My New Idol!

Have I told you that Jennifer Hudson is my new idol? And I don’t mean just for her sensational singing prowess but I am referring to her new svelte super skinny figure as well! Doesn’t she look amazing in this tribute for the late Whitney Houston? Even her face has slimmed down and now, she looks like a super sleek singing goddess!

I love weight loss success stories especially if they involve celebrities utilising healthy and effective weight loss programs in their journey. It is truly inspiring to see the thin confident winner emerge from the formerly fat person and these strong-willed dieters inspire me to lose a few pounds too.

Of course I’m not looking at a dramatic change like Jennifer Hudson but losing a few pounds after all the eating and pigging out I’ve been indulging in lately would be a big fat bonus for me right now.

Having said that, it is definitely hard to lose weight with the abundance of yummy food available to me when dining out or dining in. Every day I tell myself the diet has got to start but every night I end up eating something sweet to satisfy my sweet tooth!

It’s even harder to lose weight when rice is a staple for almost every meal but as hard as all the above, what’s most upsetting is not being able to fit into that old skinny jeans hanging inside your closet just waiting to make an appearance as soon as you’re ‘thin enough’!

I am still waiting for that day to arrive, which means I should seriously start dieting soon but at the rate I’m stuffing myself silly nowadays, I doubt that day will come any time soon. Meanwhile, I am consoling myself by sticking to my so-called diet of two meals a day, coffee with no sugar, housework as exercise and dark clothes as camouflage!

Happy Thursday and thanks for reading.

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LADY JAVA

My 2012 Resolution!

I just received a tweet asking me if I’m keen to know the most effective way on how to lose weight. Of course I’m interested! I always am when it comes to dieting and losing weight but having been tricked countless times by diet pills, teas and products that only help temporarily; I am no longer a believer!

Frankly, the only way anyone can lose weight is simply by proper healthy eating habits and exercising. The latter is a little difficult for me. I’ve always hated exercising (hence the forever BD mode) and I find it easier to control my food intake compared to sweating it out in the gym or even in my living room!

Yes there’s a gym right here in my condo building but I’ve yet to take a peek inside and the only form of exercise I get is housecleaning, which I don’t mind doing simply because I am forced to. Who else will clean the house if not yours truly right? Plus, the idea of sweating it out while vacuuming, ironing and mopping really makes me feel good about myself that at least, I do sweat it out naturally once in a while, which is better than not ‘working out’ at all I believe!

So this 2012, my New Year's resolution will not be the unrealistic one that I have almost every year, which is to lose weight. It seems that every time I make that New Year's resolution, it always falls through due to my lack of willpower and my love for yummy fattening food. I have a sweet tooth and dinner is never totally complete until after I had some sort of dessert for the night!

Next year, I only have one major New Year's resolution and this one I think I can pull it off. Being realistic and in acceptance of the whole never-gonna-happen skinny me issue, I am going to focus on the financial aspect of my life. So next year, I am working towards killing off my many credit cards, one by one!

This month marks the third month of me not using my credit cards and the feeling of relief and pride I have is overwhelming. I guess you can’t really understand this whole credit card insanity unless you’re credit card crazy like me. In a way, cutting off my credit cards is similar to me trying to lose weight. It takes a lot of willpower, determination and self-control to refrain myself from getting side-tracked and so far, I have been quite good.

I hope to see and feel some difference in my wallet after the sixth month, so wish me luck people. I am truly sick of being hounded by my credit card woes and if nothing else, I just want to be a little bit free from the choking worries of my credit cards bills.

So how about you guys? What are your New Year’s resolutions? Let’s keep it realistic shall we and name me just ONE of your many resolutions! Here’s to a fantastic 2012!

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MONICA

Short Getaway & Shorter Hair!

After my day of beauty at the salon yesterday, I am now counting the hours before B and I can finally check-in to one of our hotel getaways! My darling is on leave this week and initially we wanted to go to Port Dickson (PD) for a quick break at one of the gorgeous Legend International Water Homes.

The rates are reasonable considering you will enjoy your very own private pool in every home. However, certain unavoidable circumstances came up, which kept us at home running errands so that plan had to be postponed.

Today we are planning to do a little shopping, which leaves us with Friday free but a mere one night in PD is not really worth our journey. We’re thinking of spending the night in a nice hotel somewhere in PJ/KL instead.

Breaks are easy to make enjoyable even though it’s only a one-night stay in a local hotel. There is no need to crack your brain searching for the best rates for Budapest apartments or anywhere too far. Right here in PJ especially, there are several hotels or accommodation already calling out my name!

At the moment, we're looking at two different hotels in PJ. We have to make our booking today but since this is a local hotel, I can easily call instead of booking online like the above-mentioned apartments in Budapest or any other accommodation/hotels abroad. Sometimes the online information differs from what is currently available for call-in customers, so it's best to call ahead.

The plan is to check-in to a hotel and from there, B and I will meet up with a bunch of old friends for a get together dinner. Still thinking of the restaurant and still deciding on our hotel. Yup, that’s us; always last-minute when it comes to making plans!

Gotta go now. Trying to enjoy every moment of having B at home before he has to go back to work next week!

