After Muay Thai class, trying out the secondary camera (the one above the screen, where you can see yourself) of my Nokia X6…

I like that I can see myself on the screen while recording the video so I am aware of the angle of the camera but the quality isn’t that great. The primary camera is much better.

This was taken with the main camera:

(Don’t laugh, I’m still a newbie) There’s a lot more to kicking that punching bag than you think.

A photo I took with my Nokia X6 camera:

Compare it to this one, taken with my iPhone…

Higher resolution but colors aren’t as saturated as the one taken with my iPhone. iPhone takes very grainy photos in low-light conditions.

What do you think?

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Nokia has always been my favorite mobile brand since it was the first phone I ever used after I ditched my beeper/pager (anyone remember those?) a little less than 10 years ago.

When it comes to physical appearance, most women (and men) would prefer to have a toned and slim figure. The same rule applies to mobile phones – the slimmer, the better. Nobody wants to be seen holding a brick to their ear. Gone are those days.

Technology has come a long way indeed. We didn’t used to have a color display on our mobile screen and used .midi song files as our ringtones. Now, we have everything to be thankful for as the Nokia X6 is everything you want in a phone and more.

Free music? Check.
Unlimited downloads of over a million free songs for a year? Check.
A 5-megapixel camera with flash? Check.
Direct link and access to social network websites such as Facebook & Twitter? Check!

Who loves buffets? With the Nokia X6 all-you-can-eat music offer, you can download unlimited music onto your phone and PC for a whole year and still get to keep it when the subscription ends. How is THAT for a satisfying buffet of over a million songs that you can download onto the cavernous 32gb of onboard storage?

Slide the mood level (Yellow – A smiley face for Joy, Red – A heart for passion, Purple – Thunder for anger and Blue is for level of tempo.)

My phone was preloaded with music (doh!) and ALL 12 WERE GOOD! I was quite surprised that I didn’t know most of the tracks that came with the phone.

Some song the NOKIA X6 came with which you may want to give a listen:

Marc Ferrari, Josh Kessler, Chad Gendason – Where You Are << More of a Trance track, I love the female vocals on this one.

Atmosphere – Work Ya Body << Such a gym track. Perfect for when you’re doing aerobics!

Lee Dodson, Gareth Owen, Euan Rodger, Stuart Turner – Don’t Wanna Go Home << Pop/Rock. Kinda sounds like Green Day. I wonder if these guys have a band name?

Marc Ferrari, David Feldstein - Invisible << Alternative/rock. Reminded me of Matchbox 20.

The best part is; all the songs are organized with album artwork! I love that.

LOVE YOUR MUSIC, LOVE THE NOKIA X6!

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The FEVO Photo Contest is a year-long celebration of the different seasons in our life. The theme for the different seasons changes periodically and this season, the spotlight is on those priceless moments that you hold dear to your heart.

You don’t need to use a fancy picture of you from a photo shoot, neither do you need to come up with a fancy card design, it’s ALL in a picture of a moment captured in time.

So, what’s a ‘Priceless Moment’? It could be the first time you rode a horse or a picture of your mom when she was 15. Here are some of my priceless moments…

This was taken 2 years ago in Bali when my girl friends and I were in Bali. We just had our last dinner together before we had to fly back to Singapore the next day and took the chance we had to make love to the camera. Check out all the different expressions we had on our faces! Now THAT’S PRICELESS!

I was going through a difficult transition in my life and this photo was taken just after a heart-to-heart talk with my girl friend. I looked so happy, didn’t I?

Wow. Isn’t this picture amazing? This was taken on a beach near Batangas (outside of Manila, in the Philippines). Charles, Adam (a friend who was also traveling with us at that time) and I were lucky enough to find this beautiful spot on the beach after we had just been lost and driven around aimlessly for 5 hours searching for a way to the Tagaytay volcano. We were all pretty disappointed when we realized it was already too late by the time we figured out how we could get there so we decided that the best way to end the day was to chase the sun. That’s when we stumbled upon this beach (we still don’t know what it was called). We hung out on a floating beach hut with our San Miguels and watched as the sun set behind the volcano… Can somebody explain to me what that is – on the top left corner of this picture?

This photo was taken by a photographer friend who was visiting Singapore.  I may look calm and relaxed, but that rock I was laying on was not comfortable at all. And there were hella tiny little crabs on the sand, along with other sea creatures I could not name… I was freaking out. Priceless.

Imagine paying the bill with a MasterCard that has your face on it. Pretty pimp, huh? Get a FEVO Prepaid MasterCard from and personalize your card face with your very own photo!

