want to have a mortal combat with an anorexic girl. She's quite good at KO-Extreme you know.

Anyway, now that I've seen her so many times, I'm not as appalled as I was the first time I saw her. I'm like, "oh there she is, don't stare!" I'm more or less immune to her presence now and only stare once in a while. She doesn't go to the Blitz and BAT classes cos they involve lots of weight training, so I'm safe. I have enough distractions as it is with stripey aunty  and booby lady in these sessions, so it's good not having to see her all the time. What's the story with booby lady? Let's just say, everyone can see her big cherries all the time. Thanks to her too-thin sports bra. Hehe.

So yeah. My workout routine is very much set now; Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. I haven't lost any weight yet, but it sure is fun and interesting :)

KO Extreme

I had another workout session at the gym yesterday. It was a KO Extreme class which is a martial arts based fitness workout. I wasn't sure what to expect from the description on the brochure, but since the timing was right, I gave it a try.  I was there at exactly 5.10 pm and surprisingly heaps of people were there. By now I could recognize half of the faces in class, which I think puts me in a comfort zone. Plus, my colleague Kata was there too, so now I have a real gym partner in class.

We started with a low impact routine - marching and side-stepping for 5 minutes. Just as I was warming up to the easy peasy routine, the instructor shouted, "Double punch and high kick!". Before I knew it, everyone's doing the Thai kick-boxing thingy; punching, bobbing, weaving, side-kicking, elbowing and ducking. KA-POW! Fueled by the energy around me, I too joined in the fun and started kicking my way through the workout. There were times I was in a blur, especially when the steps involved a lot of hand-legs coordination, but I didn't let that bother me. I applied the hentam attitude and weaved my way through KO.

After 40 minutes of kicking and punching, I couldn't help but feel like a  super-hero woman  armed with  deadly kickboxing skills. Yeah, I was having a moment there. Too much blood pumping  in your veins does stuff to you. We continued for another 10 minutes before we did some cool-down stretches. At the end of the session,  I was sweating like a pig but I didn’t feel I was working as hard as I had been in the BAT classes. I didn't feel the usual burning sensation in my muscles or leg cramps etc. I don't know. Maybe it's because of the banana I ate before the workout (cos I read somewhere that eating bananas before a workout  gives you extra fuel), or maybe my stamina has increased a little, OR maybe it's because I could let go of all the academic work+babysitting+house chores related stress by punching, kicking, bobbing and saying HAI-YA without appearing like a loonie. Yeah, I guess that's it. KO Extreme is perfect for me.  

Fighting the Flab

In an attempt to achieve one of my new year's resolutions, I recently joined my uni's fitness centre. The membership entitles me, the member unlimited use of all the facilities and join all the fitness classes. For less than $100 a year, I'd say it's a pretty good deal.

Yesterday was my first class and it was a high energy, high impact workout. I was so fired up to start cos I really wanted to sweat and do something athletic. For more than a year, my only form of exercise  has been walking to the garage from my doorstep and then from the parking lot to my office. Pretty pathetic huh? Well, despite my lack of exercise, I was very optimistic about the class and was confident I could just breeze through all the routines. After all, I used to play futsal twice a week and I once attended a Kursus Senamrobik Tahap 1, so this aerobics class was really a no-brainer.

DEAD WRONG. I was okay at first but after 20 minutes of jumping and skipping and squatting and running and hopping, I almost died. The only thing that kept me going was my ego.  You see, none of the girls in class showed any sign of exhaustion. Not even a girl who looked four times my size. So I kept on going, all the while cursing under my breath, and wiping the sweat on my forehead. I ignored my shaking legs and aching muscles and gave it all out. So I continued to jump, skip, squat, run and kick. As I was getting all high to the beat of Katy Perry's I kiss a girl in techno version, I felt a sharp tugging pain on my lower abdomen. It felt like a muscle cramp, but I doubt it cos I  seriously don't have any muscles on my tummy. It's more likely to be lemak cramps, cos that's what I've accumulated in my mid section. Those fats were cursing me for waking them up in the middle of a long uneventful sleep. 

