Normal? What's that?!

It's been a couple of weeks since I've completed my Universal Yoga Teacher's Training course (yay!) and I've kind of been waiting for life to settle down and get back to normal. I don't mean simply getting back to waking up at a normal time instead of jumping out of bed at 530am to rush to morning practice or not having to deal with insistently sore muscles.

For some reason, I'd thought I would just go back to being the regular old me, doing my usual thing and viewing life in the same way. But nope. That totally didn't happen.

At the risk of sounding somewhat preachy, I've certainly found my outlook on life changing, and I think it is for the better. Granted, I have probably been a bit of a work in progress for a little while, especially since I made the decision to leave my day job to spend more time on doing things that actually meant something to me. Still, I couldn't help but notice a small but discernible shift after this 200 hour, 20 day course.

Something that I never ever dreamt I would say is that I've learnt to be content and happy with what I have. I no longer click open an email from netaporter or shopbop and break into convulsions when I see the dress/shoe/bag that I MUST HAVE OR DIE TRYING. Heh. To paraphrase my yoga teacher Copper, I've finally learnt to admire the beauty of an object without feeling an all-encompassing desire to possess it. And to quote him a little more, I might still buy the shoe/bag/dress (I'm not perfect so it's perfectly acceptable to cave in every now and then haha) but at least now my happiness does not depend on acquiring yet another material object.

I'm working hard to be a little more compassionate in my daily life. I am the sort of person who gets really bugged by bugs and I usually end up screaming for someone to come squash it or get rid of it for me. So it's been tough but I've consciously tried not to be so bothered by the sight or thought of insects because, really, they're probably more afraid of me than I of them. A few days ago, I spotted a spider in my bathroom and after mentally screaming like a crazy woman, I decided to leave it alone. Admittedly, it was partly because I was scared to kill it and there was nobody else to help me heh. But still, baby steps. I hope I never see this spider again :x

As for something that's a little more obvious, I've committed to eating only fruits and nuts one day every week. I am a horribly picky eater and I've never liked vegetables. In a way, this has made me a lot more conscious about health and nutrition because I'm aware that I'm not always consuming the vitamins and minerals I need. So I've always tried to cut down on less healthy food like fried or oily stuff and I try to eat a reasonably healthy breakfast daily.

According to yogic philosophy, fruits and nuts are the most nutritious to a yogi because of the prana (life energy) that they contain. That aside, since I am rather carnivorous, I think a weekly fruit and nut fast will at least allow my digestive system to take a break from all that intensive work. I've done this just twice and man, this is difficult! I'm not depriving myself of food for the most part since I'm not restricting the amount of fresh fruit I can eat. But when you're constantly surrounded by all sorts of sinful temptations in real life and also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it can be incredibly difficult to go even for just 24 hours on a simpler diet. But I'm determined to stick to this so that hopefully in the future, I won't be plagued with various health problems and I'll get to lead a nice, long healthy life where I can practice yoga even when I'm grey and wrinkly.

Anyways, I've written all this not to proselytize or to make myself feel holier-than-thou. If what I've written will inspire someone else to make some changes in his or her life, then it is a blessing that I've been allowed this opportunity to spark action in another person's life. Otherwise, this really is just so I can hold myself accountable to my actions, and maybe someday, I can look at this post as a measure of how I've grown as a person over the years :)

Beauty with a difference

There is a new, or shall I say revamped, beauty player in town, and I have a gut feeling that this time, it's going to make lovers of luxury beauty products sit up and take notice.

DFS Galleria Singapore's updated Beauty Hall is a stunner in terms of its sheer size and range of brands available. At 15,000 sq ft, it is comparable with Sephora. I just love the high ceilings, which give you a sense of space - something which is definitely a luxury in Singapore. There are 22 beauty brands with spacious counters to encourage browsing and testing.

By now, most people would know that Giorgio Armani cosmetics has made its debut here. But there is also another hard-to-find brand at DFS - Helena Rubenstein, whose mascara is one of its star products. Apparently, HR has been here all this while but was previously tucked at a smaller counter upstairs. Some other brands available here include Benefit, Christian Dior, La Mer, Estee Lauder, Shiseido and SK-II.   

At first glance, it may be difficult for a casual observer to tell what's so special about this place. Well, read on for four reasons why the DFS Beauty Hall is different from other beauty halls you can find along the Orchard Road strip.

Just for laughs

So I was mighty chuffed when I spotted a New York Times article on how hotels are increasingly beginning to offer "designer" toiletries to attract customers, published May 29, 2012. You can check out the full article here

I have to say I am rather disappointed by the rather uninspired headline "Hotels Upgrade Beauty Products", although the article is a lovely breeze to read.

For all the flak that we get for supposedly riding on trends that start elsewhere, at least sometimes, we get there first. Heehee. So just for fun, here's my Singapore version of the story on hotels that offer cool beauty products in their rooms. It was published about nine months ago on Aug 28, 2011.

If you're traveling soon, you may want to check out the hotels under the Como group. There's the Metropolitan in Bangkok, Uma Ubud in Bali and Uma Paro in Bhutan, just to name a few. I absolutely adore their in-house brand of Como Shambhala toiletries, which smell simply divine. It's a blend of scents but I can pick up lavender most strongly. Yes, I'll admit that I nicked a few sets while I was at Uma Paro recently to bring home as souvenirs!

My five minute face

I'm not exactly a make-up magician who can transform her face into something completely different through face paint, but I have managed to figure out what I call my five minute glam face.

This skill has been honed through four years of having to work long hours in an office and then rushing off to attend one chi chi event or another. I think it is just good manners to at least bother to look like you've made an effort to look presentable at an event that someone has kindly invited you to. (And also not look like something the cat dragged in when taking photographs with the beautiful people at these events).

So, here's the bare minimum that I do to get by - at the least your complexion should look brighter and evened out and you will look less tired. Which in turn will do wonders at boosting your confidence at sometimes tricky social events.

Here's my ten staples for the recent Audi Fashion Festival.

Pssst

The "About me" page has finally been updated :)