Are You Being Yourself?

TOXIC BACHELOR
(excerpt from mag.co.uk)

THE ONLY BODY ISSUE STUART HOOD HAS IS CHOOSING THE ONE HE FANCIES TONIGHT

Blonde. Brunette. Tall. Short. Asian. American. Size 6. Size 14. Fiery. Shy. 19. 36. Buxom breasts. Jelly tots on an ironing board.

Something struck me while I was flicking through my love back catalogue. And that something was how little my exes have in common. Admittedly, I have deal breakers (weight limits, nose size, huge tattoos, etc), but aside from these, nothing in my past suggests I have a ‘type'. And, just recently, I seem to be out to prove it.

"I feel like a size 14 tonight," I decided last Saturday. "I'm going for a blonde," I decreed at a recent ball. "Big boobs," was my Royal Ascot diktat.

Sexist? Undoubtedly. Successful? Why, yes, thank you. But I don't want your praise. I want you to appreciate what my actions mean. I want you to understand that, in a man's eyes, there is no such thing as the all-encompassing ‘perfect' body. So I want you to stop messing yourself and your relationships up by trying to get it.

I'm not saying quit exercising, embrace the deep-fat fryer or stop waxing. I'm advising the 37 per cent of you on diets and the two-thirds hankering after surgery to think seriously.

Ask yourself: am I trying to find myself or am I attempting to be someone else? If it's the former, good luck. If it's the latter, pull out while you still can, because your alter ego will not make things any better.

No matter how much make-up you slap on, or how thin you become, you are not, and are never going to be, the celebrity you aspire to be. I know, I've tried. When I was 20, I dyed my hair, bought a couple of vests and mimicked Eminem. I got laughed at, lots, but laid very little (read: never).

Actually, my exes do have one thing in common. They realise that being ‘sexy' isn't about eating one carrot a day, pumping your breasts full of silicone or pining after someone else's look. It's about being comfortable with yours. It's about celebrating – and letting men celebrate – the nuances that make you, you.

Dear Toxic Bachelor

My boyfriend and I have a great relationship, but he never buys me gifts or flowers. It's getting to me — what does it mean?

It means he feels he doesn't have to — a malaise that's both good and bad for your relationship. Good because he doesn't feel guilty about anything. Bad because he feels he no longer has to impress you.

He wooed you and now you're cruising along happily together. Only you're not, are you? It's boring. The spark has gone. Relight the fire. Suggest a dirty weekend.

To tick or not to tick?

Tick? What tick? You mean ticks? My sister's hometown visit recently has brought us all tickled to the ground...first with laughter and then with horror! Our jaw almost dropped to the ground when she revealed her story. A few days before, I was talking with my mom, what if my daughters got it......? It will be a hard job getting rid of all that with curly locks like my two little angels. And then, my sister came with a story I almost did not want to hear.

Her daughter has got hair ticks! Too much days spent at kindergarten and transit have paid off rather unexpectedly! How come? She was sitting beside the front gate and was ruffling her daughter's hair when she discovered by accident a few creepy black insects crawling in between her daughter's hair.

"Kira has got hair ticks!" She was sure her loud surprising remarks had made the neighbours wary, straining their ears as far as they could reach. What was the 'kecoh-kecoh?"

It's only hair ticks! Only hair ticks? I remembered when I was in my primary school...bad news...I did not know how I got it, but oh yes...I did have hair ticks...like everybody else at school. Before we knew it, the school was distributing hair tick shampoo for free, to all of us to get rid of the blood sucking insects that had been making our head's skin their home. Errgghhh! How come these creatures live, eat and breed on your head making your head their 'homestay'? Thinking about it alone makes me shiver. Before I even took my bath, I was shampooing,and shampooiing, and picking tick eggs and killing them with my fingernails, like a vengence!

Back to my sis's story, she rescued her daughter fast enough before the parasites took over her daughter's head and hair! She bought a chemical based shampoo,that smell like pesticides (well, you are killing a live bred here!) and with a little bit of prayer and luck, the creatures are gone now.

