IT'S TIME

And these sum up how I have been feeling all of 2012.

To start selling apparel in May, to have a retail rack at KissJane Vivo, to put in huge commitment to learning the Dharma, to load on more and more new things onto myself and in short, to stretch myself out in so many ways I once thought impossible and come out a new me.

Did I mention I have never worked so hard my entire life?

Sometimes I think Life's too short to spend playing. I can't stand watching a movie or TV for long. And no to long dinners. I have too many interests in Life that I wish to explore.

The Husband says I'm a rash person. I think I operate on adrenalin rush.

I have been very lucky to receive much help in this impossible year of 2012. Thank you to all the sweet angels out there and of course, my ever supportive customers!

Can't wait for 2013. I have some huge decisions to make. Stay invincible, ladies!

And I have no idea why the red font refuse to turn black despite several tries. Sorry for the glare!

Picture credits: Facebook

Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

ROTTEN APPLE

Growing up, I used to wonder how it is like to have a sister who is very close to you. Someone who have your back and you have hers. Someone whom you can share tons of clothes, shoes and bags with. Someone whom you gave her your absolute trust and vice versa. Someone who is sensible and knows better when you don't. Someone who will help you out with parental obligations and never leave you to fight a lone battle.

I guess I will never know. 

There are many blogshops that are run by sisters. When I read their blogs, I sometimes think if only I have one, just one, reliable sister, how great things will be.

I grew up in a family of drama. There's always some sob story waiting to unfold. Something that digs all the inner strength & sanity out of me, leaving me drained and helpless. Just like the phrase, "一波未平，一波又起".

There were moments I asked myself just what was worth living for. But the thought of suicide was too harrowing. My parents were still around and I don't believe in 白頭人送黑頭人.

In my growing up years, I'm thankful that I have a pool of girlfriends whom I can count on to put up with me crying over the phone again and again. 天果然無絕人之路。It must have been tough on them though.

When I was looking for a husband, his family background actually becomes a very crucial criteria. I do not wish for my children to live in emotional turmoil.

Once in a while, I get an email/comment from a customer/reader who admire me for my determination in making Tian Fen Lan works. You know, if you grew up the way I did, you would too. For the first 20 years of my life, I have been telling myself that I can make things work, that my life can be stable and peaceful and that I can create happiness once I grow up,

If not for everyone, at least for myself. 

 

metta, 

欣雨 Xinyu

 
曾經經常埋怨，學佛之後，才明白什麽是宿福，什麽是宿業。

Snap snap snap!

One of my favourite things to do while planning a TFL shoot is...thinking about what cover shots to take. You know the cover shots that go to TFL Facebook page cover photo, profile pic and of course, the so-important homepage gigantic photo!

I used to be very lousy at doing up the homepage montage. I think I still am. So one of the best ways to make the site look good, I deduce, is by having a pretty photo, preferably taken out of the studio. That makes it tons easier to beautify everything. It's like magic! With a scenic background, the fall of the natural sunlight and everything looking more real out of the studio, it's like you can visualise better how the outfit/shoes/bag will look on you! Well, if dusk falls or if it rains, then it's back to googling for ways to touch up a photo until we can all drown happily in its prettiness.

I love outdoor shoots! But to drag many many bags along for outdoor shoots is no easy feat. Still, I look forward to many such opportunites to do so! I think I've finally found a photographer whom I can better afford for outdoor shoots! *fingers crossed*

After much post-processing

I had always been smitten with The Sartorialist and how the photographer captures real-life fashion. There's the high street fashion, daily wear kind of fashion and people of all occupations and ages. That, I feel, is what fashion is all about. Not about affording the most luxurious brands or only high street fashion, but about adapting clothes to your personal style and looking good and comfortable in it.

From Series 82, the photo above was a street-style shot the photographer captured upon my request. I love everything about the outfit! My model's ombre side braid, the scarf prints (I had always love such prints!), the pastel blazer, the shoes and of course the bags! I thought it was a very un-Singaporean kind of outfit, if you know what I mean. It is an outfit that I would wear to death! Think that was also the first time I put up a launch with a bag that comes in 2 sizes! So cuteeeee! The boys were saying that it was odd for the model to hold 2 bags together, but that was exactly my point! This shot was meant to be placed in the Facebook page as a preview of what was coming up next and I wanted customers to see that there are 2 sizes! 一目了然，you know!

But such simple-looking shots didn't come easy because the shot was done at a public place and it was really 人來人往! This short series of outdoor shots was done at around 630pm. Before that we were rushing some studio shots. Though the lighting is not fantastic, resulting in some blurriness, I'm still happy that we got some nice shots! Kudos to the team! =))

A series of shots done after the street shot, but didn't make it to the site! Thought I would do it some justice by showing them here! It was really getting dark then!

 I thought the fluffy hearts slippers my photographer worn was really cute!

Ever grateful to my photographer for accomodating all my ideas, no matter how impossible they sound at first!

It can takes about 20-30mins to get that one nice shot for the cover. For some reason, my photographer has a tendency to take portrait shots when I needed it landscape. Why, Jenny, why? Alright, actually lucky she did, or you girls won't be able to see how nice TFL shoes are! =))

The shop owner was very nice to allow us to snap away at her shopfront, with permission asked, of course!