Because of the unbearable lemak cramps, I had to stop and sit at one corner of the gym. I felt a bit defeated  because I was performing way below my minimum expectations. I had delusionally vowed to myself that I would join ALL the evening classes set out in the schedule. Who was I kidding? I can't even get over lemak cramps! So frustrating. As I watched my cute blonde instructor with J-Lo's butt in action, I tried to lower the unrealistic expectations I have of myself. Even though part of me felt this was all a bad idea, there was also that crazy part of me that wanted to exceed all expectations and be the best student in class. After several minutes of monologue,  my legs felt better, the cramps eased and I was ready to take on another gruelling session.

The class lasted for another 40 minutes and then it was all over. When J-Lo's butt said "Thanks for coming girls. You all did great!" I clapped and clapped to my heart's content. My legs felt like jelly but that one hour workout gave me the much-needed wake-up call.

Diet

Not so long ago, when I was pregnant with Alva, I ballooned to 68kg. That was me at my heaviest. After delivery, I went through two months of confinement with a diet of chicken soup, plain rice, veggie, bread and crackers. In no time, I managed to lose 10 kg and I wasn’t even trying. After that small success, I took for granted that I would lose the kilos naturally and I started to be more relaxed about losing weight. Apparently, I was wrong. Four months have passed and my weight has remained stagnant. I've reached a plateau.

This realization calls for drastic measures so I started a new diet last week. Today is my 8th day and so far it has been surprisingly good. It’s not without effort I assure you. I have to constantly tell myself that pastries are bad and fruits are good. Even a toast with peanut butter spread is considered a luxury now. That applies to all the demons of junk food out there like Oreos, Sneakers and Pringles. It's madness. There were times I was so tempted to eat a bag of chips lying in the cupboard, I had to close my eyes and count to 10 just to restrain myself from ripping the evil package. One wrong move could ruin a 24-hour effort you know.

So what do I eat? Well, my diet consists of easily prepared food and lots of fruits and veggies. For breakfast, I take Special-K Cornflakes which is 99% fat free with low fat milk. To make it a bit colourful I’d add a sprinkle of raisins and dried fruit so it'll appear more appetizing. For lunch, I'd make myself a chicken salad which consists of shredded chicken meat (mine’s usually taken from Alden's chicken soup) thinly sliced apples and cucumber. You mix them up and voila! you get a delicious chicken-apple salad. Sometimes, that’s not enough so to keep myself from going insane with hunger, I eat apples or whatever fruit available in the fridge.

Finally, dinner time. This is where things get a li-ttle challenging cos I usually have dinner with hubby and he normally prepares a heavy meal. For my diet to work I can only have a small portion of rice, say 5 tablespoon, a generous amount of veggie and whatever dish we’re having that night. Then when I feel like I want to have more, I close my eyes and imagine myself in a swimsuit. That's when all desire ceases and I get myself on track again.

Aside from food intake, regular exercise is equally if not more important. Who doesn't know that right? Back at home I used to play futsal twice a week and there were times I had four games in a week. It felt so good to be active. But that’s highly impossible now cos I don’t have the time nor a team to play with.  Still, I am planning to begin my exercise routine. My plan is to follow a fun workout video and spend around 40 minutes a day doing just that. Ambitious huh? I know you're not convinced. Even I'm not convinced, but to see it in writing makes it much more believable and resolute you see. So far I haven't decided how many days a week I will be working out and since the CD still hasn't arrived, this will have to wait.

So that's the plan. It's tough but it's all about baby steps right? I just hope I have enough will-power to stay in this path.

* Some useful tips for those like me

Control Cravings With a Plan By Gabrielle Reece

These boots are made for blogging

Like so many women, I am the type who gets adrenaline rush when the word SALE is thrown in my face. The simple four-letter word is so powerful; it can make me forget the entire world. I transform into this hypnotized creature whose mission in life is to get a good bargain, no matter what. I haven’t been out shopping for quite some time, so I have almost forgotten what it feels like to be well, high.