So, when did the horror part come? This is the best part. Her Indonesian maid, was ecstatic when she discovered the news! How can someone got over excited when a little girl caught ticks? Ridiculous! But...oh yes....true....she got soooooo very everwhelmed because she could spend her spare time killing ticks and their eggs! She even sacrificed her evening walk (which she does religiously everyday) to flip and toss the hair so she could enjoy pulling eggs from the hair strands and pressing them with her nails. Errghh! Is this world going to end soon? I could feel yesterday's meal pressing over my stomach and throat!

I thought only monkeys enjoy this activity. Now I just discovered there is a human being who treats this activity as exciting and adventurous! Gosh! Like the monkeys, I just hope the ticks did not enter her stomach!

Can You Fix My Chin? Or..Err...Cheek?

I do not follow the entertaintment industry like a duckling trailing her mom. Most often I could not care less about who wears what, or who goes out with who, or who stabs somone's back, or who steals whose boyfriend or girlfriend. Too much is happening in this world just to think or get involved seriously with stories of self claimed 'artistes' who are mushrooming like there is not enough land to grow. The news about Brangelina who have just got twins, a boy and a girl, might be hot news now in Hollywood, but in this country, there is nothing 'mouth watering' than just talking or reporting about who breaks up with who, or who just got a divorce or who just got dumped!

Switch on the TV, watch Melodi on TV3...and you know what I mean. The ruthless, rude and overzealous journalist (if they are qualified to be called one) already have a few sets of questions to ask the 'poor artiste'. With a repetiton of question, winding and eventually lead to the same 'issues', these journalists have 'no face' and are bold enough to 'irritate' the artiste and viewers. I don't know about you, but I get iritated every time I watch how these journalist twist and turn their questions which lead to the same thing! These artistes must have had a very thick skin to be interviwed on Melodi...If not, don't get near their interviewers! In the end, I always end up switching channel and gosh! it's sunday and there is NOTHING good to watch on TV!

Put that aside, last week, I flipped a magazine and I saw this very popular,rich female singer (who marries a man double her age) with her 'latest' style. And there was a small photo that was taken maybe ten years ago. And...hmm...are my eyes fooling me or the vision is too powerful. Even the journalist who wrote the article about her commented on it. Her lips has gone thicker and poutier...gone is a thin upper lip that she used to have. When asked, she replies...I used a make up technique that can thicken my lips! Err...

Well....even though I never bother about what they do with their lips, or face, or cheek or chin,(as that is between them and God) I am pertubed by the numbers of artistes and even normal women lately who turn to cosmetic surgery to enhance their face. Maybe to them their nose is not high enough, their cheek is not padded enough, or their chin not long enough, or eyes not wide enough. This what happens when you have too much money and do not know what to do with them. (you can donate some to me).

Hey....I think my face is not symetrical...let's fix it! Err...I would like a 'sexy padded' chin like Jay Leno...but horror, after the 'job' is done, the padded chin has become limpy when I tickle it...oh...too much padding maybe! God....why on earth do you want to add volume to your chin? Hmm...to follow fashion...it's the trend now....I'm Vogue!

Last year, it was blonde hair...I have never seen more people on Malaysian road who coloured their hand blonde,or platinum or orange than the last two years! One person was daring enough to do it and appear on TV, before you can blink your eyes, every body who think they are Vogue! would queue up at the hair saloon to fix their shiny black hair. And whooaaa! I have never seen so many almond shaped eyes and yellow skinned homosapiens walking with yellow hair! Huh! I thought for once I was in Mars!

Now....well, blue,green,yellow eyes have become a norm. Top up with 'newly crafted' eyes,cheek,chin,nose,jaw...that ones get from the surgery...for once I thought I am in Hollywood, but hey...I am in Petaling Street! Is that Afdlin Shauki wearing a skimpy polka dots skirt? I must have been mistaken!

It Burns My Mouth!

Oh yes...The burning sensation that you get shoots right through your mouth. For a second you do not know what to do. You look left and right. Oh No! You feel your ears are ringing, your nose beginning to water, your head spinning like a gullible top. Water! You need it very badly! Your hands pick up a jar of leftover water that has been exposed overnight and shove it to you mouth like a hungry,desperate dog panting mercifully. You gulp,and gulp and gulp! Ahh....finally. The burn is gone!