I like the bell boy stand thing in the shop! Grand and unique! I had really liked this shot, but ahhh, where are the shoes?? No choice, as there wasn't enough space for us to capture a shot that can show off the beautiful Colour Splash Wedges. =(

It wasn't as easy to snap in front of the shop as I thought. For a while, we ended up catching all our reflections in the glass. But to save our face, thou shalt not show the photos, because we really look silly standing lifelessly under the hot sun. 

Just so you know, I'm not the only one that have wacky ideas. =D That was my photographer's suggestion. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the colours came out! Thank you, Jenny! Kudos to Fran for being so pro to lie on this forsaken bench! When asked to, Fran was like, oh sure, and bam, she laid on the bench! I think I hadn't even answer Jenny if I wish to try out this idea! And really Fran, your face where got look big in the photos??

This was for collection 85, if I remembered correctly. There was this very pretty floral fishtail dress, that I thought would be best showcased in a real-life scenario. The let-the-skirt-tail-fly-in-the-air kind of feel. So my model was to walk across the road, towards the photographer, smiling and with the skirt tail flying. 

I thought it was easy. You should see my photographer's face when I suggested the idea. She knew better. Haha!

This was like the most decent photo after 10 tries. Xuan is so patient to keep crossing the road and smiling! We wasted quite a bit of time waiting for Mr Green man for Xuan to start crossing the road. Xuan came up with the brilliant idea to cross half-way and U-turn back! This shot was captured once she U-turned half-way. Now why didn't we think of that??

One of us thought it would make a better photo, if Jenny was to take the photo 45 degrees across from Xuan. So we ran to the other side of the road but it turned out even more impossible. 

Too many pedestrians and too many vehicles crossing into the photo! But 人漂亮就是漂亮! Xuan definitely still stands out in the photo!

This shoot was for the National Day week and I had wanted to bring a Singapore scarf my in-laws got from the NDP preview goodie bag, but I FORGOT!! So we made do with the national flag. 

Ideas come to me randomly. 

This was one of the latest ever we had our shoot. It started from 8pm till 11pm, but one of the best things about photoshoots is having a team that won't compromise on photo quality and yet fun to work with. Times flies during a photoshoot!

Xuan looking like a doll, with the floral dress, hot pink clutch and big wide eyes. A patriotic doll. =D

We had to move away the mirror and cupboard, so that we could get a full length shot, landscape style. I thought the black satin curtains makes a great backdrop for the contrast of colours! It was an impromptu idea at 10pm!

Sometimes (actually, very often) I'm so caught up with the idea of having a nice cover shot that I underestimate the difficulty in getting a shot right. Like in this case, it took us 20 tries before a suitable shot was captured!

More failed shots! Xuan was supposed to do a shout-out happily kind of expression, with one leg raised. In some shots, we got the model's expression right, but the flag went down on us or went in the wrong direction. No crescent, no stars! Flag, why you no cooperate??

I remembered it was nearing 11pm, and I got a bit anxious when we couldn't nail the right shot. It was like a oh no, should I fuss over a right photo and hold everyone back or just make do with whatever shots we got. Thankfully, the girls were really cooperative and the last shot was IT! Thank you, Jenny! Thank you, Xuan!

One good thing about blogging is it reminds me that I have nice people around to help make TFL work! No, it's not about buying them with money. It doesn't work that way. It does take a bit of luck (and fervent praying, haha!) to get the right team together and I'm grateful for the models & the photographers I've met! 

You can check out TFL Series 89 album on TFL Facebook Page to see it! I love that shot!

Coming up for next launch! The white skater dress is such a lovely & comfy piece! See! Under sunlight, it is not sheer at all! Xuan & Jenny were so nice to agree to my wacky idea of Xuan standing on the road for the cover shot! I like the curve of the sidewalk , the rustic-ness of the road, the upward sloping of the highway and the big strong trees, almost forming a canopy over the vehicles.

At 5pm when traffic was getting heavy, it was no easy feat! I was doing 把風看車! But the girls are getting more and more adept at this! It took us only 18 tries! I really think that was lucky! You gals are angels! =DD

I look forward to having more fun with such cover shots! And when my budget (and energy) permits, I hope to do some outdoor shoots too! 

Thank you for all your loves, my dear customers! The 2nd half of 2012 is going to bring about a lot of new growth opportunities for Tian Fen Lan. I'm a bit nervous, honestly. Because doing it all alone also mean I got to bear all the good and bad of whatever decision I make, with no one to tell me how to. (The Husband makes a lousy advisor, shh, don't say I say.)

That aside, I'm really thankful that for the people who email TFL, giving me the chance to grow TFL! I don't know how you get to know of TFL and why you think TFL can make it (because sometimes I don't during my PMS moments.), but really, thank you thank you thank you! =))

I want to keep improving TFL, better photos, better operation system, better quality stuff, prettier bags, prettier clothes & shoes. And yes, I want TFL to grow bigger too! It is always so heartwarming to see new customers telling me they are introduced to TFL by their sisters/aunties/nieces/colleagues/friends. Thank you so much for sharing, girls!


