Hello friends!

Please help to like www.facebook.com/blow.sg

We're trying to hit 400 likes :)

BLOW is on the news!

At

Labels: hair blow dry singapore, insead, martell vsop, ultimate start up space

Labels: Martell TUSS, Official Martell V.S.O.P, The Ultimate Start-up Space shoot, TUSS

Every wondered why there isn't a place where you can attain catwalk worthy hair, fast? I asked myself that plenty of times, and when no one answered, my friend and I set ourselves up on a mission to bring great hair, fast and affordable to you.

We all know how easy it is to dress up, and when we do. Often with the most expensive dress or handbag on our hands. Something is still lacking. Well we've got the answer to those who want to look good and not just on special occassion

BLOW is Singapore's first hair “blow dry bar” fully dedicated to those on the go. There will be no cuts, no colors, and no fuss. It's Great Hair Everyday.

Now did I mention our start up idea has made it to the top 10 ideas for The Martell Ultimate Start Up Space competition?

We're in the running for a rent free , 1400sq ft shop space down at 29 Boon Tat Street, as well as the start up capital of 20,000 generously sponsored by Martell, and co sponsored by INSEAD, the business school, Epicentre, and Home FIX.

20% of our team's score will come from crowdfunding and here's how you can get in on the action. Be our crowdfunder to help us get to the TOP, and be rewarded! As our crowdfunders, you will receive great perks when we open from partner brands such as Frolick yogurt, TheScarletRoom, and other great brands!

To support our idea, you'll need a paypal account which is free and easy to sign up for here. Choose to open a personal account.

Thereafter, go to http://www.ultimatestartupspace.com.sg/top10/blow to make your pledge. In return, you'll get a lovely BLOW DRY at knock out prices, and the redcarpet treatment at our store when we open. You also stand to in an ipad 2!

Labels: blow dry bar, entrepreneurship, Jane alethea seet, Martell TUSS, Michelle Chong, PLMGSS, singapore, temasek poly, top 10, ultimate start up space

A women is often measured by the things she cannot control.

She is measured by how her body curves or does not curve.

By where she is flat or straight or round.

She is measured by 36-24-36 and inches and ages and numbers.

By all the outside things that don't ever add up to who she is on the inside.

And so,

If a woman is to be measured, let her be measured by the things she can control, by who she is and who she is trying to become because as every woman knows, measurements are only statistics and statistics lie.

TEN LESSONS FROM THE BAMBOO (summary)

(1) Remember: What looks weak is strong
The body of even the largest type of bamboo is not large compared to the other much larger trees in the forest. But the plants endure cold winters and extremely hot summers and are some times the only trees left standing in the aftermath of a storm. Remember the words of a great Jedi Master: "Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size do you?" We must be careful not to underestimate others or ourselves based only on old notions of what is weak and what is strong. You do not have to be big and imposing to be strong. You may not be from the biggest company or the product of the most famous school, but like the bamboo, stand tall, believe in your own strengths, and know that you are as strong as you need to be. Remember too that there is strength in the light, in openness and transparency. There is strength in kindness, compassion, and cooperation.

(2) Bend but don't break.
One of the most impressive things about the bamboo is how it sways with the breeze. This gentle swaying movement is a symbol of humility. The foundation of the bamboo is solid, yet it moves and sways harmoniously with the wind, never fighting against it. In time, even the strongest wind tires itself out, but the bamboo remains standing tall and still. A bend-but-don't-break or go-with-the-natural-flow attitude is one of the secrets for success whether we're talking about bamboo trees, answering tough questions in a Q&A session, or just dealing with the everyday vagaries of life.

(3) Be deeply rooted yet flexible
The bamboo is remarkable for its incredible flexibility. This flexibility is made possible in part due to the bamboo's complex root structure which is said to make the ground around a bamboo forest very stable. Roots are important, yet in an increasingly mobile world many individuals and families do not take the time or effort to establish roots in their own communities. The challenge, then, for many of us is to remain the mobile, flexible, international travelers and busy professionals that we are while at the same time making the effort and taking the time to become involved and deeply rooted in the local community right outside our door.

(4) Slow down your busy mind
We have far more information available than ever before and most of us live at a very fast pace. Even if most of our work life is on-line, life itself can seem quite hectic, and at times chaotic. Often it is difficult to see the signal through all the noise. In this kind of environment, it seems all the more important to take the time to slow down, to calm your busy mind so that you may see things more clearly.

