Skinny vs. Fat - What It Means To Be Beautiful

In a newsletter to members, I asked the question "What does beauty mean?" and my short answer that it is different for each individual. Soon after sending that newsletter, I was on YouTube and saw this British documentary entitled "Skinny Brides to Fat Wives".

At first, I thought that this was going to be another weight loss documentary and about how women are struggling to lose weight so that they can return to their skinny selves. The first 20 minutes of the documentary only served to fuel this thinking.

However, towards the later half of the documentary, there was a change in the 'body dialogue' that these women were telling themselves. Instead of obsessing about weight, it was more about self-discovery on health and self-confidence.

As one of them said, "I don't need to be skinny to feel sexy." What is beauty and sexiness? It's all in the state of mind. When we feel good about ourselves on the inside, it naturally will show on the outside and this will continue its virtuous circle.

Ladies, just be you. Because you're be(you)tiful.

Getting A Traditional Chinese Treatment With Modern Western Touch

Nestled in the lush greenery of Rochester Park, Aegle Wellness Clinique is a clinic focusing on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) but the doctors are also well versed in Western Medicine. Their approach is holistic and their specialties are Pain Management as well as Women Issues. The 2 physicians are:

Women Issues, huh. Yup, right up my alley.

I decided to pay them a visit and to talk about endometriosis from a TCM point of view. I was also interested in the idea of how they balanced Eastern and Western medicines together.

You are greeted by a refreshing smell of lemongrass or some sort of aroma and you will also see this shelf of wolf berries and dried flowers next to hot water. Yup, their teas are all natural and freshly brewed!

Jessie, the receptionist was so friendly and sweet that I couldn't help take a photo of her. I think she's so pretty too!

Ok...let me focus. The objective of the visit was about my health. So, I went inside Dr Kong's consultation room, which is pretty typical of any clinic's consultation room. Except that I didn't see any thermometers or tongue depressors on the table. Instead, there was a simple brown cushion for you to place your wrist on so that the doctor is able to read your pulse/qi.

Straight off the bat, I told Dr Kong about my endometriosis as well as my shoulder aches and feet aches. The examination not only involved him reading my pulse but I also had to stick out my tongue for him. TCM believes that the colour of your tongue is also an indication of your health.

Verdict? He said that from the slightly purplish colour of my tongue, my spleen isn't as healthy as it should be. So, as for the day's treatment, it'll be acupuncture plus a shoulder and back massage to relieve some of the tension.

There are 2 therapy rooms next to each other and they remind me of spa treatment rooms! Now...let the treatment begin!

Dr Kong inserting the acupuncture needles into my head

The needles that Aegle Wellness Clinique uses are individually wrapped and sterilised. Thus, you can be assured that the needles used on you are clean!

I had 3 needles painlessly inserted on the top of my head and apparently, these meridian points are quite normal in acupuncture treatments as this would immediately help with one's energy levels. In other words, if you're just fatigued, TCM doctors would stick 'em needles there. Now we know why head massages are so shiok (satisfying and delightful)!

Next came to my stomach area.  This is of course mainly due to my endometriosis. Dr Kong said that when it comes to women issues, it's often due to an unhealthy liver or spleen, which is why those areas are treated when it comes to uterine problems. Interesting, isn't it? Only goes to show how the whole body is connected and very often, you have to treat other parts of your body in order to heal another part.

One needle was particular uncomfortable and I thought that it could mean that it meant something is really wrong with me. However, Dr Kong told me not to think too much about it.

Next came the legs and feet. The needle you see in the photo above? When it went in, I could feel a slight sensation down to my toes and that's when I grasped that this talk of qi and meridian lines through acupuncture was real.

I was then left in the room alone for the next 10 min and it was relaxing, although I consciously told myself to NOT roll around since I had so many needles stuck to me.

When the 10 minutes were up, my porcupine moment ended when Dr Kong started removing each needle and dabbing at each point with an alcohol swab. Ironically, the removal was more 'painful' as I could feel the sting of the alcohol.