I wonder how you girls start sharing, like, "Eh, you know this shop that sells bags?" or "Waaaah, where did you get your bag/shoes/dress from?? 很美!! Tell me NOW!!" =D

This really takes the cake, when asked on how the customer knows of TFL!

Awww.....so sweeeet!!! Thank you, Rong Xuan!!! =DDD 

I'm truly flattered! I'm unsure if TFL is that known, judging from the FB likes on TFL Page, but this is really a great encouragement! I hope more customers will 'like' TFL for it to cross the 1,000 mark soon on TFL Page! Maybe I need to put more nice updates on TFL FB page!

Ending off this post with a back view of Xuan's gorgeous tresses! You should see it in real life! The hair that has both my photographer & I admiring! Clumsy me can never tong my hair like that!

Happy Sunday, my dear readers! I'm gonna work like mad to grow TFL!! *muacks muacks*

Metta,

欣雨 Xinyu

看臉色 @ SingPost Paya Lebar

SingPost staff are not known for being warm and friendly on first contact, unless they know you better. Maybe the staff at Changi Airport are slightly better but that's about it. Of all the Post Offices that I have done parcel posting at, my least favourite is the SingPost HQ at Paya Lebar.

At SingPost HQ, there's only one dedicated counter for postage services, besides the SpeedPost counter. Now the problem is many blogshops do parcel posting at the HQ. So we are talking about easily 50 or more parcels most of the time. On top of that, there are also organizations who do bulk mailing at that same counter. Bulk mailing like 300 letters. All registered, no less. And of course, there are mailing from random customers. So many a times, there's always a queue at this counter. Other counters provide postage services together with other services, and the queues are even longer.

I'm okay with queuing. I don't expect people to give way to me, just because they are going to take a longer time than me. The ridiculous thing is posting at this Paya Lebar branch also require us, the customers, to sometimes  看臉色 from the staff.

The Post Office closes at 9pm on normal weekdays. Last week, I reached the PO at 845pm. The lady in charge of the Postage counter told me to try to come earlier next time and not to come in the last 5-10 minutes.

I was slightly surprised by the remark. Was that to knock off work earlier or a SingPost rule I wasn't aware of? Or another reason I should know?

Yesterday, I reached the Post Office at 855pm. No, ladies, I wasn't trying to make things difficult. But earlier in the day, I was battling the emails, did restocking, parcel packing and took a train with trolly in toll to the Post Office because at peak hours, the train is much more efficient than a cab!

The same counter staff recognised me and rolled her eyes at me, with a 'tsk'.

Guess what I did? I actually apologised and said I came as soon as I could once I was done with my work. Why am I apologising when I was there before the official closing time? It wasn't like I bang on closed doors and beg to be let in. And if your branch is still open, do you have the right to tell customers off this way?

She was serving another guy who was mailing at least a hundred parcels. It was balant that she wasn't happy, with the loud way she threw the parcels on the floor.

A female SingPost staff: "See lah, ask you come earlier! You come so late make her angry!"


Male customer: "I also don't want to come so late! But there are many parcels to pack!"

And my transaction only took 10 minutes. In all honesty, even if I have reached earlier, I would probably be queuing for even longer. Past record was up to 35 minutes, when I was there around 7-830pm. On the contrary, going later also mean shorter queues.

If we can, of course we would go earlier! Do you know it's such a huge burden off the mind once posting for the day is done?! We all wish for our customers to receive their parcels on time and safely so that they will be happy to come shop with us again! It's not fair if you expect us to pack less just so we can be there earlier to....queue.

I'm gonna write in to SingPost to ask if there's such a rule of customers should not come at 855pm or even 845pm, when closing time is 9pm. If there's such a unreasonable rule, all of us should be aware of it, instead of getting reprimanded this way.

Hello, we are not kids.

On a sidenote, I'm gonna make sure my parcels are not passed to this particular staff over the counter. Would rather drop the normal mailing parcels in the postbox myself. Just in case, you know.

我顧客的郵包不是給你拿來閙小孩子脾氣的。

When I was leaving, the poor male customer was buying stamps from the SAM machine for his 3 sacks of parcels. If I remember correctly, we can only buy up to S$30 worth of stamps in one transaction on SAM. I wonder how many times he would need to perform the transaction and why he couldn't didn't get the stamps from the counter.

Metta,

欣雨 Xinyu


沒有人在刁難你，你又爲何要爲難你自己呢?

My 1st smartphone!

Hello gals! 

Lost my hp last Fri on a cab for the umpteen time and decided that was it. The final straw! It's time to get a smartphone proper and change that unlucky number which I have been using for 14 years! Think that about marks the history of mobilephones in Singapore. Once upon a time, I used to own a Motorola pager!

That mobile number has seen me lost 5 handphones, including the one last Friday and that was a spare phone of someone's else! Urrrgh! Would you believe me if I said I once lost my Blackberry which was a spare phone kept in my drawers? I had no idea where it went!

I had 6 mobile phones under that number and this is the only phone that survived out of the pack.

The Husband calls it the Bandage Phone. All who have seen me using this remember me and my phone. Because it's not often you see a phone twined with a rubber band. #Iamthejokeoftheday

I dropped the phone so many times on the floor that the battery got bloated and the battery cover is unable to shut close. The battery starts to drain out real fast and finally, the phone died a heroic death and all went blank after the final fall. Nokia phones are really hardy. I used it for 4 years!

