Syen's Top 10 De-frazzling Ideas - Part II

So you girls (and guys) might have read Part I of how I like to unwind. And here's Part II. Again, I'm not claiming originality for these ideas, but it's what works for me. I'd like to think that doing all these will somehow help my demented nerves.

For Part II, here's the countdown to the Top 5 of the list.

5. Engage a masseur / DIY home facial
I kid you not. Ok, maybe not bring a masseur home (although, why not? *grin*) but go for a massage. You get the idea. I remember having aching shoulders one time covering a conference (thanks to kitchen-sink handbag on right shoulder and laptop bag on left shoulder), only to run into a Thai masseuse. God bless her. (It was AT the conference. She was promoting Thai massage!) Five minutes into fiddling with the knots in my shoulders and voila - happy shoulders. I was literally begging for more. Alternatively, give yourself a DIY home facial. Your face, and wallet will thank you for it. And so will your frazzled nerves.

4. Get a pet
Everyone knows this. Pets bring your blood pressure down, your stress-level down etc. They also brings your house down. However, if you're like me and it's not possible to GET one right now, then you'll have to beg, borrow or steal. In my case, it would be Kahani's two chubby, cuddly beagles. I run over to her place every now and then not only to play with her makeup hoard, but also to get cuddly cuddly with her dogs. On a serious note though, according to Kahani, looking oh-too-cute is hard work for 'em beagles. Their hair's turning grey.

3. Write
In the days before ideas #2 and #1 were feasible, this was the option I frequently opted for. Mom won't let me go for that weekend party? Write about it. I once even wrote a piece called "The Caged Bird Died". Oh well. That was then. But keeping a diary allowed me a healthy arena to vent my frustrations, and it also developed my skills to channel my thoughts and emotions through writing. Any wonder then that I keep a blog and write for a living?

2. Retail therapy
Ladies, you hear me! Retail therapy. After weeks (or days) of work, work and work, it's time to hit the malls! I personally believe in treating myself every now and then as a reward for slaving away, be it books, skincare, makeup, clothes, shoes or food. Or bags. Don't forget them bags. What I do is I keep a list of things I need (or want) to get, and when I feel the need to do retail therapy, out comes the list. Which should ideally curb compulsive buying. Ideally. It's somehow just a comforting feeling knowing you're spending your OWN money. However, I still believe in spending reasonably, so this is not to say that you should spend to the last cent, ok? Try.

And oh, Kahani has a theory on retail therapy. She says it's our gatherer instincts kicking in. Passed on from generation upon generation of women. It's inborn, our innate trait. We feel in control when we're "gathering".

*giggles* Don't you just love Kahani? I do.

And finally, my ultimate de-frazzling technique.

1. Travelling
I make time and put aside cash every year to ensure I get to see some part of this big glorious world. Maybe I'm at that stage where I've been bitten by the travel bug, but the year's never quite complete without a trip somewhere. There's so much to see and do out there, that it just seems wrong to only stay home. I like my travels relatively free and easy. I book my flights and accommodation, and that's about it. I take note of what I want to see when I get there, but no fixed schedules for me. No thank you.

If I find a nice cosy cafe somewhere, I want to be able to go back there as many times as I can afford to. And traveling doesn't always mean expensive. When I was in Hong Kong earlier this year, I stayed in a hostel which cost about RM60 a night. And what with cheap flights these days, it definitely doesn't have to burn a hole in your pocket. So go see the world, and hopefully come back a wiser person.

With that said, next stop - February: Australia. =D

So, there you have it girls. My Top 10 Ideas to unwind. Hope it helps.

What do you do to unwind? Holler back. Would absolutely love to hear from you!

Syen's Top 10 De-frazzling Ideas - Part I

There's quite a lot going on in my life right now (nevermind what), and if anyone has the right to be frazzled and fidgety, I believe I do. To stay mentally sane, I've been thinking of ways to help calm those high-strung nerves down.

And so I came up with my Top 10 De-frazzling Ideas. I'm not claiming originality, merely sharing with you on what works for me, just in case any of you are also about pull your hair out of your roots.

So for Part I, let's start with the first five, shall we?


10. Scrub a dub dub
I like Lush's tagline - "When in doubt, take a bath". It's one of the cheapest ways to unwind, and it works everytime. There's just something about cleaning the long day off that helps give me a wee bit more of a peace of mind. And while I'm at it, whipping out The Body Shop's Cocoa Butter scrub works wonders too.

9. Curl up with good book / good movie
On days when I have slightly more me time, I love curling up on the couch with either a good book or a good movie. Kinda like escapism, ya know? My favourite (movie) picks for this purpose are either romance flicks or comedies. There's nothing better than to have a little cry (to get all that stress out), or to expand those lungs. And if the fiance is present, all the better. 

8. Cook porridge
Not literally! It's the Chinese way of saying chatting heaps over the phone. I know some people who do destress by cooking, but not me. So yea, pick up that phone and yack your heart out with an old friend. Talking about problems with friends who understand really, really does help. Mich, Em, Wengster and (esp) Lex, here's looking at you.