You can put in any amount into the card and use it to pay for purchases wherever MasterCard is accepted, just like a debit card. Ditch the boring old EZ-link card as you can use your FEVO to travel too!

This morning I decided to try something different and got the Fruity Soymilk instead of the usual Pearly Soymilk (Soymilk with tapioca pearls) from Mr.Bean. It’s a blend of fresh watermelon with soymilk and ice. Super refreshing and tastes so much better than coffee. I almost never drink coffee. It baffles me that some people would drink it every morning. It’s funny to notice that these coffee addicts can’t help but subconsciously cringe upon taking the first sip of that bitter coffee. Do you REALLY need it? Try a fruity soymilk instead!

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I went wake-boarding for the first time last week with Charles and a few other friends. I knew it was going to be hard but it got so much easier and more fun once I figured how to get up from the board when the boat is moving.

At 10am on a Saturday morning: The sky was beautiful, I noticed.

A boat called ‘Pink Pussy’and ‘Over There’. Interesting names… If I had a boat, I’d name her ‘VAMOS’. What would you name your boat?

Learning how to get up from the board the correct way… it’s not as easily as it looks!

To be standing on the board is the best feeling ever! Just like surfing

xoxo

Some photos from a recent birthday party I went to (Feb 27th). Another one of those ‘blurry’ nights!

Above: Pimp Daddy & his ‘hoes’! Happy Birthday Alvin! How sweet of Wen (the one in blonde wig) to throw a surprise birthday party for you. You lucky, lucky guy!

Oh yes, I think I overdressed. I couldn’t help it, I love dressing up for themed parties!

Above: Sippin’ on some Johnnie Walker Double Black. That’s some rare, limited edition, fine whiskey. Too good to mix with green tea or anything else!

‘Naughty by Nature’ were also performing at Butterfactory that night so everyone headed down there after we’ve ravaged all drinks and food.

Above: With Judd, Dave and Helen at Butter Factory.

What a great night! Hip-hop can’t stop, won’t stop, don’t stop, just POP. Peace.

A reader would like to share with you his breakfast food… apparent his most importantly meal of the day.

It includes:
half a bowl of whole grain cereal
yogurt on top of the cereal
2 scoops of whey protein
and COL+ colostrum mixed in the protein drink

(about 5grams of fat, 800 calories, 60grams of protein, 80grams of carbs)

Sounds DELICIOUS! Perhaps choosing  plain yogurt would provide better health benefits and reduce your sugar intake since you are already getting that from the cereal. I personally find eating a small cup of plain yogurt more beneficiary than flavored ones every once in a while.

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Pokka’s green tea has always been my favorite. It’s so good that even the Japanese restaurant I was working at in Florida at one point import that good stuff in. Milk green tea has got to be the 2nd best thing.

And wait, just because it’s green tea doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Green tea ice-cream is probably healthier than Haagen Dasz but that doesn’t mean I have it everyday…

Anyway, who went to see Naughty by Nature on Saturday night at Butterfactory? Updates on my weekend later tonight!

Going to muay thai tonight at EVOLVE (Far East Square). Total body-sculpting begins today.

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My skin is peeling, finally! Just need a scrubadub!

I guess the Hazeline Snow helped! I am so amazed…. this has never happened to my skin before.

I got my Hazeline Snow, a recommendation made by Diana on my previous post. This brand has come a long way, I remember when it used to have a silver cap! Did some research online and I’ve read a number of users who swear by this product for its cost & effectiveness. I bought a small jar for only S$4.95 at Watsons’ and used it all over my face & body last night. It’s surprisingly non-greasy (on the face especially), light and moisturizing. I wished they had it in a bigger tub! Let’s see how long it’ll take before I start seeing results…

I’m tired of wearing a cardigan, especially when it’s been SUPER hot & humid in Singapore because I have to hide the ridiculous tan line on my shoulder. I can’t believe I’m one of those people in Asia who walks around with an umbrella on a beautiful, sunny day.

Read this article on YesStyle if you want to know what’s good for your skin! You’ll be grateful you did

Mid-week party drinking with friends keep me sane.

That’s Carlo (on the far left) aka the drunk Filipino.

Writing articles for my blog everyday requires time and effort and is nearly impossible for me to do it alone. I really want to update this blog everyday so I’m going to provide fresh posts for you daily by sharing some random stuff from a day in my ‘oh-so-exciting’ life. Starting……. now

This is the darkest I’ll ever be. Staying away from the sun for as long as I can now… (Taken in my office bathroom)

Does anyone know of any body lightening/whitening moisturizers to recommend?