I still keep the phone for memories' sake. It's my first white phone and the first phone that didn't got misplaced/lost. Totally deserve a space in my drawer just for that!

I had really wanted to wait till Oct for Iphone5. =(

Wasn't able to launch without a phone too, because I won't be able to access my UOB a/c and there's quite a number of customers who do bank transfer via UOB. 

I was at Starhub PS close to 9am on Sunday. I reckon that would save us a lot of time in queuing and squashing about with others.

To get a Iphone 4S 16GB would cost me S$248, while a Samsung Galaxy Note would cost me S$228. The only time I have forked out money for a phone was about 8 years ago, when I fell in love with a Samsung red flip phone. That red matches my SQ red nail polish! It was gorgeous! Ever since I lost it, I told myself I'm only going for S$0 phone from then on. No point throwing away my money!

The thing is, good smartphones are never S$0 and those were the days when phones are merely for calling and messaging.

I tweeted about my dilemma about choosing between Iphone 4S and Samsung Galaxy Note. A very sweet customer emailed me giving me suggestions and a live email exchange ensued.  We were both awake at 4am on a Sunday. Hahahaha! Thank you, Sandy, for your recommendations! If not for you, I won't know Note comes in Pink too!

I was all set on getting a Note when I saw that Samsung Galaxy SII was going for S$68 with contract. That's so much cheaper! There and then, I wondered if I really needed a Note. Yes, it would be useful if I need to reply urgent emails! Peering and tapping on small screens are very exhausting. The Husband and the Starhub staff walked with me to check out the dummies and I was like asking everyone for opinions. I'm very bad at making big decisions like this. =(

Not sure how I got convinced but I got a Note in the end and am still feeling the heartache of spending more than S$200, instead of S$68 even though it wasn't my money. Sandy was right. I wasn't used to the bigger size. But it's really very slim and light for its size. Brother says it is good for me because a bigger phone will be harder to lose. Another plus point is it's easier to fish out from my disorganized bag too! 

The Husband is more excited about the phone than me. I can't feel the excitement yet though. It's just a phone, isn't it? He was bugging me to set up all my social a/cs on the phone but I worry that if I lose it, some stranger is going to have access to my personal Twitter/Facebook a/cs and TFL Gmail (horror of all horrors!)! So no, I will only log in when I need to use it. 

One function that I really like is the S-note function! This phone comes with a stylus and it's so useful for scribbling notes on the go! I can scribble pages of them if I want! I am using it to write my daily affirmations because it's more environmentally friendly and I'm often in too much of a rush to sit down at my table for the writings!

The 8mp camera is a plus point too! I finally have a more 象樣 camera! My Sony camera was only a 6mp and I can't hold it still enough to take good photos. This also means customers can look forward to me posting more TFL photos on Instagram/Facebook!

Display wise, I prefers Iphone/Ipad. The screen is more comfortable to look at but Samsung has designed its phones very well. Note is very intuitive! For e.g. if I'm on the phone with someone and I need to press a key, all I have to do bring down the phone from my ear and the screen will light up! And Samsung really have the nicest-sounding melodies for its ringtones! p.s. I have used Panasonic, LG, Samsung, Nokia & Motorola mobile phones.

I have sent invoices with the Husband's Iphone and Ipad previously and its copy-and-paste function is able to do it with the right formatting as seen in TFL invoices. So I thought this would be a norm. But the first time I tried sending an invoice with my Note, I was really disappointed that the Note can't copy the formatting i.e. no paragraphing, no bolding, no underlining etc. All the pasted text would be in one chunk of paragraph and look very disorganized. Why, Samsung, why??? If I knew that would happen, I would have gone for Iphone 4S. =((


The Husband said there might be a miraculous app that will solve this problem for me. I doubt so but still gonna look into it one day!

The Husband has been bugging me with ways to protect my phone. But I like my phone plain and simple. No fanciful casing/covers, just protective films. And he's like, oh what if your phone break when it gets drop, what if it get scratched, what if this and what if that... The irony is that his Iphone doesn't have a casing either. Double standard. Pffft!

And yay to a new auspicious mobile number! I hope that erases all my bad luck with phones and bring me more good news of prosperity for Tian Fen Lan!! Huat ah!! (I think only a Chinese will say this, haha!)

Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

Presents for a blogshop owner

I spent a lot of time in front of my laptop. Like, really, a lot of time.

My family must have noticed too because recently, I got a lot of unexpected gifts from them. No, not diamonds or Chanels, haha! But affordable little gifts that make working for TFL much easier!

A foldable bed tray table from Ikea! The Husband bought it at S$9.90 in early May! What a good deal! It's not some filmsy plastic but of sturdy high-impact polystyrene plastic! I only saw it in hot pink though. I like the amount of space under the table top. It's wide & tall enough for me to sit cross-legged underneath or change to stretching my legs straight, without having to push away the tray table to do that. The table is very stable during usage. Its legs don't collapse under the weight of my 2kg laptop and my hands, even when I used it for 5-7 hours straight.