Have you ever been in this tight situation before? Read on to know what I mean! An Indian restaurant in London served the hottest curry in the planet to be in the Guinness World Record! And all what the diners saw were stars!

Bollywood Burner tries to burn up record book

LONDON: A London restaurant was serving up last Thursday what it hoped would be confirmed as the world’s hottest curry, with even the chef admitting it was “too extreme” to keep on the menu.

Vivek Singh at The Cinnamon Club grabbed some of the hottest chilli peppers known to man to create the Bollywood Burner, a lamb-based dish with a fierce kick. The curry was so hot that diners were asked to sign a disclaimer confirming they were aware of the risks involved before daring to eat it.

The Bollywood Burner is being submitted to Guinness World Records for verification of its status as the planet’s hottest curry. The verdict should be announced within three weeks.

Student Toby Steele, 19, from Brighton on the southern English coast, was the first to taste the Bollywood Burner. “I’m usually a korma man and I suspect this is the hottest thing I’ve ever tasted,” he said. “It was nice actually, you could really taste the spices.

“The initial taste isn’t that hot but now, a couple of minutes later, I feel a bit floaty and light-headed.” The dish, inspired by cuisine from Hyderabad in southern India, includes the Naga and its seeds — confirmed by Guinness World Records as the hottest chilli pepper in the world. On the Scoville scale of piquancy, the Naga scores 855,000 — more than 100 times hotter than the jalapeno, which measures 8,000 on the scale.

“We found a list of the 10 hottest chillies and decided to try and use some of them. I think it will be the hottest curry in the world,” said Singh. The curry will not be a regular feature on the menu, he added.

Lianne la Borde of the Daily Star newspaper said: “It is the hottest I have ever tasted. At first, it tasted delicious. Then my mouth caught fire. It even made me feel dizzy.” Metro newspaper’s James Ellis said it was “innocuous enough at the first bite,” but one helping “saw my taste buds melt in fury at the inferno in my mouth.

“Meanwhile, my heartbeat, which started at a resting pace of 68 beats per minute, zoomed up to 128 — the equivalent of doing aerobic exercise.” — AFP

Help! My Zipper Needs Some fixing! Try These Solutions!

Wearing your coffee? Find these tricks to fix fashion mishaps!

Men's Health shares smart tips on handling work wardrobe emergencies!

They happen to all of us — frequently: Whether it’s spilling your coffee or ripping your pants, mini-fashion emergencies can put a damper on your work day.

Men’s Health Fashion Director Brian Boyé shares smart tips on how to avoid those Monday morning fashion disasters:

Keep an emergency fashion kit in your desk drawer. For starters, a smart bet is to be prepared with a fashion emergency kit that you store at your office. It will save you in a pinch or allow you to be a hero to a colleague. It should contain:

-A solid dress shirt, preferably white, so it will go with anything
-A stain removal stick — for pen marks and coffee spills
-A extra pair of pants — black trousers and a pair of jeans will give you maximum options
-A spare umbrella for sudden showers


Problem: The seat of your pants or your hem has ripped

Solution: Look to a few common office supplies to help you recover.

Staples
It’s not the classiest move, but if you rip the seat of your pants along the seam – you can use a few strategically placed staples along the inside of the seam to close the gap for a few hours. This is clearly just a temporary fix and you should move with caution until your pants are correctly mended.

Tape
Tape works well for hems and small rips. Opt for packing or masking tape, which has a stronger hold rather than invisible desk tape. For small rips: Take off the trousers and tape it from the inside, which will hold the fabric together for the short term. To shore up a loose hem, turn your trousers inside out and place a piece of tape on either side of the crease.

Problem: You’ve forgotten small but essential components to your dress shirt
Solution: If you have distracting fly-away collars because you forgot your collar stays — reach into your desk drawer and grab two paper clips. They will substitute perfectly for your missing collar stays. This is also a great trick for travelers who arrive at their destination and realize they have forgotten this dress shirt essential.