Once the needles were all removed, the massage started and it was sooooo good! Now I also know why some people enjoy visiting their sports therapist or chiropractor as the therapeutic massage that Dr Kong gave was in between those two. After the massage, more resting was encouraged and I was in such a blissful state that I promptly closed my eyes and napped for what I thought was 20 minutes but turned out to be only 5! Only goes to show that it's quality of one's sleep/nap that is more important at times. I felt instantly rejuvenated and my shoulders didn't ache that much as well!

The after effects of the treatment has to be just as important as the onsite therapy. I was pleasantly surprised that my period started the next day and I could see clumps of endometrial cells coming out. It's almost like my body was starting to actively get rid of residual endometrial wall so that it doesn't grow beyond. Gives me hope that my condition will be less pervasive! Ok...onto scheduling my next appointment!

Pásshen members will be glad to know that you will be getting discounts for all treatments at Aegle Wellness Clinique (except for medication which is to be paid to the clinic after prescription).

Aegle Wellness Clinique
44 Rochester Park

Consultation Hours:
Weekdays: 9am to 9pm
Sat: 9am to 6pm
Closed on Sunday & Public Holidays.

Please note that all treatments (except for Tuina) requires a 1st consultation.

For price list and to make an appointment, please visit http://www.passhen.com/place/aegle-wellness-clinic.

Aegle Wellness Clinique will be taking part in our Beauty Week on 18 Nov, teaching attendees how to relieve stress through massaging acupressure points! Get your tickets today at $40 (Pásshen members) or at $50 (public) either through logging into Pásshen or through here.

Customised Health Plan To Look Good & Feel Great Always

Due to my endometriosis, I had put on a lot of weight suddenly and it has been a struggle to keep it stable and losing the excess is of course, a lot harder.

Thus, I decided to do something about it and I turned to Su Lee of Look Good, Feel Great Always for a consultation. Su Lee is a trained chemist, working for other industries for 20 years before becoming a wellness coach but because of her chemist background, she studies how food affects the body in a cellular and chemical way.

After an initial meet up, Su Lee asked me to track my food and drink intake (including water) for 3 days in a sheet that she gave to me. After 3 days, I dutifully handed it to her and waited for a couple more days before she could evaluate and meet me for the proper consultation.

Su Lee explaining to me about my diet

So...I was very nervous about the results because although I keep telling myself that I'm eating well (stop thinking that eating well = eating a lot), it's hard to hear what a professional would say about my diet.

Talking about sugar levels and insulin plus fat cells

As expected, my calorie input and output are almost the same. This means that my portioning is good! Personally, I feel that Fitbit has really helped me out on this. However, Su Lee said that I wasn't drinking enough water (oops). What does it mean when you're not drinking enough water? Your body doesn't flush out as much toxins as it should and as a result, it remains in your blood stream until it has the chance to be flushed out and naturally, this taxes your kidneys and liver. Also, I was not eating enough fibre. I do need to load up on fruits and vegetables while continuing to eat meats that are low in fat. Phew! Looks like my tons of research into crafting my diet is paying off! I just need to be a wee bit more conscientious but I told Su Lee that it's really difficult when I'm eating most meals out and breakfast seems to be the only meal that I can control.

Next came out her 'special' weighing machine, which measures not just weight but also skeletal muscle, fat and water in one's body. Reminds me of the machine that I use in my gym!

After taking my weight and comparing what Su Lee's scale churned out against what my gym's machine churned out, the conclusion is that I do have a bit of water retention issue (not drinking enough water) and (duh) I have excess fats.

Since I'm not eating excessively and I do know what I'm eating, I just need a bit of help and so, Su Lee recommended the following:

I got a box which contains 60 packets and will last me for 30 days if I faithfully take 2 packets a day. In addition to this, Su Lee also suggested that I take probiotics to help replace the bad bacteria in my intestines with good ones because this will aid digestion and the body's natural detoxification process.

What I liked about this probiotics is that it tastes like berries while containing the same amount of probiotics when compared to those pills that your doctor prescribes to you after you've had a bout of diarrhoea. Moreover, it contains a lot less sugar than most probiotic drinks out there. If you're lactose intolerant, this is a much better substitute to yoghurt.