The Husband has taken it upon himself to stock up my snack pantry when I get hungry in the middle of the night, replying emails or doing up launches or watching Kang Xi Lai Le. I didn't like the Lays chips he bought because as much as I like chips, I don't like them too salty. Meiji biscuits packs are very yummy when paired with Laughing Cow cheese! And of course, with Coke! Heavenly!

So the other night, I randomly grab this packet of chips because there's none left. It was of a ailen brand that I had never heard before. Was telling myself if it did not taste nice, I would get the Husband to finish up because I don't like throwing away food. But SURPRISE SURPRISE!! This is the most delicious packet chips I had ever had!!! It's not as salty as most chips and tastes very real (not sure if you know what I mean)!

It's a bonus that the chips are free from cholesterol, gluten & trans fat! I didn't even know that till I was almost done! I thought the chips were made from potato till the next day when I was gushing to the Husband how different & yummi-licious the chips were, the Husband enlightened me that the chips were made from cassava, otherwise known as tapoica! 番薯片! It was written in bold on the packet but I was literally eating blindly! Lol! 

And guess what?! It's manufactured by Tai Sun! I was expecting a US manufacturer because of the taste. My mum-in-law tried looking for it in Malaysia when she was in Johor, because she saw that the chips were made in Malaysia but couldn't find it there. Yes, she likes the chips too! 

I'm never going back to the usual potato chips!

THIS is the most most most most most most most useful present I had ever received as a blogshop owner! My mother had never saw how I work for TFL. 2 Fridays ago, she came to meet me to pass me homemade red bean agar agar. That was her first time seeing me carrying so many bags of parcels & stuff. I was lugging a big China bag of shoes, bags & clothes, all packed, with several other smaller bags. Mum saw me and throughout the 2 hours we met, she kept asking me why I sloughed this way. I presumed she was referring to why I opted for such a laborious job instead of a corporate career. 

Then, last Sunday, when we went back for lunch, my Mum surprised me with this trolley bag she got her friend to buy from Bangkok! I had never seen this selling in Singapore. The bag, yes. There are tons of variations, but not with an ATTACHED trolley! The trolley is really sturdy and stable and because it's attached to the bag, the bag base is of strong metal + plastic and not waxed paper. It is still light enough to be hand-carried if necessary. This also means I don't have to worry about the bag falling off from the trolley and no more torn bags and no more holding on to 10-12kg worth of stuff!! The usual cabin bags don't work for me, because selling bags & shoes mean parcels can be of all sizes & shapes. So bags with slightly flexible shape works best!

Back in SQ days, I had always used cabin bags with attached trolleys. I didn't fancy using a separate trolley, because many times, the bag would fall off when the crew gets on/off the escalators, makes a turn or navigating through the plane's narrow aisles. In short, it's just irritating. I gathered I must have a 不解之緣 with trolley bags because I never thought 4.5 years after hanging up my kebaya, I would still rely on a trolley bag for work! Hahahah!

Such China bags (is there a proper term for them actually?), despite their size & ability to store, break rather easily when they are made from wax paper. Canvas is the best bet if you have heavy stuff to put in. But I can't find canvas China bags in Singapore. I asked my mum if there were plain ones because I'm so not a cartoon prints person. Hope to buy a bigger one with attached trolley too! I'm very adept at pulling trolleys! =D

Metta, 

欣雨 Xinyu

My toothpaste diary

Hello gals! 你們還好嗎?? 希望你們都很開心！！

So happy to be able to update again! =)

I've been having so much fun and inspiration over at TFL that my only rest times are during sleeping and eating times. Now I have about half an hour to squeeze in a blog entry before I need to run off to pack parcels for courier and get ready for puja later!

I got inspired to blog about toothpastes (yes, of all things) because as I grow up, I realised how difficult it has been for people around me to keep their teeth beautiful, healthy and strong. My teeth has been straight and neat since growing up and apart from the couple of fillings I had in my primary school days, nothing major had went wrong all these years. I count myself very lucky that I didn't have to spend thousands of dollars on my teeth. Still, at my age now, I'm not gonna take things for granted.

Source: Google images

Getting the maximum value from your toothpaste. No lah, this is not what my entry is about today. I just find this photo rather amusing. =P

The only problem I had, since teenager days, is my gums would bleed when I brush my teeth. And you know what that means...reddish toothpaste foam. >_<" I didn't realise it was a problem, till the first time I visited a dentist in my twenties. Wouldn't have gone to one if it wasn't subsidised by SQ. He could tell that I had bleeding gums problem and prescribed me an antiseptic mouth wash, which was green in colour. Since then, I never had bleeding gums and my gums are a very healthy pink colour now! It used to be redder!

The dentist also reminded me to brush my gums gently as I brush my teeth, so that gums are kept clean too. Gosh, I never knew my gums need brushing too!

Since we are talking about brushing, the Husband's dentist recommended brushing the teeth in a circular motion as it removes impurities better than the up-and-down brushing. I tried that technique and my teeth looked cleaner and whiter!