Yesterday, as I walked into Warehouse, I was struck by that same feeling of giddiness when I saw a pair of ankle-boots in the MID SEASON SALE bin. When I tried them on, I knew it was destiny that brought me to the boots. The only pair left and it was in my size! I held the boots like a treasured trophy and scurried to the cashier to swipe my EFTPOS card. The cash register closes *TING*, the lady handed me a shopping bag and suddenly, I was hit by the familiar feeling of euphoria. Pure bliss! The kind of bliss you get from getting a good bargain. The price? Only for $4.97 after an 85% discount.

I’ll let that sink in your head for a while :)

The price seems to justify my spending don’t you think? After all, a woman can never have too many pairs of gorgeous shoes.

*I'm planning to adopt one of these styles to go with the boots. Experiment!

Short Skirts and Ankle Boots
This look is definitely a little more difficult to pull off, because a lot of women don't like their legs. But it works well because instead of showing no leg, you're showing a lot of leg -- the real trouble comes in when you only show a little leg. Look for skirts that are a couple of inches above the knee or shorter and skip anything that's too full, lest your outfit start to like a figure skating costume.

The Best Pants for Ankle Boots
This one is nearly a no-brainer -- ankle boots work with any kind of pants. The advantage to wearing them over shoes or taller boots is that you get ankle coverage without the bulk of a knee-high boot. But -- and this is a big "but" -- the only pants that work well tucked into ankle boots are very tight ones. Wide-legged pants tucked into short boots create a very unflattering balloon effect.

Ankle Boots with Leggings or Tights
I mentioned before that cropped leggings don't work well with ankle boots. Long leggings or tights however, look great -- assuming of course, that leggings look good on you in the first place. If they don't, pairing them with ankle boots isn't going to make the situation any better.

Clothes to Avoid Wearing with Ankle Boots
• Cropped Pants
• Cropped Tights
• Mid-Length Skirts with Bare Legs
• Pencil Skirts
• Shorts
• Capris

Source: http://shoes.about.com/od/whattowearwithshoes/a/wtw_ankle_boots.htm

Desperate for beauty fixes

This morning when I looked in the mirror, I noticed that my eyes were more puffy than usual. I mean they have been puffy and tired-looking for the past 7 weeks, ever since Alva was born but today the puffiness was beyond normal. And what's more, I noticed that my left eye bag is slightly puffier than the other one (if that's even possible). Forgive me for using the adjective "puffy" more than once...It's just my way of telling you that I am freaking out about the monstrosity of my eye bags. My first impulse was to do a DIY facial at home, slap on some gooey face mask and pray for a miracle. As expected, it didn't make the excess baggage under my eyes disappear but it did hydrate my skin, making it more supple if only for a moment. Ahhh...This made me yearn for a real facial. *Sigh*

Of course there’s nothing better than getting a professional facial, but they are so pricey! A normal, basic facial costs about NZ$60 and that's just cleansing, exfoliating and hydrating just like my own DIY facials you know. No extraction is done and the procedure takes about 45 brief minutes. Crazy right? There's more to this. A hydrating facial with extraction costs about NZ$100 and this takes about an hour or so. A 'complete' facial (that's how they lure you) with extraction and the whole sha-bang will cost you NZ$150 and above. The most expensive treatment only last for a maximum of two hours and this includes consultation time. Outrageous? You tell me. From where I come from, facials last for hours and hours, price starts at RM50 (basic facial with extraction) and you can 'top up' your facial with oxygen masks, collagen treatment, micro care treatment etc flexibly. The best part is, after your facial, you get a relaxing massage on your back and hands. It's just pure bliss. By the way, for those (like my hubby)who don't know what extraction means, it is the process of removing all the blackheads, whiteheads and other impurities in your skin.

Nowadays, the price of beauty has skyrocketed and the cosmetic industry is raking in billions of dollars each year. It was reported that from 1993 - 2000, the trade in cosmetics among ASEAN countries soared from US$140 million to US$354 million (source: Association of Southeast Asian Nations). This figure tells me that nothing can stop a woman from wanting to look young and beautiful. Those pricey 'complete' facials cost a fortune but that doesn't stop women from visiting their favourite salons. Beauty experts come up with new, revolutionised treatments from time to time and women never fail to sample them. The focal point is, it is women's nature to be beautiful. End of story.

