Friday, November 04, 2005
The :: CLAUDIA :: Issue
What makes Claudia, Claudia?
Edibles
:: Chocolates - LOVE any chocolates. they're my next best friends.. COFFEE or LIQUERED are lovely! anything else will do EXCEPT M&Ms.. hate those candy shells..
:: Biscuits - They're like my ration. Erratic work schedule glues me to my sit e whole day. McVities Hobnobs sit next to me almost all the time. Arnotts fruit slices r nice too..
:: Soup - Brought up in a very soup kinda family. hehe.. dinner is only complete with soup, oriental or western.. No spring Onions pls! Clam chowders are nice.. but mum's black chicken soup with scallops are heaven! Needless to say Soup restaurant is almost too wonderful..
:: Porridge - Like soup, porridge is my comfort food. Esp the seafood congee from Crystal Jade.. soothes my period pains n headaches miraculously well. Perhaps its a Teochew Trait.
:: Alcohol - Baileys n Kahlua is to relax n savoured with loved ones.. Chivas w/ green tea or ginger ale is for getting high n away from stress of daily lifes. Chivas neat on ice makes me feel a bit sick. but i like the way it puts me to sleep. Absolut Vodka is like my party drink. My house party will never lack this deadly concoction. Gin tonic sits thru with me thru a chillout night. Bloody mary is for feeling "Hot"! i mean e tabasco la! haha... Wine knowledge is my forte. Love Muscat to bits.. Merlot on its own is deep and mysterious with sweet aftertaste. jus like love... Riesling is slightly dry and light. Best with fish and scallops. Almost too lady-like..
:: Caffeine - Coffee - Mocha from starbucks is highly addictive. Rich and awakening. Jamaican Blue mountains are slightly wooden and well balanced. A luxury to sip through a lazy afternoon.. Tea - earl grey would be all time favourite.. French Vanilla Earl Cool from NYDC is delicious! Cold Japanese Green Tea balances a meal out well. Goes well with food cos its subtle and dont overpower ur food.
:: Desserts - This list can go on forever! There's Warm chocolate cake from Bakerzinn, Sweet crepes from Marche, Waffles from Gelare, Earl Grey Tea cake from The Pattiesier, Tiramisu from Mezza9 n Tiramisutra, Japanese Mochi and Dafuku.. Creme Brulee from TCC, Indescent Obssession from BigO.. etc etc etc.. n of cos anything baked by ME! hehe..
:: Drinks - Oreo frappe from Grapevine remains unbeatable in the whole of singapore.. Chocolate milkshake in switzerland is the ultimate drink.. Sakao from Max Brenner's chocolate bar is comforting n fuzzy... the hug mug felt like first love - unforgettable! hehe...
No room for food entry cos i eat anything n everything, jus no onions of any sorts pls. thank you..
Material Needs and Wants
:: Fashion - i'm not a "label-girl". m)phosis is very much my style. Nothing mass produced for me. (like the disneys from Giordano!) No huge branded logos smeared across tees. In fact im not a Tshirt kinda person. Will splurge a bit on pants n jeans cos they last me a lifetime. Trust me they're worth ur every cent. my Calvin Kleins lasted 4 yrs till now e colors never faded a bit, the cutting is still perfect and it fits every occasion from shopping to dinners to meetings to going to market! Pants from Warehouse are perfect. Look like u lost 2kg instantly. Best fit and comfort ever! m)phosis needless to say is my favourite. never leave house without something on from them. cheap flip flops in plain colors. they dont last too well but who wears flip flops for a lifetime? Clothes are minimal in style. Plain solid colors with details. be it ruffles or fur trimmings, gatherings at the waist or a hyped up hem. Almost too sleek! Their little black dresses kills.. n guess wat? everything is below $100 for fashion. e most expensive would be their huge leather shopping bags n tat's only $150+.. Affordable Style. LOVE IT!
Pls be ORIGINAL people. do not succumb to buying counterfeit goods. Only buy Chanels and Guccis when u can afford it. Be very embarrassed cause i will not hesitate to point out the fake GUCCI u thought it was AAA grade. n they aint even cheap. buying a fake bag for hundreds? you mus be joking dude.. n your money jus went into supporting child slavery in third world country. behind all these manufacturing syndicates are kids being overworked n underpaid. n this is indeed real.
now do u really wanna be caught dead carrying tat blood stained, sweat infused bag u think u look so glam in and ruin careers of potential Tom Ford and A.McQueen to-be?
:: Gadgets - mp3 players are a thing today. i still suck for my ipod. my ipod video is along e way. i'm a huge fan of Apple products. sorry Bill gates but i hate windows OS. e moment u're online virus attacks like there's no tomorrow. how are u ppl handling ur virusful PCs man... i love my problem-free MAC. cant be bothered to keep up with phone technology these days. there's 3G to new service call imode from starhub.. i've lost track. i'm happy with a phone jus to dial n sms.. i go weak for cameras since photography is my love n passion. die hard fan of Nikon for digital n SLR. the next "toy" would be the S4 if my pay comes soon.. latest toy would be my fish eye lomo which i'm running to get in a few hrs..
:: Beauty - I'm too lazy to apply foundation. so i invest in a good line of skincare products.. thou stress has proven to really wreak ur complexion.. Naturally red cheeks save me from buying any blusher at all. i'm a sucker for mascara and lash curlers thou. again, invest in a good 1 it will last a long while. expensive cosmetics aint my cuppa tea.