Problem: You forgot the cuff links for your shirt with French cuffs
Solution: Again, the solution is right on your desk. Grab a stapler and staple your cuffs together. It won’t hold up well under close scrutiny, but it will at least keep your shirt cuffs together for the day. It’s probably a good idea to leave your suit coat on to cover up your temporary fix.

Problem: You overindulged at breakfast or lunch and your trousers are too tight
Solution: Use a rubber band looped over the button, through the buttonhole and back over the button to give a little extra stretch. It’s a trick pregnant women have used for years, but will also work for the overindulged businessman too. Make sure you wear a belt to cover up your indiscretion. This is also a good trick for business travelers who find themselves on long flights in too-tight pants.

Problem: Your shoes are scuffed
Solution: If your office has a kitchen and you have access to vegetable or olive oil left over from salad dressing — the best bet is to take a damp paper towel, wipe the dirt from your shoes, then dry. Next, apply a drop of vegetable oil to another paper towel and give your shoes a quick shine. Barring that, the inside of a banana peel will also do the trick. Simply rub the peel on the leather shoe lightly, then wipe off any tell-tale signs with a paper towel.

Problem: You're wearing your $5 coffee on your shirt or tie
Solution: Most dry cleaners will say “don’t do a thing,” but the reality is that you probably don’t want to go through to day with a big coffee stain on your shirt. Get to a sink, fast. Use water and soap to blot out the stain.

If you spill coffee on something that’s washable — and have a place where you can work on it in private — use hot water and a small amount of soap. Pour the water through the fabric over a bowl or cup and then blot — don’t rub — with a damp cloth and soap.

If you spill on a tie or an article of clothing that’s not washable – use soap and a small amount of warm water, blot to create suds, then rinse with cool water.

And if you’re prepared with a fashion emergency kit at the office, there are a few options for quick, portable stain removers. "Men’s Health" recently tested a few popular stain removal products. Shout Wipes and Oxi Clean Spray Away got highest marks, with Tide to Go – in an easy-to-store or carry pen format — a very close second.

All You Wanted to Know About American First Lady

This is an interesting feature article and review I read from The First Post Magazine. About a new novel imagining the First Lady's sex life called American Wife. For die hard fans who love to read romance novels, maybe this book will be an interesting pick once it hits our market and bookstores. Read at what Charles Laurence has to say!

Sex, lies and Laura Bush by Charles Laurence

All you never really wanted to know about the sex lives of President Dubya Bush and his famously frosty First Lady Laura is at the core of a novel due to be published to Republican blushes as the flag goes down on the election season this autumn.

It is called American Wife and comes from Curtis Sittenfeld, a woman of 33 whose first novel Prep was the sleeper bestseller of 2003 and a contender for the Orange Prize. It was about sex, romance and upper-crust social hypocrisy as a naive country girl goes to an East Coast 'prep' school.

Random House promises to publish American Wife with very similar themes in time for the Republican nominating convention. No delegate will be looking at the outgoing First Lady in quite the same way.

"His butt was small in the way that I always forgot a lot of men's were. How could he possibly be an unscrupulous politician with such a cute little butt?"... Or "This is the moment I knew I could love him, when I saw his penis. With the men in my past the penis had seemed an odd creature, both comic and forlorn. But I felt a great devotion to Charlie when I first got a look at his, the ruddy-hued, upward-pointing shaft, its swollen veins and cap-like tip."

Charlie Blackwell is the scion of a blue-blood Yankee family who becomes President, and Alice, the central character, is the quiet librarian who marries him. Charlie also gets rave reviews for cunnilingus with his "bobbing head, and his earnest assiduous lapping".

Sittenfeld makes sure we all know who she is writing about by using known facts before delving into the cauldrons of desire lying just below the surface. She has Alice at 16 in a freak accident at a road junction in which she kills the high school football star who is her boyfriend. Laura Bush at 17 killed her high school crush in an identical accident.