I will be blogging about my journey on this new diet regime so please stay tuned for updates! If you'd like to start on the same plan (it's all natural so there's no adverse effects), you can purchase the items accordingly:

Full Set (Bios Life Slim + Shaker + Probionic) S$178

Bios Life Slim + Shaker S$140

Probiotic $43

Please note that all prices are before shipping and GST.

If you would like to book a consultation with Su Lee, her consultation charges are as follows:
1 month - $200
3 months - $400

The consultancy includes an initial meet up, 1 hour face-to-face analysis and recommendation for diet and exercise as well as follow up.

Pásshen Beauty Week - Coming Soon In Nov 2015

Although we've just finished WellnessYogi RESET, we're already planning our upcoming event! We know that you passhers would love to be gorgeous on the outside too! Hence, we're planning up a storm to treat you in November!

If you're not already a member of Pásshen, please sign up so that you will get the latest updates AND get VIP invites. Stay tuned!

Life Lessons Learned Through Yoga

Entrance of Strala Yoga and their smaller studio "easy"

I visited Strala to discuss about Pásshen's upcoming Beauty Week and Jo was nice enough to invite me down for her Core Strengthening yoga session! I like how bright and cheerful the front of shop feels and when I went upstairs to their "Nice" studio, I was glad to know that they've got an outdoor deck where they have outdoor yoga sessions! Too bad the haze forced them to cancel them for this month. :(

Jo from Strala Yoga at their outdoor deck

Strala Yoga started in New York in 2008 by Tara Stiles, a model who is now a renowned celebrity yoga guide, who has been named as the "Yoga Rebel" by New York Times, and has been voted as the "Coolest Yoga Instructor" by Vanity Fair and "Top 100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness" by Greatest. I found out why during my session as Jo explained that at Strala, they don't do chanting, nor light incense (although they have essential oils purifying the room) and they play contemporary music throughout the whole session.

So while we were doing the yoga session (which was really intense btw) and I was struggling with some of the poses, we somehow talked about how yoga isn't about comparing oneself to the other person in the room (although there were none that day) but about self growth.

In my year of practicing yoga, I've seen so many instructors and they come in all shapes and sizes. A few of them even have muffin tops over their pants! However, all of them are strong, flexible and can out last a lot of cross-fit folks whom I see attempting yoga in my classes. Even for weak old me, I can hold certain poses longer than some people who go to my yoga classes although you'd clearly think that they're fitter than me when you see their well defined, muscular arms.

No judgement. Everyone is different and my take on it is that in modern society, we are caught up with what the ideal athlete should look like - lean and with as little fat as possible. Doesn't help that with social media, loads of photos with people doing incredibly difficult poses #yogaporn are popping up everywhere.

However, the aim of yoga is really about knowing your body better and just working towards making yourself stronger and healthier. You create your own objective and 'space' as seen in the photo above. That's also Strala's philosophy in yoga, where everyone is allowed to feel free, creative and inspired throughout the whole session. Jo kept telling me to feel free to sway from side to side, which was very different from all other yoga sessions that I've attended previously.

Happy that I survived the session!

Do what's comfortable to you and learn when to stop. As I was recovering from a bout of stomach flu, I got really dizzy at the end and had to lie down. Jo then helped massage me a little and even used some essential oils to help me recover. She said that in Strala, they are also trained in massage and that makes sense because asana (or poses) actually translates to "to sit" and yoga was formed to train students/warriors on how to comfortably sit for long periods of time. If you're at the limit, don't stress out and just admit that you've hit your limit and then work towards pushing it.

Constantly evolving. We also talked about how Strala Yoga has incorporated some Taiji movement into the poses. I think Master Sim from Wu Tu Nan would be quite glad to know that! Hence, Strala Yoga does throw in a bit more arm movement and 'swaying' from side to side whenever coming into certain positions. Fusion of 2 ancient exercises! That's something really exciting to discover and also goes to show that we too, must constantly evolve and learn.