:: Fragrance - I compliment my scents to my moods and occasions. Nt adventurous when it comes to scent. Faithfully sticking to Hugo Deep Red and Gucci Envy since i started buying scents. Deep Red last very well. 2 sprays n it last e whole day. very feminine and a serious scent. like it for work. someone says it smells sexy. *shrugs* Gucci Envy is refreshing and chic. Its more for girl's night out, fun dinner, clubbing.. Recent member - DKNY Be Delicious. so sweet n nice i received several compliment esp from guys.. guess its proven to be pretty seductive. haha.. its lovely! i use it when i feel girly..
:: Maintanence work - I try to get a good deep massage once every month to loosen up. I'm regular at The Tamarind spa at serangoon gardens. recommonded for their personalised service, good masseur and cosy ambient. very exclusive. appointments are scheduled such as u're the only customer. so its really quiet and exclusive. n u get all e attention. lady boss is nice n sweet. reasonably priced. massage @ 60/hr. facial is abt 85 n last 2 hrs.. i always do the retreat - massage + body scrub + ear candling = 138.. Rupini's good for threading brows n facial hair. cheap n good. brows r only $5. i regular there for brazillian waxing as well. they only charge 22 compared to strip co-ed.. heard its pretty costly.. 55abv. girls with tinted hair should tint ur brows too. it really makes a difference.. i used to do it when i had orangey hair.
:: Diet + health - alot has been asking how i lose weight within 3 months. i'd say water is my miracle pill. i drink min. 3L of water daily. not gobbling down 3L at one go. cultivate a good habit of drinking water. i always haf a jug of water next to me at my com since i spend most of my time here. i only eat 1 main meal a day cos of hectic schedule. mcvities are my best fren cos its healthy food. my trick to losing weight is also to leave 20% of my food behind or share ur food with a fren. abstain from soft drinks cos they're e ultimate. so when clubbing, try to go for cocktails with fruit juices instead of coke it does help a tiny bit. or i'd go for shooters or on-the-rocks. replace with japanese green tea will be good. not the pokka or yeos kind thou. daniel says he can lose 20kg easily ask him if u wanna know. for me, losing 8 in 3 months without pills or working out exceptionally hard* is almost a miracle to me already.
*i jog daily for half an hr for a period of time. it helped keeping me alert. gave up cos my back gave me problems. walking more n jus stretching out everynight will do u good too.
Relationship management
:: Family - very often, family tend to be neglected cos we spend most of our time at work or with friends. when i was in my teens, was rebellious to a certain extence. cos mum kept a tight leash over me when i was young, the urge to wanna break free took the better of me. i learnt it the hard way when mum was hit with stroke in 2000. will nv forget the sight of her in ICU. the pillow completely stained with blood. waking up to a confusion, lost e ability to walk, to eat, to talk. i guess i still didn't learn it well then. being immature, sometimes along e way i'd blame God for taking away my perfect happy family and returned me a tough roudy road. 2005 mar. it was by a thin line tat we almost lost her to cancer. doctors told us to be prepared for the worse. only realised the bonding in my family. nothing verbal. yet we know deep within ourselves we depended much on each other esp btw dad, sis n me. there's always a love n irreplacable space for family. treasure watever we have now. never wait till u lose it and lick the wounds of regret. be thankful parents gave us life and family to be there always, thru good thru bad. the only people in the world who will not give up on u and never stop loving truly from the heart.
:: Friends - I have a handful of people i call my friends. Friends are people u aren't afraid to be urself. u share joy, u share tears, u share happiness, u share sorrows. there can be thousands of people we meet in a lifetime. its only tat few i call my friends. some people jus never step beyond the bound of "colleagues", "classmates", "business associates","party people".. acquaintances.. Btw friends, its the trust tat keeps friendship intact. its abt caring from the heart. there's always this silent understanding, this chemistry tat's irreplacable. u jus haf to say half a word, jus a look or even nothing at all. but friends jus know. u walk away feeling it was the best conversation ever. the support be it emotionally, spiritually or even financially, its abt being there in times of need. when the world seems bleak, when everything else lets u down. u know u still have friends to be with u.
:: Work - when it comes to work, i try to maintain a good working relationship with anyone. from directors to cleaners. its abt being professional. so, disgusting and irritating may some clients be, i'll still give my nicest smile and sweetest tone of voice. but i dont guarantee tat after i hang e phone or wave them goodbye. haha.. i'm an animal lover. it helps me cope with the people i haf to deal with at times. ;) n its proven blogging abt work can be dangerous. so i'll keep this short n sweet. haha..
:: Love - i guess this is the most complicated of all human relationships.. proven i dont comprehend too well. when i fall, i almost always fall too deep. now i found myself in this bottomless pit. its funny isn't it? u know it will hurt, u know its painful n even when u know there's no way things will work out, u still wont stop kept having hopes. sometimes it breaks me so much i dont even want to socialise these days. jus wanna remain in my comfort zone. i need someone to show me what is love and how to love. apparently i always go too far i end up getting hurt n only now i realise its dumb. but e dumbest thing gotta be u know u r dumb but u wont stop being dumb. oh wat am i talking abt? ya its jus like this.. makes u lose ur head n senses. there's no right or wrong in love. its abt cherishing those u love and those who love u. would u choose someone who loves u more than u love him/her or someone whom u love more than he/she loves u? i'd say i'd wanna love someone more than he loves me. its more painful than u think to have someone to love u n u dont love him. so am i dumb or am i dumb? apparently, yes i am dumb. buahahaaa... i said i'm friendly and gullible wat...