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Some behind-the-scenes photos from a shoot I did a few months ago…

I did Muay Thai for the first time yesterday at Hilltop The Gym on Havelock Road. It’s a pretty small gym, compared to Evolve, but the class only consisted of about 6 people – all guys, except me. Terence, the instructor for the class was really nice and motivating which helped a lot as you may feel a little frustrated the first time while learning and getting used to the ‘movement’. The class started off with a 15 minute warm-up where we did some stretching, push-ups, sit-ups, planks and jump rope. After which, it’s all about punching and kicking. There’s more to it than I thought – your stance, posture, breathing and amount of force you put into every punch and/or kick. The class started at 8pm and ended two hours later. My face was glistening with sweat by the end of it. It’s $30/session but you can get a good deal if you sign up for a package. I’d go again for sure!

Kickass.

The weather this morning was way too hot and humid. I hate that I have to a cardigan because of the tan line 0n my shoulder. I’ll try to get a picture of it later, although you really wouldn’t want to see it…

Note to self: If you’re going to spend the whole day surfing at the beach, invest in a long-sleeved rashguard.

I think surf companies (especially Roxy) need to design more rashguards.

Going to try out muay thai tonight. Can’t wait!

“At the end of the day, there are some things you just can’t help but talk about. Somethings we just don’t want to hear, & somethings. Somethings we say cause we can’t be silent any longer. Somethings are more than what you say, they’re what you do. Somethings you say cause there’s no other choice. Somethings you keep to yourself. & not too often, but every now and then, somethings simply speak for themselves.”

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Click on the image below to check out the new Sony Cyber-shot TX7!

Yup, they actually used the Sony Cyber-shot TX7  for the shoot!

Quality photos!

All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you’re not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you’re the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. They will tell you no, a thousand times no until all the no’s become meaningless. All your life they will tell no quite firmly & quickly and you will tell them yes. - Nike

I just got back from Bali last night and survived a whole week without internet access. It’s good to know that I’m not obsessed or dependent on the ‘www’! Forget Wavehouse (period), I’ve finally surfed some real waves ! I also got a chance to go horse back riding on the beach – something I’ve always wanted to do. I can finally take learning to surf and riding a horse on the beach off my bucket list…

Watching the sunset on my last day in Bali – Double Six Beach

Living the dream.

I’d highly recommend going to Rip Curl School of Surf in Bali (Jl. Double Six) if you wish to learn how to surf. I love that they even have a photographer to take photos of you while you try to catch your first wave. I look pretty dorky with that helmet on, but hey, at least I’m covered by insurance!

Horseback riding along the beach, near Ku De Ta. I learnt how to trot the horse, it was challenging at first as you try to figure out the momentum, but I managed to get a hang of it! My buttcheeks were sore for a couple of days after that though… but it was worth it!

Shisha is only about S$3 here. I can’t believe I’ve been paying between S$10-$20 in Singapore! They had bubblegum on the menu but it was out of stock! I would’ve so loved to try that out.

Dinner @ Rumours with friends who are working & living in Bali. A chill, laid-back restaurant with a funky vibe. I liked their choice of music – they start off with alternative/rock and gradually moving in to house/trance. FashionTV showing on the 2 plasma tellies add to the cool factor of this restaurant. Oh and yes, I had pizza & margarita. Life is good!

I have been thinking…. what if there is a person who has a parallel life to mine? What if we go through the same things but we just don’t know about each other? What if we are reading the same book simultaneously and use the same toothpaste, drink the same brand of coffee, and order the same kind os sushi? What if we laugh at the same stupid stuff, and share the same pet peeves? Imagine what if we were born in the same year, in the same month, and on the same day? What if he too forgot his umbrella at home today, and it is pouring where he lives like it is puring here? What if we are soul mates, it’s just that we will never meet? But parallel lines do meet conceptually in infinity, and maybe as I am thinking this, he is thinking about me, and our minds meet, conceptually, in infinity, breaking free from our bodies.

A shoot I did for the new Sony TX7 coming out soon… Pretty cool camera, I’d want one…

I think they should come out with a digital camera with bluetooth & wifi capabilities too next.

Last weekend, I went on a trip to Nikoi island with a group of friends for my good friend,Judd Sanchez’s birthday.

It was like living my dream. I couldn’t believe I was waking up to the sounds of the breaking waves and even fell asleep watching the stars.

I even saw 4 shootings stars, 3 in one night. It was so magical…

Nikoi is a 15 hectare private island 8km off the east coast of Bintan, Indonesia. Located less than 85km from Singapore, traveling time from Tanah Merah ferry terminal is approximately two and a half hours.