On the campaign trail in 2000, the real Laura Bush lowered her guard enough to say that the accident "was crushing, for the family involved as well as for me". In American Wife, Alice soothes her grief by having sex with her dead boyfriend's best friend, doggy-style: "He pulled off my pants and underwear at the same time... and then I was naked except for my socks, which were white with lace trim. He tugged me upward and flipped me over, and when he said, 'No, you have to be on your knees,' it was the first time either of us had spoken in several minutes."

If Dubya was still running for office his Religious Right base would be even more shocked by Alice's abortion. "'Isn't it - I hestitated. 'Isn't it illegal?'" Grandma, who has insisted, replies: "'Certainly, and it happens all the time. You can't legislate human nature.'" To make matter worse, young Alice discovers that Grandma is a lesbian when she catches her in flagrante with the abortion doctor.

Sittenfeld, who lives with a boyfriend in Philadelphia, wrote an article for Salon claiming that while her politics were "flaming liberal" and she loathed Dubya's regime, she loved Laura. She described her as "an easy heroine to root for - smart and nice, but just flawed enough (she still sneaks cigarettes!) to remain likeable".

We can only speculate on whether Sittenfeld's novelist instinct for character is as sure as her instinct for a bestseller.

FIRST POSTED JULY 10, 2008

Feeling Tired? Are Your Eyes Puffy and Chin Sagging? Try Facial Exercise!

Most of us have a weekly or daily exercise regimen that helps us feel and look youthful, trim, and healthy. Why not invest the same amount of time and energy into your face? When you begin to exercise your facial muscles and bring them back into proper tone, the overlying tissues also begin to return to their natural shapes and you'll find that many of the unsightly symptoms of aging and stress are lessened considerably. Crow's feet, puffy eyes, sagging chin and neck, furrows in your forehead, and a sallow complexion can all be reduced, even eliminated when you exercise your face and neck every day.

Face & Neck Warm-up Exercises

Sit upright, tilt your head back and keep your lips closed and relaxed. Look at the ceiling and begin chewing with your mouth closed for 10 seconds. Tilt your head forward, close your eyes and relax for 30 seconds. Repeat exercise 10 times.Still sitting upright, tilt your head forward even more so that your chin almost touches your chest. Roll your head slowly first in a clockwise motion, then in a counter-clockwise direction. Repeat exercise 3 times.Now lie on your bed with the back of your neck hanging over the edge. Place a folded towel beneath your neck to cushion it against the edge and make the exercise more comfortable. Gently bring your chin towards your chest and keep it there for 15 seconds. Lower your head and relax for 20 seconds. Repeat 5 times.

Lip & Cheek Exercises

Sit upright, tilt your head back and keep your lips closed and relaxed. Look at the ceiling and pucker your lips for 10 seconds. Tilt your head forward, close your eyes and relax for 20 seconds. Repeat exercise 10 times. Sit upright and facing forward. With your mouth closed, separate your teeth by dropping your lower jaw and then push your jaw forward. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Relax and bring your jaw back into its normal position. Repeat 5 times.Sit upright and facing forward. With your mouth closed and teeth together, smile as widely as possible with the edges of your lips turned up and towards your ears. Hold this position for 5 seconds, then immediately pucker your lips for 5 additional seconds. Relax your lips for 5 seconds and repeat exercise 10 times.Sit upright and facing forward. With your teeth and lips closed, blow air under your top lip and hold air for 10 seconds. Move air to your left cheek, hold for 10 seconds, then to your lower lip, hold for 10 seconds, and finally to your right cheek and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat exercise 5 times.

Eyes & Forehead Exercises

Sit upright and close your eyes. Slowly look down, up, left, then right as far as possible. Repeat 10 times. Sitting upright with your eyes still closed, lift your eyebrows and stretch your eyelids down as far as possible and hold this position for 5 seconds. Relax for 10 seconds and repeat exercise 5 times.Sitting upright with your eyes closed, imitate a frown and bring your eyebrows down and toward each other as much as possible. Hold position for 5 seconds. Then lift your eyebrows and open your eyes as wide as you can and hold this position for another 5 seconds. Repeat exercise 5 times.Now lie on your bed with your face towards the ceiling. Scoot to the edge of the bed until your head is over the edge. You may want to place a folded towel beneath your neck to cushion it against the edge and make the exercise more comfortable. Lift your eyebrows as high as possible, open your eyes as wide as you can, and hold position for 10 seconds. Relax your face for 10 seconds and repeat exercise 10 times.

