2 hunks + 1 babe = 1 very HOT episode of ChicPeek!
Benjamin Kheng (¼ of The Sam Willows and male lead in ‘Ah Boys to Men, The Musical’) goes against Daren Tan (star of the movie ‘That Girl in Pinafore’ and who also stars in Channel 5’s ‘Mata Mata’) in a Style Face-off to impress a girl!
These two look good, but do they know what women want? I challenge them to find an outfit for blogger Jessica Tham (tippytapp) – but they have to go through a series of physical challenges first!
Hey, I get to have a little fun too, right? Ladies, you can thank me in the comment box! =p
New videos out every week, so remember to subscribe!
Passed by Carson Fall on the way up. This was really early on in the climb…
The weather was kind and it stopped raining about an hour into the climb. Everyone was getting really warm from the physical exertion, so we got rid of the waterproof and warmer layers and started stripping down to our lighter layers underneath. Some were down to singlet and shorts! I’m bad with cold so I was down to a sports top, one light thermal layer and an outer shell.
I was one of the few on this trip who didn’t bring along a “bladder” of water (that’s the pack of water where you can get to it hands-free, via a tube, as my cousin is doing, above); I had planned to just take a 500ml water bottle with me. I am bad with carrying heavy loads and I was determined to pack as lightly as possible on this trip! However, everyone advised me to bring more (they all brought like 3kg worth of fluids) so I brought three 500ml bottles with me. They meant well as dehydration is a real problem; but I really do know myself best, I think. I don’t perspire very much, and I am used to my long runs going for extensive periods without fluids. In the end, I finished just the one bottle! Admittedly, I didn’t want to over-hydrate also because I was hoping to not have to use the bathrooms along the way…not the most savory.
So glad it stopped raining and the sun came out! Finally started to warm up and was down to just my sports top.
Halfway up a mountain, but there’s always time for a fun picture! Here I am annoying Humphrey on his break, lol.
The porters who work the mountain tirelessly, day in day out, are truly the unsung heroes of this place. Animal labour is banned on the mountain (presumably to protect the flora and beauty of the place; I think it’s because animals eat the vegetation and also poop everywhere), but supplies such as food still have to reach the accommodation at the top (for people like me to rest and have a hot meal after a climb). The only way is by porter, and these men and women make the back-breaking climb daily; some with things as heavy as sacks of rice or cartons of condensed milk on their backs.
Some use their heads to support some of the load, as the man is doing here.
Many don’t wear proper shoes – most wear these rubber slip-ons that hardly look comfortable. I chose not to hire a porter and to carry my own load as I felt terrible about a potentially old man (there are young men and women porters, though not as many as there are older men) carrying my load. I still don’t know what’s the best thing to do though; friends have told me that hiring a porter gives them work and a source of much-needed cash. I just personally felt bad about it. Please let me know what you think is best on this matter!
Then of course, there are people who hire a porter responsibly, as my friends did, providing them a proper backpack to help carry up; and then there are people like this clown we met along the way, who had his porter carry up a cabin bag. I mean, seriously…
Nearing the destination here. The scenery was just beautiful and the winds were a welcome respite.
This part was pretty fun as it was all rock. Felt like I was in some computer game as we had to pick the right stones to step on. On our descent the next day, it was a storm (we’d apparently caught the edge of the Philippines typhoon) and this whole area was a veritable waterfall, with water gushing down the rocks. I unfortunately have no pictures as the storm was too crazy, the rain made visibility low and full concentration was needed to step on the right stones without falling (some friends in our party slipped and fell). I was also the only one who had just one, instead of two, hiking poles, so there was no way I could snap any pictures, although I actually liked having one hand free to balance and reach for rocks. Good shoes make SUCH a difference, that’s all I’ll say! So if you invest in just one thing on an outdoor trip, make it the shoes.
We finally hit our (mid-point) destination for the day at Laban Rata!
Our Laban Rata digs for the night!
The temperate climate at this altitude meant beautiful flora.
Marilyn and Char taking pictures of each other…taking pictures of each other!
Starving! So thankful for not just a hot meal, but a hot buffet meal that wasn’t half-bad. Shiok!
I basically conked out after dinner and a (very quick) shower before 7pm.
Woke up at 1am excited to summit! Here’s us packing and getting ready.
Sadly, went out to see a crazy storm of heavy rain and strong winds. I seriously wanted to cry. Was really looking forwardto doing the via ferrata down!!! I actually went to look for the ranger to plead with him to open the gates to let us up the mountain. He was really nice but firm about it and explained that it was for our own safety – it is extremely dangerous to attempt the summit in the cold and rain. Argh! Not meant to be, I guess.