Gratitude. Know how some right wing religious folks believe that one shouldn't practice yoga because of religion? Although we can argue with their ignorant view on the exercise, they'll probably be glad to know that Strala doesn't do any chanting. That said, I happen to know that 'shanti' means inner peace. So chanting it is just about bringing inner peace to one's self and to those around you. Many instructors also ask you to think about 'dedicating' or having an 'objective' for that particular practice. I'm usually just grateful to have survived each one, especially if it's hot yoga! Haha. Jokes aside, I'm always grateful that although it's not noticeable to many, I have grown stronger in the course of 1 year. I have managed to turn 1kg of fat into 1kg of muscle. I am feeling a lot better about my health AND when my muscles ache due to over-walking etc, I knew exactly how to stretch them out and ensuring faster recovery.

Some people find belonging only when they're on the mat, practicing yoga. Some have found their sense of community in this niche group. Others are just rocking the fashionable studio gear and others have grown businesses from yoga.

No matter what, we're all on this journey called life. Let's keep growing and doing more of what keeps us healthier and stronger!

Tips To Beat The Haze

Gotta love Singaporeans' sense of humour with regards to the haze as seen from the photoshopped image above.

Jokes aside, the haze this year is really bad (went up to PSI 300?!?!) and is around a lot longer than previous years. My eyes have been itchy, my eczema has been flaring up and I have been needing to clear my nose every morning, my bestie's eyes swelled up despite her washing them with eye wash, a friend's daughter fell ill (eyes, throat...the works) and Jo from Strala had nosebleeds because of the haze too.

So, besides staying at home with the air-con and air purifier on or lounging around with a N95 mask, there are many things that one can (and probably should) do to combat the haze and coming out of it in tip top condition.

1.  Drink loads of water. That seems like a no-brainer but as it is, we normally don't consume enough water on a daily basis and with us breathing in all the dust and toxins, it is more imperative that we load up on the H2O. Moreover, the haze traps heat and causes the air temperature to be warmer than usual, meaning that you're losing more water rapidly without noticing it!

2. Moisturise your throat and lungs. Haha...no, you did not misread that sentence. Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that you can take certain herbs and fruits to soothe and 'moisturise' the throat and lungs. One of these concoctions would be Pe Pa Kao and pssst it's one of the items in the Mystery Box!

I go even further by drinking water with Chlorophyll powder as this aids digestion and overall cleansing of the system. Best thing is that this chlorophyll powder is tasteless but yet rich in nutrients so even if I forget to take my supplements for the day, I don't sweat it. It helped me cope with my eczema during this haze as moisturisers were not really soothing the itches and broken skin.

Chlorophyll Powder $27 for 92g (excluding GST and postage)

3. Wear sunblock. Especially on your face. Although we can't see the blue skies and we're able to peer up into the sky at look at the sun, those damn UV rays are still coming through all the dust and particles. Sadly. So, your skin is still exposed and you'll still need to bring out the SPF.

4. Wash your face twice a day - morning and night. Even if you don't go out of the house. I found that even when I'm at home the whole day, I used a moist towel to cleanse my face and it came out a bit dirty. There's so much dust outside, you really don't want it to remain on your skin and clog up your pores. For those with skin problems, you may need to even take a full shower at night and moisturise properly before going to bed.

We all can't wait for the haze to disappear and I really hope that it pours down on Indonesia, extinguishing all the fires! In the meanwhile, ladies, please stay safe and beautiful always!

迷濛電眼實務教學

是不是常納悶為何我的眼妝總是不到位?
下眼線怎麼這麼難畫?

如何畫出空靈電眼媚惑眾生偷偷放電?
如何透過不同的妝感釋放狂野?
是不是厭倦了一成不變想找尋另一個自己?

你~就是你!
你也可以很不一樣
當天請攜帶自己熟悉的彩妝品
沒有彩妝的姊妹別怕,現場也會提供
開心來就對了!

9 October 20:00–22:00

The 3rd Space 18 Cross Street, China Square Central #B1-05, Singapore 048423

https://www.facebook.com/events/742539152519220/

會員價 S$25
非會員 S$30

有多久沒跳舞了?
化這麼美不去跳舞說得過去嗎?
外面小鮮肉那麼多來去打獵吧!
課後活動跳舞去(自由參加)
當天穿辣辣就對了,GO!