Fyi, his dentist is from Sunshine Dental at Woodlands Civic Centre. The Husband is full of praise for the clinic, its staff and its equipment. On his first time there for a routine cleaning & polishing, they took a high resolution photo of his mouth insides and showed him the current condition of his teeth via the monitor. The Husband was aghast, to put it mildly. All he could mutter there and then was, "Wah, doctor, your clinic has very clear and sharp monitors." Lol.

Darlie Original Strong Toothpaste

This is the first and only toothpaste I had ever used before I got married. My mum, for some reason, only buys the original Darlie and nothing else. Not Darlie with extra mint or Darlie whitening or that Darlie gel toothpaste. Just the original Darlie. She said other brands taste strange. I wonder how she knew since for 20 over years, she only buys Darlie toothpaste for us. 

Source: Google images

We had used Darlie for so loooooong that I even witnessed the rebranding of Darkie to Darlie in 1989. Did you know Darkie was first manufactured in Shanghai in 1933, then Hong Kong and later on, Taiwan? I didn't realise it was a original China product all these years till now! That explains why I could never find it in the supermarkets of Western countries! 

After I moved in with my in-laws, they only had Colgate toothpaste. I couldn't get used to the taste and I really think its effects are not as great as Darlie. So I went out to buy a medium-sized Darlie for myself! I didn't dare to buy the jumbo tube because in the early days, I wasn't sure if my in-laws would mind me stuffing their toilet with so many of my personal toiletries when it was already very packed. Haha!

I have also discovered a new use for Darlie. It can heal burns!!! 

I scalded myself once with hot soup and at wits' end, I applied a thick layer of Darlie on my burn. There was no other medical aid in sight, except a gawking Husband. To my amazement, there was no pain and the burning sensation quickly subsided! So it was no old wives tale after all to apply toothpaste on small burns! Definitely works better than running under running water or putting antiseptic cream! Best of all, as the wound heal, the burnt skin peels off finely by itself and leaves almost zero scar! 

Recently I burnt my forearm again when ironing clothes for TFL shoot. I didn't even put my wound under running water (it's a temporary relief that doesn't heal the burn, imho) but instead, slap on a thick layer of Darlie. And viola, no throbbing burning feeling and by the next day, the Husband couldn't even tell I burnt myself again. 

But, but, but please remember not to apply Darlie with EXTRA mint! I did that once and I was literally yelping from the 'hot' sensation on my wound from the strong mint! Not sure if other toothpastes work just as well though. I had only used Darlie on my wounds so far. =)

Theramed 2-in-1 Whitening Toothpaste + Mouthwash

A friend with super serious teeth problems introduced me to Theramed, a made-in-Germany toothpaste about 2 years ago. It has several different toothpastes but I only like the whitening one. I had never found the need to use whitening toothpaste despite being a a Coke-aholic aka serial Coke drinker. But as I hit my late twenties, my teeth were definitely not as white as before. I used to brush my teeth only once a day and that was when I wake up. After hearing my friend's woes about his teeth, I started brushing my teeth after every meal whenever possible.

My verdict: Within 2-3 weeks of using this toothpaste and only this toothpaste, I could see my teeth lighten by about 1-2 shades. Even over all these months of usage, the effect remains. I had never used it as a mouthwash, but only to brush my teeth.

Yellow teeth are just not so pretty especially when I put on deep-coloured lipstick. There was a period of time when my mum kept telling me how yellow my teeth are and I should visit a dentist in front of her friends. Gaaaah!! So embarrassing!!! But now even she noticed my teeth are whiter than before!

Currently, I used this toothpaste when I wake up and sometimes after the last meal of the day, to keep my teeth white. It is available at Watsons, Guardians and Cold Storage. If you are a Watsons member, best to get it at Watsons. Sometimes there's 20% off the usual price of S$3!

The only con is this toothpaste is not great for freshening the breath. My guess is mint is not a prominent ingredient in this whitening toothpaste. Darlie is still the best for that!

Dentiste' Plus White Nighttime Herbapeutic Toothpaste

I strongly recommend this nighttime toothpaste to people with toothache problems! One of the main ingredient in this toothpaste is clove oil, which is a great remedy for toothache. But, dear, if you have a serious problem of toothaches due to more serious issues like my friend, please see a dentist. My friend has this innate and illogical fear of seeing a dentist that he rathers his teeth drop out one by one, despite our threats/coaxing/cajoling. Sigh. Don't ask me why. 

So this same friend told me about this amazing herbal toothpaste. It cost S$10 for a 100g tube meant for sensitive teeth. I couldn't fathom paying so much for a toothpaste when I had been so used to using Darlie, which is at a fraction of this price! If you have non-sensitive teeth, you can get the normal range at $11.90 for 3 in a pack (2 full-sized 100g tubes, 1 60g tube) at Watsons. 

My verdict: It really does what it claims! The morning breath is much better and my teeth feels much cleaner, compared to using Darlie! I was surprised at how herbal this toothpaste taste & smelt on my first usage. And I really like that! 

To give you an idea of how herbal this toothpaste taste, here's some of the active ingredients:

Xylitol, Silicon Dioxide, Peppermint oil, Clove oil, Menthol, Vitamin C, Eucalyptus oil, Sage extract, Chamoile extract, Fennel extract, Glycyrrhiza extract, Cinnamon Bark extract.