Opps...They did it again?

Again? Another daring act by an 'ambitious' young bred singer? Don't they ever learn from the past? It seems opening your buttons and showing off your skinny bare chest, and got banned has never got any of these guys' attention. After the infamous act by the infamous Faizal Tahir, who wanted to be like a Superman, another young underground bloke has immitated almost similar act. Maybe this time, even more shocking!

Do they think they are living in America? Even not all Americans like to flash their skin or chest and pull down their underpants for all to see! Not all musicians and singers flaunt and expose their armpits and bums as an 'expressions' of freedom. Or self-expression. Or self-individuality.

No matter what the term is, Carb Alak, an underground singer from a group,Carburetor Dung, who recently got beaten and booed by fans, and got hit by drinking water bottles, should know that they are not living in a 'dream world'. Malaysia is a free country. And so do other countries in the world. But free or not, we have to live by certain rules, values and standards. We live in community. We live within a society that have strong religious beliefs. Showing off your underpants, stripping it down and exposing your bare bum to the public is something that cannot be accepted morally.

Like Faizal Tahir who said that he will and can never change, is too arrogant on his part. To think that we will never change is something that is too short sighted. People do change. People think they don't but they do.

And for Alak, freedom or not, what you did will be a big lesson for you. Maybe exposing yourself is the norm in your 'closed culture and society', among friends and diehard fans. But to the masses, it is incorrect. It is unacceptable in a country who practises its religions, where values are the pillar of good conduct and mannerism.

Hey...not everybody likes to jump up and down, screaming and singing until your Adam's Apple almost thrown out from your throat! Plus baring off skins, skinny chests, unsightly bums, hairy armpits, or smelly mouth are almost too much to bear!

Knock! Knock! Where are you?

It's like watching a Hollywood thriller.

Murder. Suspense. Bandits got caught. Put in jail. Went to court. Then came a man claiming to the nation he heard it all,put a twist to the whole murder case. And then....he went missing!

Perspirations drop faster than the water tab. What? Is it real? You mean the man who appeared on TV a few days ago making a declaration to the whole nation had subtracted his statement...And then whoosh!....he was nowhere to be found! Missing in action?

Is this real or is this an illussion? Does this really happen in the so called peaceful country?

Oh No! Not again. They are playing hide and seek perhaps? Mr P. Balasubramaniam...knock!knock! Where are you?

Sooo many things in my head right now....and sooo many things in all of our heads as well! Too much to think about. Murder. Trial. Error. And then the politicians....

Hmm...this is another great story...What is going on in the Malaysian political scenes at the moment give us all goosebumps! A flip flop. A folly to watch with full interests and our mouths are wide open waiting to "capture" what other folly,mishaps and dramas these politicians are going to make.

God...it's like watching a Hollywood movie with a Bollywood twists. Kuch Kuch Hota He...Do you know what you are doing?Hmmm...

Are You a Frungalista?

Are you a frungalista? You Know You’re A Frugalista When:

•You’re more likely to hit the local rubbish dump on a Friday night than splash cash on shots of sambuca.
•You can’t walk past a skip without jumping in and having a rummage, much to the embarrassment of your boyfriend.
•You can’t remember your PIN number for your ATM card because you only use it twice a year.
•You count your fellow eBayers among your closest friends.
•You only venture to the high street when the sales are on, and even then you shudder in horror at the prices.

I found this article from the www.mag.co.uk and read it with part admiration,part disbelief. I don't think I am a frungalista, but I hate to waste,especially on food. I do buy from sales and prefer 50-70% discounted items or clothing...but second hand clothing or pots and pans? I don't think so! What struck me the most from what I read was their willingness to let go certain level of 'comfort' and opt for a more simple lifestyle. I admire people who plant their own vegetables or shop at a second hand shop because not everybody like to dirty their hands with soil and hurt their back, or wear clothing which are disposed by their original wearer. This involves a lot of humbleness. But with the growing concern of the environment and the fashion trends that are changing every ten minutes, I think this lifestyle is getting to get more attention in the future.