For those like me who can't afford outrageous, 'complete' facials every month, no worries. There are plenty of DIY facial recipes for us to try on the internet and helpful beauty tips worth reading. I came across this beauty article today and thought I'd share it with you. For the time being, I'm just going to rely on moisturisers and lots of eye cream for these eye bags. I'll let you know when I decide to burn my pocket ;-) Taken from http://beauty.about.com/od/beautybyageteensto50/a/wrinkles.htm  

How to Get Rid of Wrinkles
The Secrets Dermatologists Know (But We Found Out) - By Julyne Derrick, About.com  
No one likes wrinkles, which are caused when collagen breaks down deep in your dermis, far below the skin's top layer. The key to improving or preventing wrinkles is two-fold: You need to stimulate collagen production while keeping free radicals such as the sun, stress & pollution from causing more damage. You have a number of options available to help you turn back time a bit without going under the knife. Here's a rundown of 5 options currently on the market that are created to minimize the appearance of wrinkles. Better yet, most of these can be bought over-the-counter: 

1. Sunscreen. Sun damage is the #1 cause of wrinkles. Wonder what your skin would look like if it was never exposed to the sun? Look at your bottom. Wrinkle-free, eh? That's what your skin would look like it it was kept under cover all the time as well. A good rule of thumb: If it's daylight outside, you need sunscreen, no matter how cloudy it is. In the June, 2005 issue of InStyle Magazine, Dr. Fredric Brandt, dermatologist to the stars, suggests using a 'two-finger scoop' of sunscreen daily to the face & neck. Also, don't forget the top of your hands. Dermatologists report seeing women with young faces & old hands all the time. 

2. Vitamin A (retinoid) creams. To prevent wrinkles or keep them from worsening, look for products containing vitamin A like prescription Retin-A, Differin or Renova. Used nightly (or every other night), vitamin A creams stimulate collagen renewal & prevent skin cells from breaking down. Women in their 20s & early 30s can use these to keep fine lines from turning into deeper furrows. I've been trying one percent Retin-A on my skin for the past month & I've noticed a marked improvement even though best results can be seen in about 6 months. (Just make sure you never go out without sunscreen when you're on these Vitamin A products, your skin is extra susceptible to sun damage). Don't want to go to a doc? A great over-the-counter anti-wrinkle product is RoC Retinol Actif Pur Anti-Wrinkle Treatment. Matrixyl is a newer ingredient that is becoming very popular and is touted as being great for sensitive skin. 

3. Alpha-hydroxy acids or microdermabrasion. If you're in your mid-30s & worried about wrinkles you might try exfoliating once a week with a alpha-hydroxy acid (AHAs) or a microdermabrasion kit. Don't use both & be careful not to over-exfoliate. Chemical exfoliators (the AHAs) work great on oily or combination skin, while the physical scrubs (microdermabrasion) are great for very sensitive skin (make sure it's in a creamy base). AHA's are glycolic or lactic acid formulated to increase collagen in sun-damaged skin. They are also known to reduce pore size, redness, blotchiness & fine lines. Microdermabrasives smooth fine lines & get rid of dead skin. I've tried several kits & like Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion In A Jar. I also like Lancome's RESURFACE-C MICRODERMABRASION Resurface-C Microdermabrasion Kit. A less expensive, but still excellent option, is L'Oreal ReFinish Microdermabrasion Kit. 

4. Antioxidants. Free radicals -- the unstable oxygen molecules produced by pollution, stress & sun -- are a skincare nightmare. They attack healthy skin cells & cause collagen breakdown, all of which lead to wrinkles. Antioxidants like green tea, vitamins C & E, & coenzyme Q10 work together to neutralize free radicals. A cocktail of these antioxidants are like a multi-vitamin for skin, according to dermatologist Dr. Dennis Gross. The most popular antioxidant on the market right now is prescription Prevage, a cream that is made with idebenone, a synthetic antioxidant & 'star chemical' dermatologists swear by. Another excellent (over-the-counter) option is Skinceuticals C E Ferulic serum, which clinical studies show reduced sunburned cells by a whopping 96 percent. Elizabeth Arden's Prevage Anti-Aging Treatment also gets high marks from dermatologists.

Good luck!