We waited for awhile more before the guides said the weather would basically be like that the whole day. So we packed up, put on our rain gear and started the trek down in the storm. A (small) consolation was that at least that was pretty exciting! No pictures as it was near impossible to not use full concentration for balance and choices (which rock to step on without falling) especially at the higher levels.
We made it down safely in less than 5 hours. While the journey down was easier in terms of exertion as we did not have to fight against gravity, I found going down more difficult as it was slippery and required full mental concentration. My knees were also suffering – I think the next time I may take two poles to put more weight on my shoulders and arms instead of bearing the full impact on my legs (and poor knees!).
Back in KK town, we goofed around, got massages, shopped, ate…and ate some more.
The whole crew back at the airport. Couldn’t have asked for a better bunch to travel with. Thanks Eliza and Isaac for arranging everything! Till the next! (Rinjani, anyone?)
Everyone’s taking selfies these days. Even my folks (okay, mostly my mum) have been attempting to take selfies! This whole selfie thing is an extremely vain phenomenon that totally indulges one’s self-absorbed side (come on, everyone has a vain side – same reason you check yourself out first before looking at others in a group photo!). So since we’ve acknowledged that and gotten it out of the way, let’s go straight to the important stuff: how then to look good in a selfie? I’ve narrowed it down to four basic tips that work for me.
Tip #1: Lighting is everything
Always face a light source while taking a selfie.
It makes the skin look radiant and rested – even sans makeup! This was taken directly facing a window, while getting my makeup done for a shoot. (Makeup artists always insist on natural light wherever possible when doing up a face!)
While writing this and looking for selfie pictures on my mobile to accompany my tips, I found that most of my selfies were taken in a car! There are a few reasons for this; I am slightly embarrassed to be caught taking a selfie in public, so the privacy of my car is a great place; I get bored when I find myself waiting in the car and also, the car in the day has a great source of natural light from the windscreen!
Top #2: Dress up your selfie
Selfies are self-indulgent, especially if you take one daily (or several times a day!) and worst, POST one several times a day! Hate to break it to you, but no one really wants to see you mug on their Instagram or Facebook feed a few times a day, no matter how pretty or handsome you are.
One way to break the boring monotony of selfies (You smiling! You frowning! Your selfies always looking the same, save for change in facial expression…) is to change it up by dressing it up. This may be harder for guys – hate to be sexist here, but I think ladies are ‘allowed’ more self-indulgence in the form of selfies than men – but in your selfie arsenal you have lipstick, shades, necklaces, hair accessories and the like to play around with.
Try fun sunnies for a different look:
Change up your makeup; if you usually do smoky eyes and nude lips, you might want to try a bold, red lippie:
Play with props! Oatmeal the bear sits in the car and keeps me company throughout the day, so it’s only right that he should feature in some of my car selfies:
Funky shades, check. Interesting necklace, check. Front lighting, check. Cutie in the backseat: icing on the selfie cake!
Tip #3: Pay attention to your hair
Because while a selfie is about taking a photo of your mug, it’s not just about the face. You may want to change up your hairstyle so you will not have the same look in every selfie.
Things I learnt from Eunice Annabel, who takes the prettiest selfies, is that hair is very important
Eunice was really sweet and gave me a lesson on hair that looks good in selfies – all her tips and tricks in the following video!
Tip #4: Angles are good
Eunice Annabel knows her angles; she knows which her ‘good’ side is and how to make the most of it. To me, she is super gorgeous and if you’ve met her in person, she really looks good from every angle! She did however mention her rounder face shape as a concern and not a feature she particularly wants to play up. She’s not alone; it seems everyone wants a smaller, more ‘V’-shaped face these days, especially in photos. I am generally okay with my face shape, but less fullness in the cheek area and more angles to the face (I love razor-sharp, Kate Moss-type cheekbones!) would be great, thanks.
Taking photos at an angle gives the illusion of a more contoured face. Not quite Kate Moss, but there’s some definition in the cheekbones here:
Something that I’ve found really helped me look better in selfies this past year (excuse the self-praise, sorry!) is a product that de-puffs and slims the face. You see, while I wasn’t blessed with Ms Moss’ cheekbones, some semblance of cheekbones do exist beneath the slightly chubby cheeks that I’ve lived with most of my life.
Check out my journey to getting a slimmer face (complete with old photos!) here if you haven’t!