(5) Be always ready
As the great Aikido master Kensho Furuya says in Kodo: Ancient Ways, "The warrior, like bamboo, is ever ready for action." In presentation or other professional activities too, through training and practice we can develop in our own way a state of being ever ready. Through study and practice we can at least do our best to be ready for any situation.

(6) Find wisdom in emptiness
It is said that in order to learn, the first step is to empty ourselves of our preconceived notions. One can not fill a cup which is already full. The hollow insides of the bamboo reminds us that we are often too full of ourselves and our own conclusions; we have no space for anything else. In order to receive knowledge and wisdom from both nature and people, we have to be open to that which is new and different. When you empty your mind of your prejudices and pride and fear, you become open to the possibilities.

(7) Commit yourself to growth & renewal
Bamboo are among the fastest-growing plants in the world. It does not matter who you are — or where you are — today, you have amazing potential for growth. We usually speak of Kaizen or continuous improvement that is more steady and incremental, where big leaps and bounds are not necessary. Yet even with a commitment to continuous learning and improvement, our growth — like the growth of the bamboo — can be quite remarkable when we look back at what or where we used to be. You may at times become discouraged and feel that you are not improving at all. Do not be discouraged by what you perceive as your lack of growth or improvement. If you have not given up, then you are growing, you just may not see it until much later. How fast or how slow is not our main concern, only that we're moving forward.

(8) Express usefulness through simplicity
Aikido master Kensho Furuya says that "The bamboo in its simplicity expresses its usefulness. Man should do the same." Indeed, we spend a lot of our time trying to show how smart we are, perhaps to convince others — and ourselves — that we are worthy of their attention and praise. Often we complicate the simple to impress and we fail to simplify the complex out of fear that others may know what we know. Life and work are complicated enough without our interjecting the superfluous. If we could lose our fear, perhaps we could be more creative and find simpler solutions to even complex problems that ultimately provide the greatest usefulness for our audiences, customers, patients, or students.

(9) Unleash your power to spring back
Bamboo is a symbol of good luck and one of the symbols of the New Year celebrations in Japan. The important image of snow-covered bamboo represents the ability to spring back after experiencing adversity. In winter the heavy snow bends the bamboo back and back until one day the snow becomes too heavy, begins to fall, and the bamboo snaps back up tall again, brushing aside all the snow. The bamboo endured the heavy burden of the snow, but in the end it had to power to spring back as if to say "I will not be defeated."

(10) Smile, laugh, play
The Kanji (Chinese character) for smile or laugh is 笑う. At the top of this character are two small symbols for bamboo (竹 or take). It is said that bamboo has a strong association with laughter, perhaps because of the sound that the bamboo leaves make on a windy day. If you use your imagination I guess it does sound a bit like the forest laughing; it is a soothing sound. Bamboo itself also has a connection with playfulness as it has been used for generations in traditional Japanese kite making and in arts and crafts such as traditional doll making. We have known intuitively for generations of the importance of smiling, laughing, and playing, now modern science shows evidence that these elements play a real and important role in one's mental and physical health as well.

These are just ten lessons from the bamboo; one could easily come up with dozens more. These are not things that we do not all ready know, of course. Yet like many a good sensei, the bamboo simply reminds us of what we already know but may have forgotten. Then it is up to us to put these lessons (or reminders) of resilience into daily use through persistence and practice. You do not need to be perfect. You need only to be resilient. This is the greatest lesson from the bamboo.

I must have had this ceramic hair tong since 2007. In fact, I was contemplating on selling it off and thus wanted this to be a last test on my hair. The first time, from what I remembered during Winter in oklahoma was... urh. terrble. My hair refused to curl at all.

Now on second thoughts, I'll love to keep this. :)
Off to run some errands now :)

Amazing stuff.

Click on natgeo to view these stuff now.

Excerpt from Geekosystem.com

Here’s a delightful morning snack: When Pakistan experienced severe flooding last year, it had the unexpected and rather creepy-crawly side effect of driving millions upon millions of spiders to the trees, where they could escape the floodwater. Since the flooding lasted for such a long time, many trees became blanketed in thick layers of web.

But according to the UK government, which assisted in the flood release effort this may have actually had a positive health effect: On-the-ground reports suggest that there are fewer mosquitos than would have been expected after the influx of so much stagnant water. This, in turn, may have reduced the very real risk of malaria to local populations afflicted with flooding. The web-coated trees, however, remain scary-looking.

SimplyHer magazine sent me the complete set of Phyto's Phytokeratine to test out on my badly damaged locks. (Guess my review will be out this July on the hardcopy magazine). Yea I don't know to be happy or sad about this.

