Big Girls Don't Cry

When the going gets tough, and the tough gets going...
Whine no more, nag no more...
Say one word only: RESILIENCE.

{Men's Guide to Style}

Voila! As promised, men's style-file section.

I'm actually a bit nervous about this post. Sort of uncharted territory for me to write about men's style. I'm not an experienced style-editor or what, so I'll just share my personal view when spotting guys and their outfits...

Free-spirited guys always gets me carried away. One who is a bit eccentric but very much confident of himself, who would dress for comfy, doesn't really give a shit of how he looks like.

Hope. episode I & II

Hope, Episode I

Hopes were all dead -struck with a subtle doom.
I looked at my cherished wishes;
Yesterday so blooming and glowing,
Now they lay stark, chill, livid corpses that would never revive.

I was experiencing an ordeal: A hand of fiery iron grasped my vitals.
Terrible moment: full of struggle, blackness, burning.
My eyes were covered and closed:

Eddying darkness seemed to swim round me.
Reflection came in as black and confused a flow.

Self-abandoned and effortless,
I seemed to have laid me down in the dried-up bed of a great river.
I heard a flood loosened in remote mountains, and felt the torrent come:
To rise I had to will, to flee I had no strength. I lay faint.

It came: in full heavy swing, the torrent poured over me.
The whole consciousness of my life lorn,
my hope quenched, my faith death-struck.
Swayed full and mighty above me in one sullen mass.

That bitter hour cannot be described:
in truth, the waters came into my soul,
I sank in deep mire: I felt no standing,
I came into deep waters.

The floods overflowed me.

Hope, Episode II

I was suffocated, I shook, I feared,
but I resolved: I was born to strife and endure.
The burden must be carried, the want provided for,
the suffering endured, the responsibilities fulfilled.

My heart: dried up and schorched for a long time,
swelled and filled with living blood.
My being longed for renewal, my soul thirsted for rejuvenation.
I saw Hope revived and felt regeneration possible.
"Go," said Hope, "and Live Again."
One word comprise my duty, "Depart!"

Picture via {This is Glamorous}

Scent-Sation.

Coco Chanel

once said,
"A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future."

Even a Chanel-adoring devotee like me cannot help grinning at the hilarious quote.

Yet, elevation of mood and solid boost of confidence resulting from a fragrance is a nice solace for every girl's hectic day, wouldn't you agree?

But you promised,

I had an appointment with a friend this morning. She showed up late and I got very pissed off, having to re-schedule the rest of the day's time table. How annoying! But then again I realized how as often I've done the same thing to other people. Honestly, let's take a minute to think: Have you ever...

• Promised to deliver something by a set date and later regretted it?
• Volunteered for a job you had no idea would take so long?
• Agreed to a deal that looked great but wasn't?
• Accepted an invitation you wish you hadn't?

Eventually, we all learn by experience a basic law of life: It's always easier to get in than get out!

There are three common commitment traps:
1. The Money Trap:
It's always easier to get into debt than out of debt!
It's always easier to borrow than to pay it back.
2. The Partnership Trap:
It's always easier to get into a relationship, than to get out of one!
3. The Time Trap:
It's always easier to fill your schedule than to fulfill it!
You can get so many irons in the fire that you put out the fire!

The solution: Remember -don't make rash vows.
In other words, choose your commitments carefully; think before you speak; under-promise and over-deliver. With this, you'll build a reputation as a person of your word.

Gisele

Name Gisele Bundchen
Nationality Brazilian
Heigt/Measurements 5'10"/34-24-34
Hair/Eyes Brown/Blue
DOB 1980, Horizontina, Brazil.
Agency New York-Elite

Discovered
At age 14 while eating a Big Mac with fellow classmates on a school trip. She later entered the Elite model competition and came fourth.

Income
Gisele has a contract with Victoria's Secret that will make her $30 million between 2004 and 2008. Her current runway rate is $50,000-a-time - putting her at No.76 in the list of the world's biggest earners.

Resume
Has appeared on most of the major magazines covers in the past year. Models in ads for Ralph Lauren, Celine, Christian Dior, Michael Kors, Zara, Dolce & Gabbana, Bulgari, etc.

Fun Facts
A star on the inside of her left wrist. She got it after her first night in New York, when she couldn't find a star in the sky to help her pray. She has a belly-button ring and breast implants.

Family
Five sisters: Raquel, Graziela, Gabriela, Patricia (twin) and Rafaela.

Gisele was awarded 'Model of the Year' by VHI and Vogue.
She is quoted as saying "You know, I'm a normal person who has a business that's not so normal."

Awaiting My Dream Catcher

You say you got to go and find yourself.

You say that you're becoming someone else.

Don't recognize the face in the mirror looking back at you.

You say you're leaving as you look away.

I know there's really nothing left to say.

Just know I'm here whenever you need me, I will wait for you.

So I'll let you go, I'll set you free.

And when you see what you need to see.

When you find you, come back to me

Take your time, I won't go anywhere.

Picture you with the wind in your hair.

I'll keep your things right where you left them.

I'll be here for you.

And I hope you find everything that you need.
I'll be right here, waiting to see.
You find you, come back to me.

I can't get close if you're not there.
I can't get inside if there's no soul to bear.
I can't fix you. I can't save you.
It's something you'll have to do.

