sit-ups 'n' no alcohol...

Did you eat pancakes on Tuesday? I did, one perfect pancake, absolutely covered in Nutella 'n' golden syrup :-) yummy :-P

So, now we are in the period of Lent....how many people will be giving up 'something' for these 40 days and 40 nights?  What will it be...?

In past years I've gone without a variety of things (mainly food) chocolate, cheese, coffee and wine (I did excellent with them all...except coffee and wine :-( This year I'm going for the BIG one... ALCOHOL in every form! yikes! Will I succeed, I don't know, I hope so!

As well as a heck of a lot of encouragement and will power, I decided I may be in need of a little incentive for completing this task.  My Mr Man asked what I might want...?  Well, I've had my ears focused on some beats by Dr Dre for a month now....

 

Aren't these just a perfect incentive :-)

So, whilst doing this crazy 'no alcohol' thing, I've also decided to up my exercise routine and hit the gym a bit more often...



I started on Tuesday with a run with 'my girl' Rhiaaaaaannnaaa (the iPod version;-)), the weather got too hot so I headed into the gym. I managed 3.5k in just over 20 mins, next 2k rowing. On Wednesday, just for extra pain, I did yoga class for 1 1/2 hours! The stretching yoga did do me a lot of good but 'damn that downward dog pose'! 'cos my arms 'n' shoulders are proper aching. Got to think positive...no pain no gain 'n' all that :-)

I'm off now to 'over-indulge' in exercise, facebook 'n' water...but I promise - no alcohol :-)

kisses 'n' smiles from me xx :-)

Beautiful things 'n' love...actually

Love Actually...I've no doubt mentioned this movie before, but my Valentine's Day (and evening) alone 'sans mon mari' sparked a DVD and a glass of wine moment...ah, yes for a girl who loves a bit of a romantic comedy 'n' a few happy tears, a perfect moment was had :-)

Husband away on business or working late are a common aspect of Singapore life (yes, lots of other lives too...even beautiful Kate and Prince William were apart this Valentines).  I always 'try' to stay sane and positive when I'm alone and make endless lists of all that 'random stuff' I don't get around to normally. This time, I'm creating a fabulous bedroom make over for my boys :-) it's kind of tiring me out so I'm sleeping pas trop mal, actually.  I wonder if my Mr Man will notice that the 60 minute make over team (should have) been round?

who sleept in this messy unorganised room?

OK, so my self-set budget didn't stretch to interior designers!

but, plenty of 'housey' mags were flipped through.

I'm pretty pleased with the result... 

Last bits, a random selection of links making me smile :-)

ASOS yeah...they deliver free to Singapore :-)

Net a Porter lots of wish list beautiful things here :-)

The Tiger Mother I am actually admiring this woman...she is amazing, so too are her children :-)

and a few beautiful things I'm loving actually xx :-)

from top left clockwise...

Burberry wedge, February's Bellabox, Tiffany bracelet,

pink 'n' purple glitter nails,

Christian Louboutin 'snakey paint splatter' pumps,

arty cutie dog :-)

kisses 'n' smiles from me xx :-)

wonderful, wonderful Wicked of Oz

Absolutely fabulous :-) My boys, my Mr Man 'n' I sooooo enjoyed Wicked the Musical at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre...

Of course, in true 'me style' we were 'running' (quite literally) late. A quick dash through the Marina Bay Sands, dodging folk through the Shoppes and finally, breathlessly collecting our pre-booked tickets from the box office. In very not 'like me style', everything went smoothly with collection and we got to our seats with 10 minutes to spare...phew :-)

I love a show and especially a musical and was very much not disappointed by Wicked...it was wicked ! :-) the story worked great, and linked straight into the original Oz movie. Those of my readers in Singapore, I say "go catch it while you got the chance"!  Before booking tickets I was unsure of the suitability for my kids, but, my boys aged 8 and 10 years totally enjoyed it :-) :-)

Marina Bay Sands...the resort, the complex, the experience...whatever you call it! Really is so out of this world...I'm calling it 'Dubai-esque' :-) fabulously over the top in grandeur 'n' spendeur!  fab :-)

I'm off now to eat some French cheese with, fresh out of the oven, bread and drink a glass of Argentinian Wine :-) SPCA 'n' gym tomorrow ;-)

http://www.spca.org.sg/

Kisses 'n' smiles from me xx :-)

chaos that works in Vietnam...

