Little princesses and prince in my life...

I adore children. I love my nieces, my new nephew, and even my friends' children.

Some updates about these very important little people in my life...

Starting from the youngest to oldest...

Russel is more than a month old and becoming handsomer everyday.

Mischa is growing steadily and vertically. Looking more and more mature everyday, she even has huge ambitions, to be a CEO!. Maybe it stands for Chief Entertainment Officer. She really reminds me of my sister, more and more each day.

This is a very lovely picture of the babies...

Mischa: Russell u smell so niceeee...

Russell: I dunno i can't smell my own hair

And this is my god daughter Sonia. Her hair has grown, her eyes are rounder and rounder, and she is apparently a genius!! Must take after me. ha ha... In this video, she can count up to 16!

And this is the eldest, my darling Shannon. She's grooving to some RnB song. I don't know where she learnt the moves, but its probably a mixture of the MTV she's been watching, and some school dances she's been involved in. Reminds me of me when i was young, only i pretend alone in the room, not in front of the camera!

Feeling extremely homesick right now. Suddenly guilt stricken by the calls i never made to home, the birthdays i've missed, the presents i never gave. The friends who lent me their ears, the la kopi gatherings, the shopping trips, the movies, the pampering sessions, the bitching about life...

Elevator moments

Hollywood has portrayed too many funny moments in the elevator. In Grey's Anatomy (or Private Practice), many events happen in the lift, people profess their feelings for each other, passionately make out, or cry and have a psychotic moment when they're alone. In Desperate Housewives, Gabrielle and the Mayor shared a quickie when the lift malfunctioned. In Sex and the City, Miranda bumped into her ex-lover and decided to take the stairs for as long as she lived in the building.

I wish the truth was closer to what tinseltown portrays. The most awkward moment in a day is probably in the elevator. Its almost like entering twilight zone, a place where nothing happens.

Its too short for a real conversation to happen, but too long for it not to be awkward. When the lift is crowded, u can't speak too loud lest half the building hears it, but not saying anything creates this vacuum like sound that is too quiet for comfort.

The lift is one place where weather talk suddenly becomes interesting and engaging.
"Its so hot today, how much higher is the mercury gonna climb?"
" Yes but the weather reports say it'll rain tomorrow"
"Oh i see, wow the weather is indeed erratic, its crazy..." Silence.

Or perhaps a casual comment on today's outfit.
"You look great today"
"Oh thanks yes i bought this dress from XX place, they sell nice dresses"
"Oh really you must tell me where it is?"
"uhm well its along XX road (that probably has a million shops), u gotta make a left turn at Y road and its at the 3rd shop..." Lift door opens, and nobody bothers to follow up with the actual location of the place. But key take out is, always wear a nice outfit in case u have to make conversations in the lift.

For those who've experienced awkward elevator moments, here are some tips for you...

Employ the use of props
1. Listen to the Ipod, blast it so loud that you can't hear people say hi.
2. Wear sunglasses. Glaring lift lights can be blinding, but it also avoids eye contact.
3. Pretend to sms someone when actually u're just clearing your inbox.
4. Read a book.

When you see someone you don't want to spend the next 1 minute with..
1. Take another lift, make sure the person doesn't see you in case they figure out that you're avoiding them. If they enter the lift after you, immediately use props.
2. Pretend that you forgot something and rush off somewhere.
3. Turn to someone you like and do small talk with them instead. At least it shows u're popular and have friends.

When you see someone in the building you've been eyeing but haven't made eye contact...(BB i am not doing these i promise)
1. Go into the lift and immediately press the top most floor. Its really stalky but at least u know which floor the person gets off. Then you'll know which company he works for and can see if u have friends in that company who can help you find out more.
2. When in lift, make eye contact and smile, but be conscious of looking sexy because the distance in the lift is too close for him not to notice ur sexy neck or your beautiful hair.

Elevator etiquette- We need to observe some rules to make everyone's minute a pleasant one.
1. There's always time to take another lift. Seriously, one thing i hate is when the lift door is about the close, and someone outside presses the button to re-open the door. I mean come on, take another lift, its not life and death.
2. Move forward when the lift empties. Especially in China, morning lift journies are sardine packed, and the Chinese don't know the concept of personal space, even as the lift slowly empties, they never know how to move forward to create more space at the back.
3. Farting in the lift. Need i say anymore?

Tell us your funny lift experiences... Share the exasperation... =)

Dedicated to all who are stressed this week; Chicken Soup for the Soul

This week has been an extremely bad week for both Les and I. He's in HK working on 2 really big projects. Its annual planning period for a lot of people in the advertising industry, and somehow silly people became more infuriating this week, adding on to the frustration.

So this entry goes out to all who've had a bad week, and to my baby in HK. Some ideas to destress...