I would like to share the article below by Eimer O'Hagan with you all.

THEY WEAR SECOND-HAND CLOTHES, CUT THEIR OWN HAIR AND GROW THEIR OWN FOOD. MEET THE FRUGALISTAS...
By Eimear O'Hagan

Saturday afternoon in Bristol city centre, and hordes of young women are swarming around, laden with shopping bags and frittering cash on the latest must-have fashions and accessories.
But one girl has slipped away from the crowd.

Rather than heading for the nearest Topshop, she walks into a small charity shop and starts scouring the rails of second-hand clothes for bargains.

“I hate unnecessary waste, whether it’s financial, by paying over-the-odds for clothes and food, or environmental,” says Jemma Watkins, a 28-year-old PR executive. “I try to live in a non-wasteful way.”

A devoted second-hand shopper who grows her own vegetables and shuns a car in favour of riding to work on her bike, Jemma is part of a growing band of ‘frugalistas’ – young women for whom splashing the cash is so last season, and who can spot a great money-saving opportunity at 100 paces.

“In the past, being described as a frugalista would have been quite negative.

"You might have been seen as a bit tight and a bit of a scrooge, but with the credit crunch biting and environmental awareness being so trendy, it’s suddenly cool to be frugal.”
And frugal she is.

Jemma admits to shopping almost exclusively in charity and vintage shops, where she digs deep among the piles of second-hand clothes to find unusual one-off pieces which she alters and customises herself.

“In charity shops, you find unique items as well as brands like Boden and Jaeger.

"I’ve always tried to cultivate an individual sense of style, and you just can’t do that as well if you shop on the high street.

"Most importantly, I can buy an entire outfit for less than a tenner.”

According to Mal Fletcher, an author and expert on social trends, frugality is a growing movement, which has its roots in a number of areas – the current credit crunch, environmental awareness and a realisation that extravagant lifestyles aren’t necessarily always the happiest ones.

“I think frugality is a very positive trend,” says Mal.

“It’s about people taking personal responsibility for their spending, and setting limits on their own behaviour as a consumer.

"Ecological awareness also has a role to play.

"Nowadays our concern for the environment has crept into many of the decisions we make in our lives – what we wear, what we eat, and how we dispose of things.”

Jemma shuns hair salons, getting her sister – a one-time hairdresser – to cut her hair, and regularly holds clothes-swapping parties at her home, inviting fellow frugalistas to trade unwanted clothes with each other.

“We put them all in a pile, have a trying-on session, and whatever you like you take home.

"Anything that’s left gets taken to a charity shop.”

Jemma’s frugal ways don’t stop at her wardrobe.

She grows her own vegetables and when she does venture out to eat, she scours the internet and newspapers for money-off vouchers and two-for-one deals.

“I’m growing tomatoes, lettuces, beans and courgettes this year,” she says.

“It’s so much more satisfying to eat them knowing I’ve grown them myself and not given money to a supermarket that grossly overcharges for fresh produce.”

Another frugalista who takes pride in counting her pennies is Rachael English, a 24-year-old editorial assistant from Oxford.

“If you asked my family, they’d tell you I’ve always been tight with money,” says Rachael.

“But it was four years ago, when I volunteered at my local Oxfam, that I started to live as frugally as I could.”

Rachael became a convert to frugality when she saw the bargains for sale in the charity store.

“I’ve bought so many lovely outfits and saved myself hundreds of pounds in the process,” she says proudly.

“Today I’m wearing a pair of Calvin Klein trousers, which cost me £5, and a French Connection top that was £3.

"If I’d bought this outfit at the normal retail price, I doubt I’d have seen change from £150.”

Rachael insists you don’t have to compromise on style to save money.

“There’s a perception that if you shop in charity shops you can’t be fashionable, but that’s not true.

"I like to look my best, but I don’t like having to pay through the nose for the pleasure,” she says.