Yes, I'm still smiling in Vietnam and I've discovered there is order to this crazy chaos! Actually, the easiest way to cross the road is 'just walk' the motor bikes, rickshaws, taxis, cars and buses will dodge as they 'do' anticipate you will walk out!  Here's a video took from the terrace of a very nice restaurant...

So, yes I'm still alive after crossing many streets in Ho Chi Minh City :-) here are a few pics of my adventures...

complimentary fruit in a little boat

Old Colonial Majestic Hotel 'n' new modern Financial Centre

ice delivery - no ice trucks here!

the ice delivery guy

Communist Party Headquarters

Notre Dame

Mostly, I've been drinking and occasionally eating... I did ask my Mr Man what Vietnamese food was...he told me 'dog' and someone else told me 'snake'! Therefore I found it best to stick to a liquid diet ;-)  lime margaritas, ginger 'n' lemongrass martini, white wine 'n' a little drop of champagne, nice ;-)

We did treat ourselves to a lovely, lovely brunch at the Intercontinental Hotel... Seafood 'n' desserts to die for, never ending Veuve Clicquot Champagne :-) I don't need to eat again until Wednesday ;-)

oysters 'n' vodka shots ;-)

Off now to catch the plane back to Singapore...

kisses 'n' smiles from me xx ;-)

geocaching 'n' nail art

Geocaching...OK, so this really will not be every ones "cup of char", but my 3 men enjoy it and when they are happy 'n' entertained...I'm smiling :-)

I'll not go into the 'ins 'n' outs' of what Geocaching is (check out the wikipedia link here and the official geocaching site here). My men discovered this during our summer hols in the UK, kind of treasure hunting for big kids! We had fun (in the British rain) following trails through North Yorkshire fields full of sheep, great exercise up 'n' down the hills and my boys were kept smiling by the promise of pirate loot or booty at the end :-)

The trackable made me smile :-)

My men were lucky enough to locate a trackable geo tag in Lancashire...these are extra goodies with unique id numbers which are tracked on the official Geocaching website. Of course, we brought Signal and his friend the lion back to Singapore and have recently checked him into the Trackable Hotel located in the National Museum of Singapore - sure he'll keep me smiling as we follow him on the website to see where he travels to next.

Even as I'm writing this post, Mr Man and my boys are out on their bikes and visiting the site of another great Singapore Cache. They'll be searching to answer clues to the cache coordinates and I'm sure they'll have fun at Marina Barrage and the new Gardens by the Bay.  I highly recommend Geocacaching to get the men in your family smiling as they do some treasure hunting :-)

Now to something different and much more 'girly'!  'Nail Art' is very much making me smile ;-)

I really did not think I would get into this, my nails are always cut pretty short I'm often caught chewing and biting them...very ladylike in deed! Krikey, not so long ago I got a Gelish manicure done (not even going to tell how much I paid for that!)  Gelish were obviously not thinking of me when they said it would last for 3 weeks...within 3 days I had flicked, chipped and pealed at this thick Gelish substance. Of course, this stuff does not come off with regular nail varnish remover...I had to sit in the salon with foil wrapped nails for 30 minutes, $30 for the trouble.  This certainly did not make me smile!  I will not be recommending Gelish to anyone who cannot avoid fidgeting with their nails.