My friend, who suffers from toothaches due to dying teeth and diseased gums, has his toothaches drastically reduced, after using this toothpaste!

Here's some technical information extracted from the web:

Dentiste' Premium Night Time Toothpaste, world's first and only natural night time toothpaste clinically proven to inhibit night time bacteria for fresh morning breath, features a proprietary blend of 14 kinds of premium natural extracts. The premium natural extracts are naturally anti-septic and anti-bacteria so that it provides an active protection against bacteria caused by low saliva flows and thus eliminating bad morning breath. For even better protection, we use Xylitol, a natural sweetener that cannot be digested by bacteria therefore starving and reducing their accumulation. And to make sure that no bad morning breath is left, CDX (Cyclodextrin Complex) is used to provide a passive protection against bad morning breath by effectively trapping bad breath. The Dentiste' bacteria-eliminating mechanism works so well that 97% of Dentiste' users feel the difference within just the first night of use.

Source: Google images

Dentiste' Plus White Repaire Rebuild Revitalize Remineralization Toothpaste

This, my dear readers, is another truly awesome product! It can really rebuild teeth! Well, not give you a brand new tooth if your old one is dying. But it helps form new enamel around your teeth!

Due to our lifestyles, diets and aging, we face teeth erosion and abrasion problems. This toothpaste contains a breakthrough ingredient "Calcium Sodium Phosphosilicate" derived from bone re-generation technology. Imagine bone re-generation technology in your toothpaste!! Now can someone invent a way to brush this into our bones?? A 2nd chance to grow taller maybe??

This ingredient neutralizes the acidity in our mouths (so that we can stop destroying our own teeth), converts to form enamel crystals, creates new layers of enamel and fills the open tubules (pores in inner layers of teeth) in your teeth. In short, this miraculous ingredient can repair cavities in infancy stage, reduce teeth sensitivity, gingivitis (gums inflammation) and bad breath! 

You know how we girls buy a moisturiser that says it can do 24352562 amazing things to your skin yet it fails? But here's a toothpaste that posts similar claims and performs to it!  一網打盡! At S$25+ for a 70g tube. Best to get at Watsons, especially when they have 20% discount. Guardians' sells it at S$29+!

It's really cool to see enamel crystals forming in the teeth! You would end up spending the next half an hour gaping into the mirror with your mouth open. But it's really amazing to see new enamel being formed!

When I was coaching my teen nieces in their Science, they were asking me why it was crucial to learn Science since they were not keen to be scientists. Now I can tell them it would help loads when you want to blog about a very useful product and you want to impress your readers by simplifying 4 paragraphs of complex scientific information into 2 short easy-to-read paragraphs. At the very least, you would be able to understand what you are blogging. Hahaha!

The toothbrush set I bring out! Got it at less than S$4 from Cheers at Changi Airport. I don't really like the toothbrush but I like the cover for the toothbrush head and the flat hard case. Used to buy the travel set from Dentiste' (nice toothbrush!), but the zip-lock case is too filmsy for my liking and gets dirtied easier.

Not sure if you notice but I really don't like squeezing toothpaste from the middle of the tube. Wait, you mean you do?? *wide-eyed*

Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu

My month of Happiness!

I'm not a born optimist henceforth I'm a natural at pessimism. If not for my religion that gives me a strong holding, I foresee myself pulling my hair all the time. I'm a closet drama queen. But I read from someone's Twitter that if we spend too much time counting our troubles, we would have no time to count our blessings. So, today thou shalt attempt to quantify my happiness!

April is my birthday month and just being in that month alone makes me a happy girl! I declare to the Husband that everyday is my birthday in April, so he has to sing a birthday song to me as and when I want to hear it! Haha! *princess mode kicks in*

Here's my Happiness month summarised!

Happiness is...

Discovering a newly renovated Marks & Spencer store at Wheelock Place, with a huge and spacious Food Hall to boot & my favourite snack in stock! Gosh, makes me miss my London flights! I used to spend hours wandering in M&S stores whenever I'm in London. Almost all their food, including takeaway, are so yummy & well-presented! It's the best thing about UK, okay next best thing after Primark!

Receiving a birthday discount card from TCC (because I'm their member) that offers a whooping 50% discount for my 1st consumption in Apr, and subsequently 30% for 2nd consumption! And discovering their new Teriyaki Salmon pasta is yummilicious!

Realising my 2-year-old dream of dining at Ikoi again, a day after my birthday! Can be so hard to get seat reservation even when I call 2 weeks in advance! But I have learnt a way! If you don't manage to get reservations earlier, call around 8pm on actual day and you might be lucky to get counter seats! Only applicable for 4 or less people tho! The Ikoi chef was nice enough to make salmon in broth (that pot with a flame beneath), using the salmon meant for sashimi upon our request. We had 30 slices of salmon sashimi cooked. It was a one-off thing. The taste was out of the world! Very very yummy! The broth is so delicious and no msg overload for me! I miss Ikoi so much! The soba soup, the sushi, the salad, <3 <3 <3

Seeing very pretty flowers at Orchard Hotel! Hotels always have such beautiful floral arrangements! They look like orchids up close, but their petals are so soft and delicate! I wonder what the name is.

