Facial HIdeout

Moms out there, do you find it hard to even get away for two hours to get a facial done? I do! I finally got my facial done after more than 5 months. My absolute favourite facial place is a hole in the wall place located Toa Payoh Lorong 6 called Suitall. I've been going to Susan for years. I love her facials coz they include a really long relaxing face massage. Ahhhh...

Croc Ad

AD: What a Croc! It's hard to imagine the parents were ugly...
What an ad! Saw this in Oprah magazine. Gotta love those who can laugh at themselves and manage to sell even more product by doing so.

I've tried to be a Croc wearer but my feet don't seem to fit any of them! It's usually too wide or it cuts into my longer second toe. I'm also guilty of buying the fake Seahorse brand for my 3-year old. I can't bear to get her the original Crocs since she outgrows them so quickly.

Software Downloads

Okay, I've been venting a lot. Sorry. These are things that really bug me, especially since I have time to notice them since I am working part-time and playing full-time mommy. I did want to share a parenting topic with everyone. My husband and I have two girls, a 3-year old and 7-month old. Since my husband used to work in IT, we joke about our kids getting software downloads every time we notice a change in their behavior or reaction to day-to-day occurrences. And many have happened, literally overnight, and surprised us. It's quite shocking sometimes and you find yourself having to think fast and adjust to the new behaviour. For example, just a week ago, we had to feed my 3-year old all the time or she won't finish or even eat her meals. Now, she just sits and feeds herself and eats all her veggies too (broccoli, carrots and corn). HUH? But we're not complaining.

My message to all parents out there who are pulling out their hair trying to convince or encourage their children to grow up, PATIENCE... the download will happen. Keep a cool head, constantly deliver the same message, do not scold or yell coz it doesn't work--it only shows you've lost control--and your child will surprise and amaze you.

Good luck. Breathe in, breathe out... now go wait for your downloads.

Snail Mail via Door Drops

Do you live in a HDB apartment. Do you constantly remove printed flyer advertisements from your gate and sometimes your car too? This is another huge waste of paper and very very irritating. Such marketing and advertising is SO ineffective. Sure, some people actually read and look at the ad, but guess what, they are looking at it with irritation that the advertiser has invaded their private space and forced them into paying attention to something they are more often than not, not interested in, and the only reason they have to pick it up is to remove it from their doorway.
Okay, maybe I speak for myself. But I see many of my neighbours not even bothering to pick theirs up, hoping the wind will make it another neighbour's responsibility to pick up. Or maybe the Town Council cleaning staff will do it. Can the HDB ban or at least charge a fee to advertise this way? That will deter advertisers, especially real estate agents. Then give the money back to the residents via lower service and conservancy fees. (One can only hope...)

Reader's Digest Snail Mail Spam

I subscribed to Reader's Digest a few months ago and I seem to have gotten on to their snail mail spam list. Goodness... their sweepstakes entries and stages just never ends. It's so annoying and how terrible for the environment, all that paper wastage. It's always some sticker to remove and paste for a bigger bonus here and free gift there. And reply within 14 days or you won't win the bonus!!! And of course, they are trying to sell some other publication but is it really necessary to use so much paper to market it? As a mom who is trying to do my bit to save the earth, I feel I've done a great disservice to Mother Earth by subscribing to this magazine. Don't get me wrong, I like reading the Reader's Digest but all that junk and soliciting that comes with it is so annoying, I'm definitely not going to renew my subscription when the annual term ends. I've even stopped sending in the Sweepstakes entries. That's right, they can keep their $200,000... Gee whiz...

Facebook Frenzy

Are you on Facebook yet? For some reason, most of my friends are on Facebook, not MySpace or other social networking sites. Wonder why... I know some friends have profiles on both or more social networking sites but Facebook seems to be THE place to be among my circle. It's lovely to be on Facebook coz you can be found and you can find people too. I started getting very interested in social networking since I was handling marketing for a University department and my job was to promote active lifestyles. What better way to reach students than online where they're at. Anyway, it took me lots of effort to convince my bosses of its importance. Now, I cannot imagine how friends stayed in touch without Facebook. It's great to keep in touch with a friend and be able to see how he/she is doing. I'm not hooked on Facebook, in fact, I visit probably only a couple of times a month or when someone adds me as a friend. I don't want to seem unfriendly and it's always exciting when someone's found me.

Help Your Hubby

Are you stuck in the rut of receiving gifts that you picked or shopped for yourself since your husband is too afraid to buy the wrong thing or waste money on something you dislike? If you're practical like me and so many other women, you want to avoid pretending to like something but with the limited shopping time your husband has, you know he will not get the best deal or gift if left to his own devices. As time goes on... you start missing those surprises of an unexpected desired gift. Note: I said "desired." So what do you do. How about clipping ads or taking and printing out pics of stuff you see and desire and putting them in a folder for easy reference from your dear one/s. You'll get what you want, it will still be a surprise and your husband feels confident he's made a good decision in his pampering gesture. Walah!

Secret Language

Since my kids are still young and incapable of speaking secret languages, I wasn't jumping up and down with too much excitment when I read this in Family Circle's May 2007 issue. Yes... I'm not too current with the latest since I read whatever I can get my hands on at the National Library. (I've actually scored the most current issue of Parents magazine once, that was quite a happy moment for me.) Okay, I digress... what caught my attention was the SMS lingo that teens have. Did you know these? Are they the same among Singapore teens?

ilu I LOVE YOU
aeap AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE
cyr ma CALL YOUR MOTHER
h&k HUGS and KISSES
hand HAVE A NICE DAY
ptb PLEASE TEXT BACK
ring18 RUNNING LATE
gudluk GOOD LUCK

gtgn GOTTA GO NOW (that's my contribution).

Later....

Introducing... ME!

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