There are so many fab nail art designs :-) I'm thinking a design with candy cane stripes or snowflakes for the festive season. Sure, they'll not last much past Boxing Day but neither will the imported Christmas tree :-)

If anyone has found iTunes Singapore to do anything other than boring podcasts and university related books , you are better at locating these than me!  I'm now going to log into iTunes UK, hopefully get a preview of the new Rihanna album and I might well buy the odd music video and download a bit of Pitbull too ;-)

I leave you with the beautiful Rihaaaaaaaaanna singing one of my faves (the song never came out as a single so the link is a bit of a 'tacky You Tube - lyrics on screen special' but the music is there) Fire Bomb enjoy :-)

Kisses 'n' smiles from me xx ;-)

pretty in pink...

Today everything is looking pretty 'n' pink ;-)

October is BCA month.  Worldwide companies and individuals are going pink in support of the cause.  Landmarks worldwide have been lit in pretty pink lights to raise awareness and offer support, here in Singapore the Flyer - pretty in pink too...

So to offer my tiny contribution to this massive event I'm being passionate for all things pink in my blog today...


Pink (and green)...the Dragon Fruit.  Yes,  it looks very pretty and exciting on the outside but inside it's a little disappointing.  With my boys, yesterday, we enjoyed looking at this lovely tropical fruit which is grown in Vietnam.
 

My boys tried to guess what colour it would be inside - pink or green & white.  So, cutting into it they were surprised to see white with little black seeds.  The texture of the fruit's skin is rubbery making it super easy to peel.  The texture inside is pretty dry and would not be to every one's liking (all those little pips are a bit difficult and get stuck in all the nooks and crannies of your mouth and teeth :-D).  My youngest son - who adores all fruit - said the Dragon Fruit is sweet and yummy.  But my eldest, who is certainly a savoury food lover, did not like and after just the tiniest of pieces refused to eat anymore...I could not blame him - not to my liking either/neither.

Pink 'n' oh so girly y ;-)  My much anticipated Bellabox did not disappoint ;-) 

Ah yes, this cute pink box was opened to reveal a second box within - how very exciting!  I am loving my goodies which were so perfectly wrapped inside.  What was in there?  O.P.I skin quencher - mango hand and body lotion, smells absolutely yummy, yummy and my hands are now smelling positively good enough to eat!  Esprit D'Oscar by Oscar de la Renta - this sample size is applied by way of a tiny roll on - lovely, lovely and my fragrance made my 'Mr Man' smile last night ;-)  I'm adding a full size bottle of the fragrance to my Christmas wish list. 

Before I left 'old Blighty' 13 years ago, I regularly used and loved Aveda shampoo so after reading that they would be participating in the BellaBox I was so hoping to find some of their products in the first box.  Rosemary mint shampoo and conditioner these 2 cuties smell divine (my youngest son wants them for his own!)    Not sure the shampoo will suit my 'oh so natural' hair colour so perhaps my boys will get their hands on them afterall? 

Lastly in my beautiful BellaBox was the Twistband.  I have to admit that I had no idea what these little ribbon-y things were!  Thankfully, I spotted these on the BellaBlog and they are now sure to become a permanent fixture on my wrist just ready for pulling my hair back for those extra hot and humid Singapore days. 

Opening my BellaBox and this talk of exciting packaging reminds me of something a friend told me... she had opened her Christmas present from me a few years ago, I had bought her lots of Sephora goodies and got them gift wrapped in store.  The Christmas wrapping staff had put the gifts in scrunchy scented tissue paper, popped them in a big (slightly over sized) box, added tiny silver stars, then tied the whole box up with a red feather boa.  My friend told me that, although she loved the products inside the box, she could not resist wrapping it all up and opening the box again and again.

So yes, packaging and appearance is important.  But thinking now about the Dragon Fruit - the moral of the story has to be - appearances can be deceiving!

There's so many more cute-y, pink-y and pretty produits which are making me smile...probably some more pink photos tomorrow...

Until then...

Kisses 'n' smiles from me xx ;-)