  

Glam-ing up a plain exercise book with a wrapping paper I bought from Prints some 6 years ago but never used! So that I will be more motivated to write on my self-declared positive thinking journal! I still have 5-6 more rolls of that wrapping paper!

Having a new place to store all of TFL's stocks! Like finally!! 

Although the Soon Seng Transport guys were punctual, strong & efficient, I won't be getting them again if I need movers next time. The In-charge blatantly refused to wrap my chrome racks with cling wrap, saying there is no need to. When my Husband insisted, he only wrap the bottom legs with cling wrap. 好敷衍哦！ Now, if cling wrap is cheap and they can wrap my stocks with so much of it, why not my S$500+ chrome racks??

Or maybe, I will just request for that IC not to be one of the movers if I need their service again.

Still, getting a new place for my stocks is pure bliss!!

Visiting at Victor's Kitchen for the first time, and there were plenty of empty seats for the taking! It was 4pm on a weekday afternoon. The place was more run down than I realised. Felt a tad embarrassed because I had a guest with me and was telling him how this place had nice and affordable food as raved by netizens. Gaah, if I had known about the bad flooring condition, Swee Choon would have been more ideal! Thank goodness he loves the porridge there! Well, so do I! It's almost like home-cooked, without those usual msg and saltiness! I like all the dim sum shown above, except the custard lava buns. Sorry I'm no fan of those buns!

Getting a new solid pinewood bed frame from Seahorse at S$109 & my dream mattress! Queen-sized! The original version comes with storage drawers underneath, but I'm no fan of such storage. So while shopping for a new mattress at Seahorse, we casually asked the salesgirl if this bed comes without storage drawers (the showroom version has 6 drawers underneath and retails at S$390+). Imagine our joy when she told us the price! Even cheaper than Ikea's version which is untreated wood by the way!

My in-laws have been using Seahorse mattresses for their room and so does my brother-in-law. Once while the Husband was talking to his brother, I sat on his bed and fell asleep in the midst of their conversation. My first time sleeping on a Seahorse mattress and boy, it was such good sleep! I'm loving my new Seahorse foam mattress! It's so solid hard, which is great for our problematic backs! Took us a while to get used to it and I'm never going back to those spring coil mattresses! At S$399 for ours, it's really affordable and value-for-money!

Buying takeaway 奶黃千層餅 from East Ocean at Ngee Ann City and gobbling them while standing! Because I love them so so so so much! Much prefer them than custard lava buns, which can be too salty for my liking. Think this is healthier too! It's almost like Kueh Tutu, but much tastier! You should try if you have not!

Finding a new way to eat foccacia with cheese, without slicing through the bread! Because I was too lazy on a busy work day. Hahaha!

Watching carnations bloom from buds to full-blooms! How pretty in pink! These were from sister-in-law to Mum-in-law for Mothers' Day. So this is for May! I didn't know carnations can last for more than a week. Then again, Mum-in-law used to run a florist shop. Maybe she has some magic formula to keep these flowers pretty. Must ask her someday!

Finding a pair of pretty shoes that looks good on my big feet, light & uber comfy to shop in! The piggies + the Husband say they are pretty too! It's pretty rare that the Husband notices what's on my feet. Hehe. The flatforms are of a great height, don't cut my feet (I don't have sensitive feet to begin with though) and go with almost everything! Plus, the shoes have really great friction in the soles!

Best of all, I have gotten them in 4 gorgeous colours for TFL customers in the next launch!! Deep red (so sexy!), Peach & Nude! Good things deserve to be shared! =D Can't wait to show you gals when I get the pics tonight!

______________________________________

You know, it's actually harder to stay happy. Being happy for a while is easy. When we get a payrise, when a piece of good news come in, when we get to eat good food, when we go on our dream holiday etc. But staying happy continuously? That needs constant practice. Silly as it sounds. 

It seems easier to be bitching about this, gossiping about that or just plain ranting about things. I don't think I will tell my gal pals about how happy I feel seeing pink carnations bloom or wrapping exercise books with pretty wrapping paper. It's just not common to talk about things like that. Has it become more socially acceptable to be ranting about things/people than revelling in the joys from simple happiness? Or even when we don't talk negatively, most of us don't speak positively or in an upbeat manner either.

When I meet people who jumps at the chance to rant about everything under the sun, it is unnerving. I hope I never forget how to stay happy. I don't want to grow old and grumpy when Life has already given me a lot, really.

Start by saying thank you for all you already have. If you don't know how, read this book "The Magic" by Rhonda Byrne. I strongly recommend this book! It is available at Popular at less than S$20.

May we all never ever forget how easy it can be to stay happy! =DDD

Metta,

欣雨 Xinyu

Your wedding is one of the best days of your life. Because it’s the day you realise I finally have the thing I need to be happy. And then you forget. So then what happens is instead of waking up every morning and shouting Somebody loves me!

You start looking around and thinking, "What do I want now? What’s the next thing I need to be happy?" So, you look and you look and you keep thinking that you found it. But nothing works because that hole in your heart that you’re trying to fill is already filled.

You just forgot. Don’t ever forget. Always remember how much you wanted to be loved and how much you are loved. And I think if you can do that, you will stop looking and realise you already are happy.
~ Lynette, Desperate Housewives