#1 Shopping

Shopping is the most healing thing for the soul... I am convinced of this. It has mended many broken hearts, build shattered esteems, fills emotional emptiness, bonds us with friends, and it lifts the economy.

In Singapore, Watson's is always crowded during lunch time (Office Aunties like to go to NTUC or Sheng Siong Supermarket), but i'm sure that 50% of the women there are not really looking to refill toiletries they used up, some just go in to "take their minds off work". I totally get it.

When in distress, buy a dress. Or shoes, or bags, or make-up.... THe endorphins match exercising... For the men, buy electronics, gym memberships, golf clubs... We all have our vices.


#2 Crooning

I haven't karaoked for close to 2 years, and i almost forgot how cathartic it is. It doesn't matter that u can't sing, or u can't reach all the high notes. Its like singing in the bathroom, only not in the bathroom. Sing for urself to hear, and for ur friends to enjoy, even if its laughing at u going off key, being tone deaf, or just goof around!

I went for my first session with Ming Yen and Kimsoon (and 2 other friends). These people are great singers! Kimsoon can sing RnB and ballads, he's like a male soprano. Mingyen has the sweetest voice on earth... The karaoke place we went to has a great system, cos there are fake claps and fake wolf whistles. So u can pretend u're having ur own concert...


I've been practising some new mandarin songs. I'm terrible cos i can't read mandarin words above 10 bi huas. So i have to either memorize them, or have someone read the words to me as i sing.

Lester gets quite petrified when i know how to singalong to a chinese tune to the radio. hee hee.


#3 Wii

I'm speaking on behalf of Lester here. He knows he's been playing too much Wii, so nowadays he just says tht he needs to "destress" to avoid mentioning the word "Wii".

He feels like he's been transported into another world, leading a 2nd life. He's playing Godfather right now, so he's been pretending to be a mafia. Its entertaining for me to watch him play cos he'll be waving his arms around like mad.


#4 Exercise

Its Lester's place of solace, something he needs to do everyweek undisturbed. Exercise releases endorphins tht makes you happy.


#5 Comfort Food
When i'm unhappy, these 5 different food groups comfort me; Chocolates, Instant Noodles, Cream Puffs, Chips, Cheesecake. I can totally understand why Britney and Jessica Simpson yo yoed when their relationship failed.

#6 Love

When all else fails... Take it from The Beatles. SINGALONg Altogether now....

All you need is love....


Happy friday my friends....

Our favourite TV Programs

Les hates all the crap i watch... ANTM, Project Runway, Tyra Banks show, The bold and the beautiful... I'm not sorry, i do like to watch silly behaviour and cheesy stuff cos its funny.

But we do catch 2 TV programs together.... Saturday Night Live and Conan O'Brien. Its one of those things tht makes u giggle uncontrollably cos its so random and dumb but so incredibly funny at the same time? I'm amazed at the writers of the show, how creative they are and how wild their thoughts can get. Its a pity u don't get both these programs in Singapore, but u can watch on YouTube!

Conan O Brien
Conan has a few "guest stars" on his show. I don't know if any of u are familiar with the HornyManatee... Its just random pictures of literally The Horny Manatee in different situations. Go to http://www.hornymanatee.com/ to check it out.

He also has other "guest stars" we love, especially the Masturbating Bear. Its just random... THe bear does nothing except masturbate when he appears... we'll go into laughing fits whenever we see him. Its also the music tht usually makes it funny.

Saturday Night Live
All the best comedians of today were/are somehow linked to SNL. Tina Fey (30 Rock and scripwriter of Mean Girls), Elaine from Seinfeld, Amy Poehler (now still in SNL)... Incredibly goofy and mad bunch of people... I'm not that good with the names, Les is the ardent fan.

This was a clip we watched recently from SNL, from their segment called the Digital Short. Its incredibly weird, but i dunno why it cracked me up with its stupidity... its so "serious" that its funny. very HUH???



I was so curious about it so i went poking around YouTube... and i realised its a spoof from OC (which i never watch, surprise surprise).

Carrie, Samantha, Miranda or Charlotte...

I know i'm about 8 years late, but i finally started watching Sex and the City religiously recently. Only cos A. I'm so bored i need good bedtime drama and i left my entire FRIENDS boxset in Singapore, B. I inherited a box set from my cousin Kim, but its season 6. So yes, i'm stuck in reverse.

I always caught Sex and the City sporadically in the past. It never showed in singapore n i never downloaded it. Only cos the few episodes i caught never really grabbed me. Its not extremely funny like Friends, its not well written as Desperate Housewives, there's no mystery and thrill like 24 or Prison Break or heroes, there's no drama like Grey's Anatomy.... Just alot of really really really nice dresses and shoes, usually mis-matched. I mean do New Yorkers really wear evening gowns to a date?

Anyway i thought what the heck i still did the character quiz...