The design of the beach houses reflects both traditional Indonesian architecture and contemporary form.  Using driftwood and alang alang roofing to blend into the environment, each beach house incorporates a modern ensuite bathroom.  Providing “simple barefoot luxury” in a sublime setting.

There was no air-conditioner, and they use solar panels to provide the hot water!

In operating Nikoi Island we minimise our day to day impact by recycling our waste, using solar panels to provide hot water. We minimise our electricity consumption by using low voltage LED and CFL lighting and limited landscape lighting. However in order to provide guests with water to shower, cold drinks and fresh food we have not been able to avoid the need to run diesel generators to power our pumps and fridges. We do however buy these generators second hand and endeavour to run them as efficiently as possible. We live in hope that renewable energies will become more affordable, simpler to operate and not need vast banks of lead batteries to store power. Wave and tidal powered renewable energy we believe will one day be the solution for Nikoi. We avoid the use of plastic by using refillable bottles for toiletries. Our food is purchased in local markets and whilst not certified as organic, the use of pesticides and fertilisers is uncommon due to the cost and the small scale of the farming. We avoid the use of processed food and make our own museli, bread, pastries and fresh juice.

The hut

View from the bedroom upstairs

This was what I woke up to…

I slept with all the windows open and while there were ZERO mosquitoes, the mosquito net helped to keep other little insects out.

Happy Birthday, Judd!

Can’t wait for my next adventure…

A mid-week evening run keeps me sane and gives me the energy I need to prep for the weekend.

The thing about energy is: The more you use, the more you get back!

I hope you’ll find my quotes somewhat inspiring and motivating. Keep coming back because I have more to share!

“Breathe and you will find life.
Listen and you will find truth.
Understand and you will find patience.
Question and you will find answers.
Speak and you will find a voice.
Respect and you will find peace.
Learn and you will find hope.
Journey and you will find place.
Stand and you will find courage.
Love and you will find purpose.”

Some of the greater things in life are unseen. That’s why you close your eyes when you kiss, cry, and dream…

* 1 new photo added to Gallery *

It’s not about what you do. It’s about who you are. It’s not about who you are right now. It’s about who you could be. It’s not about what could go wrong. It’s about what will go right…

* 1 new photo added to Gallery *

Thank you for all your emails, concerns and continued support on my blog. I am still working on some health & beauty articles, which I will share with you as soon as it’s done! For now, here are some of the emails I’ve received from my dear readers…

“Hi Fay! Well dun noe if you can read this email, but but but I love your blog to my core! I read ur blog now like every single day! Im lovin it! And especially the places u went! I went to LIMON RESTAURANT to spend my new years eve dinner with a someone special there, and, you must noe this, WE LOVE IT  and definitely will make a comeback!!!” – A.K.

-
“I recently came across your site through youtube. I am Filipino, 17years old, 5ft, and 109lbs. I run three times a week and try to watch what i eat. I’m not really sure if you’ll ever get around to reading this email and i am sure you get a lot like these but i was just curious about how you eat and work out. You have a really nice body (not to be creepy or anything) and your eyes have no bags or anything. How do you not have any bags under your eyes? Its always been a problem with me and I cant seem to get rid of it . If you have any eating or workout tips I would really appreciate it. I’ve been trying to get in shape for a long time but im not seeing any results from running which supposedly gives you a full body work out. You have that nice curve from on your hips to your thighs and for me there is a bump when i wear a bikini. I always see these pretty girls in magazines and movies and they have such nice bodies and skin like you and i wonder if that’s actually real or achievable. I really want to be able to have the sort of confidence that you have and its something I really aspire towards.
thank you so much! You are really pretty!“ – A

Dear A, first and foremost, never ever compare yourself to what you see in TV/magazines! Sure, you can look at it as inspiration, but every body is different and it is important that you are aware that we all have different lifestyles. Some models & actresses hire a personal trainer and a nutritionist to achieve their dream body while others go for cosmetic surgery or even unhealthy diets. You will never know. It is good that you have are keeping active by running but that alone is not enough, you need to incorporate resistance training into your weekly workout, at least twice  a week if you wish to tone up. Do you feel a little sore after your workout, or do you just feel tired? You know that you are working on those muscles and on your way to a more toned body if you feel slightly achy or sore. Hey, no pain, no gain! I do have eyebags, but the right concealer and making sure I get 6-8 hours of sleep everyday helps. Eat healthily, stay active and drink plenty of water – that’s the secret.