From working in television for quite a few years now, I’ve realised how much water my body retains! I learnt this the hard way on my first overseas assignment – I was to interview Keane in Bangkok. It’s Thailand, yo, so I indulged in tom yum soup the night before (I love spicy, clear soups such as tom yum and ma la!) and when I saw the interview when it was televised (on national television, no less) I almost died. I could barely recognise myself! My face was so round (doesn’t help that the TV really does “put on” 5 kg!).
After looking through all my selfie photos for this post, I found that in recent times – since I started using this product over a year ago – a lot of my photos are generally taken straight on. No need for any angling!
Here’s the secret (okay, not-so-secret!) product I was talking about:
There’s a new and improved formula now (just launched a few months ago!) that I think works even better than the version I started using over a year ago. Even more people have commented that I’ve lost weight since I started using the newly formulated Shaping Facial Lift by Clarins – I haven’t; it’s just that the face looks slimmer now without all the puffiness and heaviness from water retention! Now I just wish I’d know about this product when I started out in television so I wouldn’t have had so many “omg my face looks super bloated” moments when I watched playback of my shows. Ah well. Sharing this now so at least you have a ready solution – unlike me at the start of my career in the media. Good things must be shared!
One of my most recent selfies so you can decide for yourself if it works.
Asked Australia-based fashion blogger, Willabelle Ong of Pale Division, all the nosy things you want to know (but don’t have the chance to ask!); like how much she spends on shopping, where she shops and…boys (what else?)!
Special thanks to Willabelle for being a sport! Check out her blog and see how she fared in a trash bag challenge – yes, she literally wore a trash bag! – here!
New videos out every other week, so remember to subscribe!
So I finally, FINALLY made time to climb a mountain. I’ve been thinking about it for ages; good friends have gone and I wasn’t able to make the time when those trips happened, but this year, the stars were aligned (and I put my foot down on work and committed to doing this, finally) and it happened! We were banging around trying to find common dates for the longest time, before finally settling on these July dates. The group grew larger and larger and I didn’t know everyone who on on this trip, but I was just glad it finally materialized!
The flight to Kota Kinabalu was at 0840 hours and some of the group wanted to meet at the check-in counter. I told them I’d see them on the plane. You see, I’ve realised after so many travels; some with friends for fun; some for work with a whole crew; some solo; that everyone has a different comfort level when it comes to timing. Will chat more about this in a another post, but simply put, some like to be at the airport two hours before departure; some like to go like REALLY early to chill and eat before boarding; and then there are people like me, who like to go at the last possible minute, and board the plane at the last possible minute. People who despise rushing hate the way someone like me cuts time so close because it makes them extremely anxious, while people like me feel like we are already going to waste some of our lives just SITTING on a plane – we’re not going any earlier than is absolutely necessary. So these days, unless I travel with my man (a fellow cut-it-close kinda person), I choose to meet people on the plane or when we alight at our destination to prevent any potential unhappiness!
Here’s some of our group happy in our vehicle that was bringing us to Sutera Lodge, the base of Mount Kinabalu where we would start our climb.
Enroute.
So many Catholic churches on the way up to our starting point and resting place for the night, Sutera Lodge. I felt sure I was going to be blessed and protected on this trip, and this was His sign!
Grocery run before hitting the resort! Highly recommend this if you’re watching your budget – stuff costs a lot more the higher up the mountain you get! I bought chocolate and instant noodles. That’s my crazy cousin doing her ‘thang in a KK supermart!
Our swanky digs for the night before starting the climb bright and early the next day. I must say, I was expecting conditions to be really rough, even for the first night, so this was a more-than-pleasant surprise!
We got settled in, then it was time for the mandatory briefing, which was a 5 minute walk from our lodge.
Here’s us annoyingly-addicted-to-being-connected Singaporeans enjoying the last bits of free wifi while waiting for the briefing to start.
Fun times at dinner!
Morning of the climb! Excuse the makeup-less face, lol. Weather looked great and everyone was super psyched as we headed down to checkout and for breakfast to fuel up before starting.
Except that it started absolutely POURING as we finished our breakfast. That was a slight dampener to our spirits (pun fully intended, heh). It didn’t crush us entirely though – suited up in our waterproofs, and off we went!
What’s a party without champagne, canapés, fashion show and beautiful people? Sonia Sui reveals fun facts about herself, hear from home-grown fashionistas and check out what stylish guests wore — here’s VIP access to one of the most stylish parties of the season!