Lovely packaging aside (Except for the fact that I dropped the bottle so it's ...dented?). The shampoo worked great for me.

The lather was fine, and as opposed to my hair getting tangled everytime I tried to wash it. This time, Phyto's phytokeratine shampoo worked its magic with it's plant derived keratine. The formula is said to not contain silicons that tend to weigh hair down or cause product built up. I was able to run my fingers thru my hair easily while shampooing.

The conditioner too was light and didn't coat the skin of my hands nor neck after the process, unlike pantene or some other brands where you get a funny oily coating. To finish off,I applied just 2 pumps of the serum after I toweled dry my hair - perfect for my fuss free hair care routine.

RESULTS: My hair was light, it seemed to have more volume (YAY?) and also managed to stay tangle free throughout the day. While the results are really good. I'll have to check out on the retail prices, because from my knowledge, PHYTO is expensive!

I found the shampoo to be most effective, so those who are keen, if the wallet unfriendly price gets in the way. Start with the shampoo and decide from there!

It's a funny month for me because I'll also be featured in the readers' style picks for HERWORLD magazine this July.

Marie France Bodyline collaborates with one of Singapore’s iconic couture fashion designers, Francis Cheong for his Spring/Summer 2011 Couture Collection show, Club Chinoiserie, on 17 May, 9pm at the Audi Fashion Festival 2011, The Tent, Ngee Ann City.
I was happy to be able to attend this with 2 other friends. So thanks for the invite omy and Marie France Bodyline :)

Drinks for the night were sponsored by Belvedere, Rosemount and Vitamin Water. How lovely.













































About Francis Cheong

Francis Cheong stepped into the dazzling limelight of Asian high fashion when he became the youngest finalist in the history of the prestigious Singapore Young Designer’s Contest. Amidst senior designers like Tan Yoong and Thomas Lee, teenager Francis’ talent was promptly noted. Three years later, the 21 year-old bagged an impressive first runner up for the same competition. Undaunted, Francis continued to wow fashionistas world-wide as he was appointed official designer for the Miss Universe pageant in 1987. Since then, his arresting approach to couture—a combination of immaculate French embroidery with extravagant Italian fabrics—has gained worldwide recognition. This included his design for Beyonce during F1 Singapore.

Femininity is a must for Francis. That’s why through his designs, he strives to create a customised, classic wardrobe worthy to compliment any woman’s body. The meticulous crafting that goes into every fluid creation—striking beadwork and intricate embroidery paired with perfect cuts and simple lines—are all finely balanced to portray Francis’s philosophy of sophisticated femininity.

Believing firmly on the concept of individuality, Francis anchors himself to the notion that staying true to one’s dream is the most important thing in realizing a brand name of such stature in the far eastern market.

Marie France Bodyline Collaboration

This is the first time Marie France Bodyline is closely aligned with Singapore’s couture fashion scene, bringing the beauty of the female silhouette to the forefront through fashion. Marie France Bodyline hopes to use this milestone collaboration as a platform to inspire women to realize their potential in achieving a healthy body image and pays tribute to modern Asian women who are an inspiration to others.

Christy Chung, Marie France’s Bodyline’s celebrity spokesperson of 13 years is one such woman who was an inspiration for Francis’s Spring/Summer 2011 Couture collection.

Want to check out the action backstage? watch http://video.xin.msn.com/watch/video/backstage-with-francis-cheong/7n3j99h9?cpkey=118d2194-7f65-9068-2832-60616cd6fad4|||

Francis’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection depicts Club Chinoiserie through oriental non traditional forms that incorporates a kaleidoscope of colours, beautiful embellishment and flowy silhouettes.

Spotted on the runaway was Irene Ang and Nadia Hutagalung dressed in Francis Cheong's collection. As well as the wonderful Christy Chung, still such a beautiful face she was.

To view upclose shots of models, their gowns and backstage. View
http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/DETknfkDbIF/AFF+2011+Francis+Cheong+Couture+Backstage












































































































































And last but not least, we were given a goodie bag with some marie france bodyline products including a caviar eye cream from bella skin care. Just what I needed :)

.....

Thanks Omy for the invitations!

Movie Review

Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train which was the 1st of a series of bombs in the country.

He then learns he's part of a government experiment called the "Source Code," a program that forces him to relive another man's identity in the last 8 minutes of his life.