Shorter Hair, Sleek & Straight

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BLUEDREAMER
LADY JAVA
GAGAY

My Shoe Confession!

As much as I love the ankle booties I purchased especially for my London vacation, I have a confession to make! One I did not want to admit earlier especially to B because I knew he'd give me his "I told you so" look.

So I silently endured the first few days of our vacation wearing my bootie heels. I braved through the pain and discomfort because I love the way my heels looked on me. But as awesome as they were, I hereby sadly admit that my lovely booties were just not comfortable enough to withstand the endless walking we did while vacationing.

Me and my booties

Usually, I'd bring two pairs of shoes including a pair of sneakers while on vacation. This recent one however, I was quite strict with my packing and left my sneakers behind; refusing to add additional weight to my luggage. Truth was, I was planning a shopping spree and needed all the space I could get to stuff in my buys later!

Gorgeous ankle booties from Liz Claiborne!

To be fair to my lovely ankle booties, I did enjoy wearing and walking around in them for the first three days. Day 4 saw the pain starting to kick in and by the end of Day 5; I returned to our hotel with a pair of Footglove shoes from Marks & Spencer! I finally surrendered to the call of a new pair of comfy flat shoes since there was still plenty of walking, shopping and sight-seeing remaining on our agenda.

A little shorter with my Footglove flats

Anyway, they're off-white and the last pair available was in my size 7; kind of meant to be I guess! And yes, I did appreciate the immediate immense difference it made to my feet and I do admit that I walked a lot faster and easier with my new comfy women's flats.

So you win Love and I do deserve that "I told you so". Worry no more however for I will DEFINITELY go back to practising my two-pairs-shoes-including-sneakers rule on our next getaway! When will that be?

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MONICA
NESSA
LADY JAVA

European Escapade - First London Buy!

It was already noon when we arrived at Gatwick Airport. Earlier, we had booked online tickets to London Victoria Station on the Gatwick Express so after collecting them from the counter; we proceeded to board the train.

Gatwick Airport

By that time, I was exhausted and longed for a nice hot shower. I did not bother bringing along my fancy Lush bath & body products on this trip so I was banking on the hotel's health & beauty toiletries to soothe away my travel fatigue.

Train ride on the Gatwick Express

Our journey took about half an hour and I killed time by snapping pictures as our train sped its way to London.

From Victoria Station, we had to make our way to Gloucester Station, which was where our hotel was located. Thank goodness for B and his keen sense of direction who confidently took charge of getting us to our hotel.

London Victoria Station

Despite already travelling for 17 hours, I just had to make a quick stop when I spotted my favourite handmade cosmetic store Lush right in the middle of the station!

My favourite store in the whole wide world!

Inside, I was in ecstasy; eagerly sniffing all the scent-sational bath melts, skin care products and new fragrances on sale. Each sniff left me wanting more and a little upset too; knowing I won't be able to bring them all home with me. In the end I settled for just one Mrs. Whippy Strawberry Bath Ballistic.

My plan was to use this new bath ball on my trip and not bring it home. It would be too heavy to load them inside my suitcase. Besides, I still had 6 days in London to shop some more so I limited my very first buy to just ONE delicious Mrs. Whippy. By the way, it is my dream to own a Lush store one fine day!

When popped inside running water, Mrs. Whippy Strawberry Bath Ballistic fizzes into a milk bath. With a soya milk middle to ensure a softer smoother soak, this new item also smells awesome and I totally enjoyed my strawberry ice cream bath!

We arrived at Best Western, The Cromwell by late afternoon and if you're wondering how it looks like on the inside, keep on reading my blog for more vacation stories! Until then, thanks for following my European Escapade and I hope you're having a good journey so far.

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CAROLINE
ELAI
TEKKAUS

Something Pretty for Me!

Totally loving this lovely Sterling Silver White Stainless Steel Heart Bracelet I spotted while online shopping at TraxNYC tonight! And after almost 48 hours without sleep and three huge jobs done and delivered in record time, I am ready to pamper myself; starting with something pretty just for me!



Now this is what I call a great find. I love the simplicity of this bracelet and it would be perfect to wear on my next coffee session with the girls. Plus it's only $50, which means I won't burn a hole in my pocket and would still have enough to throw in a new pair of earrings!

A perfect place to shop for guys as well, I recommend my male readers to visit TraxNYC, the #1 trusted Jewellery Empire online. Here, you can definitely get some fantastic ideas on what to get for that special lady in your life on her birthday, anniversary, engagement or simply to say I Love You.

TraxNYC.com also provides high-precision custom jewellery. Using an intricate process, a computer model of your piece is created. Changes can be made to your creation until you are completely satisfied to ensure valued customers like you and me get exactly what we order. This I think is pretty cool. And apparently, TraxNYC has done almost every representation imaginable including the lovable Smurfs , SpongeBob and Bart Simpson too!
I can go on and on about all the gorgeous jewellery available at TraxNYC but you have to take a look see yourself to truly appreciate the dazzling delights on display. Some of the items are a little pricey but if you look hard enough, I'm sure you'd be able to find something pretty for yourself too. By the way, all bracelets are steamed and polished before shipment so get ready to sparkle and shine when it arrives!

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LADY JAVA
CAROLINE
ZUL