As I've been blogging about in my previous posts, I'm on a new journey to regain my crowning glory! After watching tons of videos and reading lots of reviews, here's my full strategy. Don't say that I never share ok?

1. Pre-shampoo
Dr Oz mentioned on his show that hot water strips away a lot of natural oil from the scalp and hair. I've got oily scalp but very dry tips. Ever since watching that video, what I've done is to coat my dry hair with conditioner (either leave-in or those that you rinse off) at the START of my shower, leaving it in for a couple of minutes (while I wash my face) before shampoo.

Let me tell you that after 2 days of doing so, I can feel that my hair tips aren't as dry as before and as a result, they are a lot more manageable. This is my quick alternative because some hair experts recommend using coconut oil for thinning hair and they also recommend doing this pre-shampoo step 20 minutes before a shower. Um...no thanks.

By the way, Dr Oz mentions that you shouldn't shampoo your hair too often but when I spoke to my dermatologist about this previously, he said this, "We're in tropical Singapore where it is super humid everyday. We have to shampoo everyday. Unless your scalp isn't oily." So, go ahead and shampoo away!

2. Biotin

I reckon that I'm also not getting enough nutrients to my hair with all my stress eating and well...stress in general. So I'm taking Biotin supplements (Holland & Barrett's was having a sale...$9.90/bottle) and I also chanced upon this Biotin shampoo by GNC. The shampoo isn't cheap. It's $21.95/bottle but members are able to get a discount. I bought 2 bottles for $32.95 as the ongoing promotion is Buy 1 and get 2nd at 50%. It's still cheaper than Phyto shampoo so I figured, why not?

I haven't tried the shampoo but I've been taking the supplements for a week now. I don't see any significant difference but all these things do take time.

3. Conditioner

 Although I've done the whole pre-shampoo step, it is still important to protect the hair shafts. So, I still condition my hair using Argan Oil. I am currently using Body Shop's spray on argan oil and I must say that I love the smell. I only use 2 sprays each time and it has been about 4 months but I haven't used up a bottle. Barely half way. So...it is worth the money. Can't remember the exact price that I bought it at. Best thing is that after conditioning my hair, I can rub off any excess oil onto my body.

4. HairMax

As I had excitedly posted this about 2 weeks ago, I've been following instructions by using this 3 times a week. I must say that it has been helping with improving the oil balance on my scalp so far. I was not expecting this but...it did! I normally will shampoo my hair in the morning and by 4pm, it'll get visibly oily (at least to me) but ever since I started using HairMax, I find that this is delayed till after 6pm. Just in time for me to sweat it out in the gym and shampoo again.

5. Tonic

Although I've given this tonic less than a great review, I'm not going to waste what's left of it and just like the biotin supplements, if it is putting more good stuff into my hair...why not?

6. Hair cut

I've chopped off my locks and have gone for a fringe! This will lighten the overall load on my scalp while my follicles heal and I think that with the fringe (or bangs for you Americans) doesn't pull down the whole hair so my hair looks less flat. However, this hairstyle is surprisingly more high maintenance than my previous one because I now have to blow it a little. Otherwise, I'll look more bald!

7. Rest, rest and rest

I need to get enough sleep and cope better with stress so that my hair doesn't suffer. Just like how I was like on my long leave, I will listen to my body and rest whenever I'm tired. Body is now playing catch up.

Ever since I took the challenge of quitting complaining for Lent, I must say that it was an interesting Lenten endeavour. I didn't know about the existing 21-day challenge by www.AComplaintFreeWorld.org so I set my own simple rule: don't rant, voice problems out only to release a bit of stress and get a solution either from thinking out loud or from friends/colleagues/family.

It was really not easy because once you've made a promise to yourself, you WILL become more conscious about it. So...for the whole month, I was super conscious about whether I was complaining or was I stating a problem while asking for a solution. Of course, it also felt that Murphy's Law was having a field day with throwing obstacles in my way. However, it could be the hyper awareness that made me feel that way.

How has this challenge changed me?

1. Less friction/gossip caused
I became more choosy about how I phrased my words whenever I talked to my colleagues about issues that popped up during work. Instead of saying "So and so was so stupid and irritating. Don't they know how to do stuff properly?", I held back and voiced out "So and so doesn't seem to know what he/she is doing. Was my communication unclear? Do I need to spell things out from Step 1 to 10 in a clearer fashion?"

In the past, I wouldn't have thought twice about saying the 1st statement and this would incite biased views and comments from others. They probably would've replied, "Yeah...he's such an idiot. Can't even follow simple instructions." And that my dear readers, is pure gossip with no resolution whatsoever. If that subject matter heard what I had said about him/her, it wouldn't be a nice scene.

2. Graciousness
Once I started thinking about rephrasing any potential outbursts, it made me more reflective about the situation. Perhaps it wasn't even a problem to begin with as I may have misunderstood/misread the person's intention or email. I realised that I was more willing to give people the benefit of the doubt and try to resolve the bigger work issue rather than quibble over choice of words/supposedly idiocy of others.

3. Patience
After a few tries at this, what could've potentially set me off into complaining session withered into nothingness. I grew more patient and when others need not react to any irritation from me, I need not care about coming across as a bitch nor care about hurting other people's feelings with my words. I only needed to care about finishing my work and focus my energy on trying to cope with stress and diffusing oncoming anxiety attacks.