Colter, against his will initially, re-lives the incident over and over again, gathering clues each time, until he can solve the mystery of who is behind the bombs and prevent the next attack. The hard part for Colter to accept was the fact that he was badly injured while serving in Afghanistan, and in reality, he's dead with only his brain intact and kept on life support in a research facility. The pact he has with the government is that they terminate his life support once his 'mission' is complete.

Filled with mind-boggling twists and heart-pounding suspense, a wonderful time warp movie with pace and style. Director, Jones has a way of conveying desperate, claustrophobic, isolation in a remarkable calm way. Interesting and engaging up until the end. With a love story in between (but hey I suppose love can happen in just 8 mins?).

Note: Jeffrey Wright was terrible playing Dr. Rutledge and his accent was something I'll rather do without.

On the whole, the movie was riveting, if you survive the mind boggling first 20mins.

Here's to the after hours athlete indeed. Trust Puma to have such an awesome series of parties. Pity this is the last!

A perfect night to party since good friday was a holiday. There was free slow skyy vodka, tiger beer and what ever dancing juice you might need.

Their series of parties actually are actually centered around any of these 1 handed ball games - Foosball, tabletennis and Air Hockey allowing you to chug a beer in the other. :)Win 6 games and get free puma gear (yay?)

I played a game of air hockey and scored! Alas, my friends weren't as game crazed as me and wouldn't agree to playing ping pong nor more games. Damn.

Was great to see the Augustman team and a couple of old media friends like Dolphin Yeo and Charmaine from The Peak. Even realised an ex school mate was bartender for the night.Looking forward to more fabulous events from Puma.

Fashion Nation.

Well, what started out Singapore Fashion Festival in 2001 has now grown by many folds to become an international fashion and trade event that the even our government has given a thumbs up for. Yes - rebranded as the Asia Fashion Exchange (AFX)this 2011

AFX 11 has more than just fashionistas getting excited. Pity Marchesa is not in this year's list, as was last year. (I always had a thing for tulle, lace, mesh and roses).

Here is what's installed for all this May.

Missoni: Think geometrics, and abstract florals . OOooo the kaleidoscopic colors you say.
Swarovski: So much more than your everyday crystals, Swarovski (Say it with me:Sa-ross -ki)has also Avant Garde lighting and design, as well as Home and Decor. For Atelier Swarovski, I'm definitely wowed by the versatility of crystal uses in cutting edge fashion and jewelry. crystal encrusted skulls anyone?
Tiffany & Co: 925 silver never looked this good, neither did we think that we would find architects or the decent of Pablo Piccaso designing our jewelry with T&Co today. It's nice how Frank Ghery and Paloma have worked their magic with Tiffany!
Vera Wang: Gowns gowns and more gowns, Wang's gowns are every bride's dream!It's surely nice to witness what 16 years as fashion editor before she turned fashion entrepreneur has done for brides in the world.
Antonio Berardi: A UK citizen board to Sicilian immigrants, Antonio has worked with John galliano as a student out of St Martins. So surely John's magic has rubbed off on Antonio, with his statement prices that are inspired by samurai armor and the kimonos. To his day to night clothes collection that collaborate with your body to enhance their natural curves. The world needs to know if they don't already!
Greyhound: An excellent Bangkok born brand, that has not just fashionable clothes, but cafes too. Asia FTW! (And yes there's alot more to BKK than just tom yum or thai discos)
Raoul: A Singapore brand with excellent branding. Fact is: Many people don't even know Raoul begin in Singapore, and they need to know! (Asian pride?)
All Dressed Up: Again, a Singaporean brand helmed by Tina Tan Leo , this brand is soooo chic. All Dressed up shows you what high end casual wear is about.
Ungaro: Since Ungaro, men without cologne were no longer in vogue.

What's been unveiled.
1. Fashion Asia Summit (May 18 to 20)
Fashion Asia Summit is a major business conference that provides knowledge, insight, and opinions about fashion for fashion industry professionals in Asia. This event will bring more than 30 experts from the fashion industry worldwide. The event delivered in a structured through presentations, interactive panel sessions, small group workshops, and master class.
Some personalities include Andrew Wu (LVMH Group Director for China), Mark Baumann (Head of Visual Merchandising, Lane Crawford), Simon Gaffey (International Director, Karen Millen), Eric Jennings (VP ​​Men’s Fashion, Saks Fifth Avenue), Douglas Benjamin (CEO of FJ Benjamin), Bryan Riviere (Head of Global Sourcing and Manufacturing, Lululemon Athletica), South Hamilton (Founder and CEO of HL Group), and Juliet Warkentin (Global Content Director, WGSN). “Through Fashion Asia Summit 2011, the business in the fashion industry get the opportunity to expand its product range,” said Chris Koh, TaFf’s Honorary President.

