Natural beauty is an oxymoron

In this day and age where going for a cosmetic surgery, medical facial, vein removal procedures or botox is like going for a haircut, natural beauty will soon be in extinction. I’m not even talking about those in the industry or on magazine covers, because we all know the power of media makes us feel like we don’t measure up. All the perfect skin, gorgeous complexion, ideal bodied portraits of people on TV we can push aside but even if men are going for manicure what is this world coming to?

Should beauty pageant contests start having real vs artificial ratio on girls? Should mothers start buying nose job vouchers for their teenage daughters?

Chinese people always says there are no ugly women just lazy women. I am the first to put my hand up to say I’m lazy. I never put sunscreen lotion when I lived in Sunny Sydney for 10 years which creates frickles spots that are hard to remove, plus the sun helps in aging. I never used make up until a few years ago when bfs starting to demand them.

I was a pimple faced chubby girl in my prime age so I promised myself I’m going to be a hell of a hot 40 year old women. At the moment I’m doing about 8 hours of exerciser per week.

Before and after photos gives you the worst shock of your life

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Recycled men

Girls always complain there are no great guys are there and that is probably true. The young ones are naive, immature and not dependable. But the mature ones will come with experience and most probably bad ones hence they are single. Unless you go for taken guys which is a complete whole different blog post. Hence I love this term – recycled men. They have been used and throw away, now back on the market intended for the greater good of the world. Are we too judgemental to overlook them or can we cater for the idea?

Only when something is broken does it need mending. Only when we have mended then we can learn to appreciate what we have even in the midst of pain. I love to hear other people’s stories and I love to share their experiences as it always fascinates me. Recently, I had the privilege to listen to Sheila Walsh speak in person and she was amazing. Sometimes when someone tells you everything is going to be alright you don’t believe them, because you don’t feel it from them. But when Sheila Walsh says something she does not say it lightly. She draws from her own personal path which is true to her heart. The first time I heard her story, which I’m sure she has told over 1000 times, I was in tears for she told it with such emotions it was as if she relived it in her head again when she spoke the words. But yet she has strived forward so maybe recycled men can offer something too.

***Photo by bgorsphotography

That special feeling

I’ve lived in 4 countries and speak 3 languages fluently. I learnt Japanese for 6 years in high school but still didn’t master it or able to carry out a conversation of any sort. I take every opportunity to travel there but never had a chance to work or live there (yet). My favourite word in the Japanese language is shiawase 幸せ [しあわせ] (adj-na,n). Literally translated it means happiness, good fortune, or luck. But it means much more than that as it implies a state of contentment and joy beyond words can describe. When you say the word it has a really good flow on your tongue and when spoken softly it brings your hair standing. It’s exactly that feeling you get when someone makes you feel special and treats you like the most important person in the whole wide world. It’s things like when…

…he makes you giggle like a little girl

…he looks at you like you are the only person in the world

…he ditches his mates to bring you chicken soup

…he holds your hair back when you are being sick

…he sends you a text as soon as he wakes to say he misses you

…he watches you sleep then tells you how beautiful you are when you open your eyes

…he encourages you to achieve your potential

…he compliments you without being prompted

…he rescues you from your troubles

…he gives you a big hug that goes beyond words

These things happen often in movies as promoted by our great Hollywood but in reality only happens once in a life time if you are lucky enough. Interestingly, I had the best shiawase feeling on Saturday and it came from my soon to be 5-year-old little friend. It’s been a year since I first met him and we have developed a special bond as I try to enter this world spending every Saturday afternoon together. We sit in silence sometimes just wheeling around a train for 45 minutes without break. We climb up and down his bed repeatedly. We played letter games and number games, now he can write short words – I’m so proud of him!!! At first he wouldn’t make eye contact with me and shies away but now he looks me right in the eye. He pee on me one time but now he is fully toilet trained. We recite stories together that he has memorised from cover to cover. He even starts to recollect experiences and tells me how he went to the zoo and Thomas’ birthday party!!! Last Saturday, a special moment passed when we played the ‘I’m stuck’ game where he throw himself at me full weight so I can’t move and I have to yell ‘I’m stuck, I’m stuck!’. Then we reverse roles and all throughout we giggle crazily. That feeling is so precious, irreplaceable, and not comparable to any other.

***Photo by bgorsphotography

Mind the Gap

When two people come together. There is a fair amount of getting to know each other to do because you need to find out the gaps. You should be mindful, otherwise you might just fall right in and break a leg or a heart with the misalignment.

You have different upbringing and background. You have different cultures and values. You have different decision-making and problem solving processes. You have different expectations and reactions to situations. You speak different love languages.

You may have similar dreams and aspirations you wish to pursue together, hence when you decide to do life together there are certain amounts of weight shifting. You have to adjust to each other and see what roles each person takes up. Are you equal individuals or is one more dependent on the other? Does one person outshine the other or each has their own strengths? Who is more of a listener or problem solver? Do you take different roles in front of peers as opposed to at home? Who handles more the details and who has more of a bigger picture view? Some relationships may breeze through probation period without even realising it and settle comfortably. Some relationships require willing and constant compromise which feels like hard work. I suppose it should have a balance of the two and it requires adjustment with time and changing circumstances. That is what I miss sometimes, the ‘us’ element – as the ultimate goal is for two to become one.

***Photo by bgorsphotography

Perilous Weekend Atop Everest Capped Off by Record-Breaking Climb

Reblogged from NewsFeed:

A mountain as grueling as Everest is the last place you’d expect to encounter traffic. But with a single icy path to the mountain’s narrow summit and few days of clear weather to climb, there can be periodic rushes to make it to the top of the world. And under such treacherous conditions, not moving quickly enough can be fatal.

Read more… 429 more words

9 Qualities of Extraordinary Entrepreneurs

Reblogged from Business:

Good entrepreneurs make money. Great entrepreneurs make serious money.

But remarkable entrepreneurs do more than make money. They are the few who possess qualities that don’t appear on balance sheets but do make a significant impact on the lives of their employees, industries, and communities.

Read more… 963 more words

4 Cool New Booking Sites to Help Save on Hotels

Reblogged from Moneyland:

In the quest for the perfect hotel, every traveler wants two basic things: 1) a great room (naturally); and 2) assurance that they’re paying less than the person in the identical room next door.

Read more… 716 more words