Song Title Come Back to Me

Singer David Cook

Songwriters Amund Bjorklund, Espen Lind, Zac Maloy

Album David Cook

Pictures via Style/Vogue.com

{Summer Fling}

Hot and sizzling -the perfect two words to describe July! A new month is unfolding, a new style should too. Time to open your closet and reissue your summer pieces, girls! (Or, even better, go shopping for new ones!) Here are some ideas to stay pretty under the sun...

All styles sourced from Elle magazine.
For more inspiration, simply flip over the July 2009 issue.

Have fun!

20 Things to Do on Your 20s

-in other words "before you get too old and left with no fun at all".

Channel a classic movie.
My current pile of DVD consists of Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, Gone With The Wind, etc. Nice blunder to escape nowadays monotone films :p

Buy a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a lace bra.
Already got the first item at home, the complete set. No idea what to do with them though, they all look the same!
A cordless drill? Anybody know where I can get one? Ace Hardware, I guess. How does it look? What is it for?
As for lace bra, you can't possibly think I would miss La Senza's sale...

Divorce toxic friends
Did to 3 people. Don't regret, don't feel a thing.
Apparently I'm not that sweet of a person :)

Use an alias for a day.
An interesting imagination just flash through my mind. Gotta try this soon.


Cook an impressive three-course meal for someone.
The list's getting tougher :p Related to cooking-stuff, the only thing I've done close to success is boiling water. I don't even have a clue on how to steam rice!

Learn how to successfully change a tyre.
Well, gotta resist the temptation to just call my driver or a friend the next time I got flat tyre :p


Break up with a man who you know is bad for you; similarly, have a fling with a guy who you know is bad for you!
Unfortunately, or fortunately.... I have experienced both, in say like 2 months period. Not a very pleasant experience I suppose, but totally worth it. Must-try life experience.


Volunteer to a charity you really care about.
Making a mental note at this very moment.

Go to an art gallery and buy an original piece of art.
This should be fun! All things that have "shopping activity" in it, I certainly love it!

Dine unaccompanied in a nice restaurant.
This point got its downsides, it's gonna be expensive; and with no mate to share food with... I hate having to finish up my whole meal.


Learn how to stand up for yourself when you receive poor customer service.
I just had this funny experience while going out for dim sum with my friends. One of them got really angry because the cashier made a wrong calculation.
It must be so much fun to act like a total bitch. Can't wait for the opportunity. But would my face be a supporting device? I don't think so...

Confess that (present or past) crush to a friend.
Uhmmm.... No comment. Should I, should I not?

Have a favourite book that isn't chick-lit.
I'm digging into Jane Eyre within these weeks. I've already got Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Anna Karenina and War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
Can't wait to devour them all and improve my writing skills.

Quit a job without having another lined up.
My favorite among all! Just quit HSBC last April; and as far as I'm concerned, it's one of the best decision I've ever made in my life! Viva Ex- HSBCers.


Have a one night stand (or more than one).
OoooPss.... I just knew this one's gotta be in the list.

Spend a whole pay packet on a pair of shoes.
I've done even better. twice pay packet for a clutch. No regret at all!

Live all by yourself for at least six months.
Longing for an opportunity to realize this one. Work on progress, hopefully all my efforts will pay-off in time -or soon.

Forgive someone who wronged you; apologize to someone you've betrayed.
My heart has always been too big for this small matters. Forgive and forget.

Try something you always said you'd never do.
So many improvements at this point. Looking forward to add more to my private list.

Wear an outrageously-sexy dress to a party.
As long as it's to the right place.... A particular bad memory kind of haunting me :D

Counting..... Gosh, I'm almost done with the list. Does this mean my fun 20s would soon be over? Should I shift to a more-responsible-30s?

Picture via {this is glamorous}

The Main Thing:

July has arrived and unpacked before June even has the chance to make her elegant exit. It kind of scares me to realize how time elapses...

I roused to the first day of July with the fret that I had taken to bed with. It was still there, like a toothache. I have always been tarrying myself off-bed everyday; plunging into series of errands or just calling up friends to hang out. My periods of reflection has always been brief and infrequent.

But this morning, I felt weighted. I spent a little more time in silence, contemplating on my journey to date since the first day of 2009. Recollecting my achievements and downfalls, I started with a smile but faded gradually as I reached the more recent occurrences. I've been losing myself a bit lately.

When matters got all jumbled-up, it helps to entangle it all and keep only the main thing. "The Main Thing is to Keep The Main Thing". The question follows soon-after. What's the main thing in my life?

INTEGRITY
All the way through life, simply be true to yourself. In everything you do, just be you, the best of you. It's enough. You cannot live your life looking from someone else's point of view...

CREATIVITY
Be creative in every aspect of your life. Explore every interest, every talent. Apply them all abundantly, generously. Life is about coloring your white paper and others; on the other way around letting people do the same. At the end of the day, you'll be surprise to find what a wonderful painting you have on your piece of paper...

PRODUCTIVITY
Do everything you have to do, do everything you want to do and do everything you're afraid to do. Life Begins at the End of Your Comfort Zone. When you are at the last day of your living on earth, reminiscing your journey; make sure you feel satisfied to have been alive and have been living it to its fullest.

Stepping into July's threshold, I'm holding these three main things close to my breast.

Picture via {this is glamorous}