Proud-to-be-prudent Rachael even spends Friday nights volunteering at her local homeless drop-in centre, when most girls her age are in the local bar knocking back overpriced cocktails.

“I’d rather save my money for other things, like a deposit on a house, than waste it on alcohol,” she says.

Back in Bristol, Jemma predicts that frugality is the future.

“The days of throwing money around and revelling in expensive treats are gone.

"Now it’s cool to be frugal – to find cheap vintage clothes in charity shops, to recycle and reuse, not to splash out on expensive haircuts and meals.

"Saving is definitely the new spending.”

Grilled Chicken Recipe

Ingredients
2 chicken thighs

Item A
To be blended, and the juice extracted
6 shallots
3 cloves garlic
2 cm ginger

Item B
To be mixed together
2 tbsp chilli boh
1 tbsp ground ketumbar powder
1/2 tsp kunyit powder
1/2 tsp jintan manis powder
1/2 tsp jintan putih powder

Item C
To be blended together
1 1/2 cm galangal (lengkuas)
2 stalks serai (lemon grass)
2 buah keras

Item D
4 tbsp plain yoghurt
2 tbsp assam jawa juice
Banana leaves

Methods
1. Wash and dry the chicken thighs well then score the meat lightly with a knife. Use the juice of Item A to marinate the chicken pieces for 1/2 hour. Keep the pulp of Item A.
2. Heat a wok with 3 tbsp cooking oil. Saute the pulp of Item A. Add in Item C and stir well till aromatic. 3. Mix in Item B then Item D.
4. Fry till a layer of oil rises to the top. Add in the marinated chicken drumsticks and stir-fry quickly.
5. Prepare a tray lined with tin-foil. Place banana leaves over the foil. Put the chicken pieces together with the sauce on it. Cover with banana leaves and place a piece of tin foil over.
6. Grill at 220°C for 20 minutes. Turn over the chicken pieces after 10 minutes.
7. Serve with onion rings and tomato wedges.

*Serve 2 people

Malaysian Political Scenario...Harga Sudah Naik Lagi?

YES...I have not been blogging for quite a while. Time constraints. Nothing to tell. Banyak kerja lain. But today, I am reorganising and rearranging my internet blogs and hopefully I will be able to write more often. I am...I guess like everybody else is observing the political scenario and the petrol price hike...and everything that gains in pricing. Rice, flour, chicken prices have been like a limbo...I normally eat Pearl Jasmine Rice that is less than RM 30 per 10kg. Now the price is like RM48 per 10kg! And the petrol...RM50 can fill only slightly more than 18 litres of petrol...and if you travel a lot....imagine how much increase we need to have on petrol monthly alone.

Thank God I don't have to travel far...but still the price hike still affect my bank balance and my pocket...or purse. Roti Canai is getting thinner and more expensice. Kuih muih are also facing similar scenario. Topped up with our political musings,acts and antics, I feel my head is going to explode!

I have never seen Malaysia in this political situation yet. It makes me worry...I love this country but sometimes I feel like emigrating. I am worried if my beloved country will be another Pakistan,Palestine or Phillippines in the near future. We need strong leaders. Leaders who are capable of thinking beyond everything. To be able to analyse, predict and interpret matters that can be of useful or bad to the people or country. Leaders must be working for the people and make people happy. They must know the people's problems and rectify them as soon as possible.

With all the food and petrol price hike, we,especially the rest of Malaysians with average incomes or even worst poor, will feel the highest blow. The rich and the millionaires will not be affected. They will still be laughing to the bank, hiring drivers, playing golf and travelling abroad.

Politicians have all the privileges that the rest of the citizens don't have. They also have drivers, cooks, escorts, personal assistants, allowances and bonuses that keep them on cloud nine. They will not understand what the normal people like us are facing. The hardship and the sweat that fall everyday to feed the family. They,the politicians and leaders do not have to face traffic jam everyday,buy chicken and rice at the market,queue at the post office...and the lists go on. I am worried. I feel like we are not protected anymore. I never feel like this with the old premiership. But now I feel in danger. May God help and protect us all.