7. Clean up
This might not work for everyone, but it does for me. Sometimes. It gives me time to think while keeping my physical body occupied. And it makes whatever I'm cleaning spotless at the end of the day. Two nights ago, I HAD to clean my dressing table top. So now, not only is it clean and neat, I can also find all that makeup without going cross-eyed. It's also nice to know that despite everything else in your life going a little off tangent, at least one spot in your life is somehow, still in some order.

6. Hit the sack
You can take this literally, or otherwise. Screaming and doing punches into the pillow does help relieve some stress, but I'd rather not work myself up like that. Instead, I do some stretches (to ease those back muscles) and then settle in to recharge. On my off days, I sleep easily 10 to 12 hours (because I NEED to). People notice the difference after that. Being well-rested equals a calmer, happier me.

Do stay tuned for Part II, where I'll share my 5 favouritest ideas.

PS: The pic was nicked off here.

Is It Worth It?

Okay, I know all you girls must be thinking I've gone absolutely bonkers putting a picture of a HOUSEFLY (courtesy of Britannica) on a beauty blog. But I have a good reason for doing this. Really.

(Just a little warning though, that what I'm about to tell you is slightly high on the gross-o-meter. Just so you know.)

Recently my mom told me (she's a teacher, by the way) that one of her students came up to her and told her that her friend had taught her a brilliant way of losing weight.

Look at the picture again. Can you guess what is it? No? Read on, then.

What she was told by that brilliant friend of hers (seriously, I'm reporting verbatim) is that everytime she needs to lose a few pounds instantly, she goes hunting.

FOR A HOUSEFLY.

Eat is raw, and you're sure to get hit by diarrhoea. A bad, bad wave of diarrhoea.

Apparently, that brilliant friend of hers went on to say that by purging your inards out, you're sure to fit into that sexy LBD for a night out. (Okay, she didn't exactly say that, but something along those lines).

GIRLS. (And guys). Please, please use your common sense. When you go on a purging spree like that, what you're losing is water. You're dehydrating yourself. And you're not losing any weight in fat.

This site called Rehydration Project also describes why diarrhoea is dangerous.

"Diarrhoea causes rapid depletion of water and sodium - both of which are necessary for life. If the water and salts are not replaced fast, the body starts to 'dry up' or get dehydrated. If more than 10% of the body's fluid is lost death occurs. Severe dehydration can cause death."

And if that's not scary enough, this site says that the common housefly is "capable of carrying over 100 pathogens, such as typhoid, cholera, Salmonella, bacillary dysentery, tuberculosis, anthrax, ophthalmia, and parasitic worms".

I know you want to fit into that LBD/brand new pair of skinny jeans/leather pants etc. But seriously, eating a housefly is not the way to go.

I'm no authority to tell you how to lose weight (as I've got quite a bit to lose myself), but do you really want to be putting all that bacteria and virus into your body? Heaven knows what the long term effects could be.

Seriously - is it worth it?

Beauty in a pill

I've always had a problem with that old adage "You are what you eat" - I mean, chocolate, ice cream, and candy are the most beautiful foods in the world. Aren't they? Well it seems they've identified a "beauty" vitamin, and yes it's in the Vitamin B group (har har) - meet Biotin.

The odd thing is, this vitamin isn't new to me. I've been coming across it in beauty mags, health mags, blogs and sites for ages now. Usually as a cure for brittle or ridged nails. But it was Beauty Bunny's article that convinced me. After reading it I was seized with a desire to try this miracle vitamin, only to find I've been taking it for the past month as part of my daily multivitamin.

Yes, to my delight, my cheapie (but goodie) Tesco Multivitamins - which I love for saving me from the neverending cycle of flus I've been plagued with since arriving in London - also contains 100% of the RDA (recommended daily allowance) of Biotin. So health and beauty in a pill - all for £2.58 (90 pills).

This certainly makes the Boots Hair, Skin & Nails supplement I checked out today seem like quite the rip off. £5.05 for 30 pills that only contain 30% of the RDA for Biotin. Granted it's got a slew of other vitamins, but the only addition it has that my multivite doesn't is Evening Primrose Oil - which can be bought separately in higher dosages for much less.

So does it work?
As I haven't been aware that I've been on Biotin, I can't say I've monitored the results. However, after over a month of inadvertent consumption, I can testify to very strong nails (my big-ass kitchen knife rebounded off it the other day), and shiny SHINY hair (although this could be due to a combination of John Freida's conditioner and L'Oreal's Elvive Nutri-gloss Intense Masque)

However, I have noticed a reduction in hair loss compared to a month back. I remember being rather disturbed by the amount I lost when showering and on my hairbrush. As I have long hair (almost waist length), I put it down to the weakened hair due to its own age and weight. Only yesterday though I was noting with pleasant surprise that I wasn't losing much hair at all. Yay biotin.