2. Audi Fashion Festival (May 13 to 19)
Audi Fashion Festival 2011 (AFF) is an exhibition featuring world-class collection of international designers and labels. The exhibition is held at the Tent @ Ngee Ann City is guaranteed to be bigger than last year.

3. Blueprint (May 19 to 22)
Blueprint is a trade show that brings buyers in the world and design talents to Singapore to do business in Asia. Blueprint 2011 opened the door for a unique shopping experience to consumers. Fashion lovers now have a rare opportunity to purchase limited edition pieces of exhibitors, most of which are not available locally.

4. Star Creation (11 May)
Star Creation is a fashion design competition that is ready to unveil Asian talents of the future. Last year, participants reached 75 people until the conical to 12 finalists. And finally, the three winners chosen, among them Audrey Lim (21 years old from Singapore), Kitty Miao May Rong (33 years old from China), and Daniel Ngoo (23 years old from Malaysia).

The winners get cash prizes and 10,000 Singapore dollars a year plus salary employment contract in 2500 Singapore dollars per month with a leading fashion retailer, FJ Benjamin.

Awesome you say?

The event was lots of fun, with instant photos for guest, taken and printed within 10mins, and projected live on the LCD screen display.

Barbara, the editor of Women's weekly as well as make up artists from Shiseido were there to give demos and style tips too. I especially loved the lipstick shade they used on Jessica.

The Dorothy Perkin's fashion party this Saturday beckons.
Thanks to Jessica my fashion stylist friend for the invitation :)

Speaking of which the LION KING musical at MBS was really enjoyable. Never knew Humans pretending to be animals could be this entertaining.

The tickets were pricy however, and the theatre, surprisingly small. I bought the Cat C tickets at $125 per seat. Watch it before it ends this May.

The Lion King opens on 3rd March 2011 and will play 8 shows a week.
Every Tuesday - Friday at 8pm
Every Saturday, Sunday at 2pm and 8pm

Ticket Price (Excludes Booking Fee)
Platinum - S$240
A Reserve - S$185
B Reserve - S$165
C Reserve - S$125
D Reserve - S$85
E Reserve - S$65

Nestled in the lush greenery of Bishan Park, the Canopy @ Aramsa houses not only 1 restaurant, by a vegan outlet -The Green Room, and a Spa - Asmara all upon its location.

Run by formal TV personality, Ms Jazreel Low, the CEO of Asmara Lifestyle group and open since 2007, I couldn't believe that I only came to know about the place this year.

A popular spot on weekends in this large park undergoing major revamp of what we heard include a river with water sports activities, The Canopy has a dedicated brunch menu as well as complete lunch and dinner menus, the location also boasts a Liveband for entertainment on certain days of the week as well as kids crafts for those who want to bring Junior on a weekend afternoon.

For starters, we had the Mango Prawn Salad - a cold fish with prawns perched on a soft bed of salad doused with mango sauce and mango cubes with nata de coco. The prawn was firm and tender, needless to say it went very well with the tangy mango.

We also had the Margherita Pizza, which was thin crusted and baked to perfection. Aromatic and not too salty, this one's a winner.

My favourite dish of the night was Canopy's Asian Chicken Pasta, maybe it's because I'm biased towards things that tingle. I loved how the chilli worked up my appetite, and how the pasta was not overcooked. My friends and I also tried the Bavarian Platter which had an assortment of sausages with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut, I liked the sausages and I'm sure any Male diner would. But the sauerkraut tasted a little off. Or rather I've had better sauerkraut.

Another interesting dish was the Green Curry Pasta, nicely done and definitely creative, it came with a generous portion of green chicken which was lip smacking tender.

We also were treated to some cocktails, such as the lemongrass mojito and the sunday sundae, and another which tasted like a choco-tini, but with peanut butter innit.

To sum it up, The Canopy does have a wonderfully varied menu. It's a great place with the perfect ambiance, allowing guests a reprieve from the hurried daily lives of Singaporeans and the maddening crowds.

The Canopy:
1382 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 Bishan Park 2 Singapore 569931.
For spa reservation, call +65 6456 6556
For dining reservation, call +65 6556 1533

*To reach Asmara Lifestyle by bus, you can take Bus 136, 133, and 262 from AMK. The park is not within walking distance from Bishan MRT. There's ample parking however:D

« Older posts | Newer posts »