Which Sex and the City Character Are You?
	You are Carrie. You know what you want out of a relationship and you're not afraid to keep moving until you get it. Wit and charm are your biggest turn-ons, and you like guys who appreciate you for your mind as much as your body. You have fun playing the dating game, but secretly you just can't wait to find the guy who sweeps you off your feet and carries you into the sunset.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

The outcome is not a surprise... 63% of all women are Carries...23% are Samanthas, 10% Charlottes and 3% Mirandas (duh, if u're a Miranda u won't be doing this quiz OR reading this blog).

I'm a carrie, but i secretly wanna be Samantha, not cos i envy her promiscuous lifestyle, but cos i admire her confidence, security, and she knows the exact reasons behind everything she does, whether its right or wrong in the eyes of the public.

***

Anyway, i did a very Carrie thing over the weekend. I went shopping (no this is not the carrie part), it started pouring and i was most worried about my new bag tht Les bought me. I started fussing over the leather and making sure tht the rain didn't leave any blotches (thankfully it didn't).

But braving the rain was worth it cos i coveted 2 gorgeous pairs of shoes. I have no more storage space for shoes at home...

Nasi Wa Oo Ji Pa ban MTV

Good 3 minute entertainment...

Kate dearie... wake up ur idea.

Today, i lost respect for Kate Hudson. And possibly Goldie Hawn too cos she probably imparted her "wisdom" to Kate. Maybe i shd call it wisdoom.

I always thought she was rooted, not the crazy party goer wasting her life away... But her quote shocked me.

Source: Perez Hilton (there is the gay dude who rubs shoulders with all the celebs and post their stories online...)

“As primal beings, men are not supposed to be monogamous. When people ask, 'Do you believe in monogamy?’ Well, of course that's what you want. But part of what I love about men is that it's hard for them to be monogamous. Women, I think, need to spend more time understanding men than changing men. And vice versa.” Kate in Harper's Bazaar...

** Cricket sounds**

Fallacy number 1: What makes her think tht only MEN cannot be monogamous? If anything, we're all polygamous, men, women, dogs, cats, lions, tigers, seals...

Falacy number 2: Us being polygamous is one thing, but SAYING tht men is polygamous and therefore u just accept them to be is another.

Fallacy number 3: Unless she thinks she's dating men of equal order thinking as animals, sure, she better get tested for rabies then. Even if we were all intrinically hardwired to be polygamous due to survival instincts (ie u mate more get more offspring), higher order thinking differentiates human beings from animals because we are capable of reason. Capable of deeper emotions and feelings.

FORTUNATELY, her comments met with some angry retaliation from readers, who are miles more discerning and have a bit more sense than she does.

#76 - Ohreally says:
She is setting the tone in all of her relationships if she is actually saying these things to the men that she dates, what a dumb b*tch!!!!

#27 - B*TCH PLEASE! says:
IF YOU’RE GONNA BE A HOE, BE A HOE. DON’T TRY TO JUSTIFY IT WITH YOUR PRIMAL BEING BULLSHIT. AIDS, ANYONE?

many more at http://perezhilton.com/?p=3286#respond

Another except from People.com today, she speaks about Dating as a Single Mom...

"Dating becomes very different," the actress, 28, tells Harper's Bazaar for its September issue (on sale Aug. 21). "You realize after you have had children that you'll never love anything more than your child. ... So it makes the new sort of single-mom dating process very different. It's like growing up. It's adult."

But Hudson says she is still learning about romance. "A friend of mine said the greatest thing to me," she tells the magazine. "When it comes to relationships, unfortunately you've just got to be a grown-up. It doesn't mean you can't make mistakes; it doesn't mean you can't be a kid. ... But when it comes to the work of it, you just have to grow up... "

Still, when it comes to the prospect of getting married again, "I don't know. I checked that off my list of to-dos. And I can check off divorce," she says. "The idea of marriage, I realize now, no longer holds the answer to anything."

Precocity is a hollywood child star syndrome. But i didn't expect Kate to be so dumb. She only realised she has to be an adult now? Not before she gave birth, not after she gave birth, but only when she starts dating as a single mom. How can a child take care of another life?

And now she doesn't believe in marriage anymore, for someone like her she's better off not married cos she doesn't know what it is.

It infuriates me that Celebrities say such things. They need to be responsible for their lifestyle cos the world looks up to them.

You don't get married cos its time to get married (and it wasn't even time for Kate cos she was only 20!), u don't get married only cos u are passionate about the person... And u don't get divorced cos u're no longer passionate about the person!

Marriage is the highest level of commitment that 2 people can give each other cos u're promising tht only death parts you and nothing else. You are making this commitment to God and to loved ones to take care of each other. I agree that some people think there is no need for an establishment to seal commitment and i respect that, but i don't respect losing faith in it because u don't have a freaking clue what it means.

So ridiculous isn't it?