-

“I kinda got a response to your “It’s so hard to forget pain, but it’s even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace…” quote.
Smiles are an indication of happiness right? Scars are only skin deep – even if they last “forever” they generally never go deeper than the surface.
Smiles – come from muscles – muscle memory lasts a lot longer than we ‘remember’. so go ahead and try to find something good to workout those muscles, you’ll be surprised at how quickly they “remember” everything.
Regardless if you stressed or just putting up nice quotes, life is bound to get better! I hate when people say its like a roller-coaster, because you kinda end up at the same point at the end of the ride. I’d like to think of life as a telephone cord. its got its ups and downs ups and downs and it’ll get tangled and knotted, but in the overall big picture if you keep following that phone cord, you’re always moving forward.” - M

Thank you to everyone who wrote in. I may not be able to reply to all of them, but I do read them and I feel the love! ♥

Tough times don’t last.

Tough people do.

Photographed by David Yeow, bikini from Soak Swimwear (not an advertorial, I bought this bikini when I was in Manila, it has a remarkably perfect fit!).

Show your support so maybe they’ll start selling in Singapore!

* Also updated in Gallery *

…more coming soon.

It’s finally here. 2010. A fresh start. A new chapter. A fresh beginning.

How many moments in life could you look back to and think ‘That’s when it all changed…’?

For me, that moment happened not too long.

There comes a time when every life goes off course. In this desperate moment you must choose your direction. Will you fight to stay on the path while others tell you who you are? Or will you label yourself? Will you be honored by your choice? Or will you embrace your new path? Each morning you choose to move forward or to simply give up…

There are moments in our lives when we find ourselves at a crossroad, afraid, confused, without a roadmap. The choices we make in those moments can define the rest of our days. Of course when faced with the unknown, most of us prefer to turn around and go back.

Imagine a future moment in your life where all your dreams come true. You know it’s the greatest moment of your life and you get to experience it with one person. Who’s standing next to you?

The answers to these questions are closer than you think. You just need to have faith and keep believing in yourself. You’re all you’ve got after all.

I started off my New Years Eve celebration at the Fullerton Hotel with some of my good friends. Rachel had to book the loft suite 2 months in advanced, but man, we had the sweetest view of the fireworks without having to scuffle the horde of people on the streets! I love watching fireworks. There’s something magical about explosions in the sky…

Finally met Kenny Sia, who’ve been Twitter-friendly and uber generous with his dinner that night Nobody needs to know what we ate.

He remembered me as ‘Fay from withlovefay.com’ – which I thought was funny cute!

♥

My New Years Resolutions:

♡ Be more in touch with nature.

♡ Follow my instincts with more conscientiousness.

♡ Floss more often.

♡ Learn and do something new every day.

♡  Trying is having the intention to fail. Use the word ‘try’ less often.

♡ Take down my clever philosophical quotes on my iPhone (even when intoxicated).

♡ Use less paper.

♡ Eat more yogurt, soy milk, oranges, kiwis and broccoli – all are my favorite. Who says you can’t have too much of the good stuff?

♡ Good karma derives from sincerity & honesty. Spread the love.

What’re yours?

DID YOU KNOW?

*     *     *     *     *

Besides burning 11 calories (per hour), giving you a fresher breath and exercising your facial muscles, chewing gum, will help you NOT to pick on food before and after your meal.

The action of chewing actually serves as a form of exercise for our jaws. Jaw movement promotes facial exercise which not only helps to relax the body and increase blood circulation, it also tones up facial muscles.

Chewing gum (especially sugar-free) helps to promote weight loss by distracting your mind from real food.

Try chewing whilst preparing a meal, you will be less tempted to pick and nibble. Or after, to avoid post-meal picking.

The habitual practice of chewing gum helps keep their face looking slim, toned and elongated.

Facial exercises can help to :

- Reduce stiffness from face

- Reduce formation of wrinkles

- Increases elasticity of skin

- Keep skin muscles in place

- Maintains skin tissues from premature aging

*     *     *     *     *

A healthy digestion begins in the mouth.

Slow down when you’re eating. It takes our body about 20 minutes to realize that it’s full.

If you eat quickly, you’ll eat extra calories while your body is figuring out whether it’s hungry. By the time your body realizes that it’s full, you’ve already eaten more than you needed. If you eat slowly, your brain will start sending signals to stop eating at the right time.

A good rule of thumb is as follows: if you can tell what kind of food you are eating from the texture of the food in your mouth (not the taste), then you haven’t chewed it enough.

(For example, if you are chewing broccoli and you run your tongue over the stalk and can tell that it is still a stalk or over the floret and you can still tell that it is still a floret, don’t swallow. You need to keep on chewing until you can’t tell the stalk from the floret.)

The process of chewing is a vital component of the digestive activities that occur in the mouth, inextricably linked to good digestion, and therefore, good health.