This challenge was NOT easy. I have been guilty of complaining a few times throughout this period but then I'd stop myself halfway and go "Oops...". The quote above is really important because it was this main thought that helped me quieten down and be thankful for what I do have rather than all these pesky problems that will soon pass. Hence, I will continue on this challenge. Try it. Who knows how you'll change for the better.

So it's now Lent, that lovely time before Good Friday and Easter, where we examine our lives and consciously try not to sin and remember the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus gave. As such, we are also encouraged to sacrifice something during this period. Normally, it involves something that we really love, which is why it would be a sacrifice. However, this Lent, I am going to challenge myself by giving up complaining. Here's a few reasons why:

1. It's a waste of energy
If you're upset, it is cathartic to vent and complain a little. My friends and family have heard me complain about a certain few people and they even know the nicknames of the various characters involved. However, there came a point where I was simply tired of complaining to them about the related problems. Complaining once or twice was good enough to vent and just hear their perspectives of things. Complaining about the same thing over and over again is not going to make the problem disappear or resolve itself. Better to save the energy used to complain to do something about it instead.

2. It blinds you from the blessings in your life

Let's put things into a slight perspective: there will always be people who have better days/items/luck than you and the opposite is also true - there will always be people who have crappier days/items/luck than you. Rather than focus on the problem or the shit that happens, always remember that what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. Be grateful.

3. It's a waste of time
This is kinda related to the 1st point about complaining being a waste of energy. So...not only are you wasting energy complaining, you're also wasting your precious time AND your friend/family member's time. Unless you're seeking advice on how to tackle the issue. I'd rather spend the time used to complain to catch up with my friend's life, especially in this day and age where I see more of my friends' lives on social media than face-to-face. Also, the time used to complain could've been spent on trying to see the issue from other angles/perspectives. Only then are you able to know how to resolve the problem(s).

4. It encourages negativity
Do you find your blood pressure suddenly rising when you're in the midst of complaining? Can't imagine that's very relaxing and helpful for your mental health. What if you're listening to someone complain? That's not a conversation. It's just a one-sided verbal barrage. That said, I must emphasise that the occasional rant is helpful because this helps relieve stress BUT if you catch yourself complaining about the same thing over and over again, you do need to know that you're not exactly the life of the party and in fact, you may be draining the energy from others. It means that you:
a) have not gotten over the issue
b) have not taken steps to resolve the issue
c) like the sound of your own voice
d) are victimising yourself and this does not encourage you to take charge

This is going to be a huge challenge because it goes against my base human nature. Nonetheless, it is Lent and if I'm going to make a sacrifice, I might as well make it a real challenge and hopefully, this will go beyond Lent!

I saw the photo below on my Facebook newsfeed today and I'm glad to see more and more of such movement(s) in the world.

Needless to say, I shared it and I wrote, "There are tons of 'invisible' illnesses out in the world. We should not judge others by what we have/ don't have, learn to accept that these illnesses are a struggle and that it takes a lot of self control for people to NOT whinge and whine about their illness(es) to others constantly."

As someone who has endometriosis and clinical depression, which is linked to my endometriosis (I shall now shorten it to 'endo'), I can really relate to how it is a struggle to smile to the world while your insides are just eating away at you. Don't get me started on the head trip that goes with every low when depression hits you nor the extreme pain I go through sometimes whenever Mother Nature visits.

The worst thing is that these illnesses are chronic. They will reoccur again and again, with almost no cure. Just prevention of symptoms or just making these symptoms milder so that they do not become stumbling blocks.

I get a bit offended whenever people talk about my weight and my weight gain. It is a side effect of endo (people with PCOS can relate) and it takes me 3x the effort to lose the weight. I'm already happy that I've maintained my weight without it ballooning further. I can't stand it when family, friends and some colleagues talk about my food intake as if I'm consuming 2,000 calories a day. I've checked. There are days and weeks when I meticulously note down all the food that I consume and guess what? I clock in at 1,500 calories on average! Sometimes 1,200 calories too! However, nobody sees this and whatever they assume, they believe. I still can't get over the fact that one of my directors skipped me when she was offering biscuits to everyone in the office.

Another thing about endo is the incredible amount of pain it brings and it's not constant. It comes and goes like a bad diarrhoea that visits you without the accompanying runs. You're so exhausted despite not doing much and you just can't concentrate on anything else except a good book/mindless games/how soft your pillow is. Whenever this happens, I can't help but take a sickie. But of course...a lot of colleagues think that I'm skiving or complain that I'm "always not around/always on medical leave". Some colleagues even go so far to say that I only work 3 days a week (I wish!). Best that I've heard so far: "she has so many days of medical leave meh?" Nope...I still have the same amount of leave as anyone else in the office and I do 3x the amount of work in the same amount of time. That's for efficiency y'all naysayers!

Honestly, people like me aren't asking for sympathy nor empathy. We just want all of you to be less judgemental and more understanding.

I'm finally on Pinterest and if you'd like a more organised 'board' of my posts on my nail art plus my recipes, do follow me there at http://www.pinterest.com/themelissafann/.

Besides those 2 boards, do give me suggestions on what other boards I should put up as I'd love to hear from you guys. Big thanks in advance for the follow!

It's the 2nd year running and it's also my 2nd time going to Universal Studios Singapore (USS) for the Halloween Horror night! Was pumped up to enjoy the rides amid the 'gorified' theme park.  This year's villain is a Puppet Master (last year's was the Director), which explains why the entrance of USS read "Welcome to the Doll House".

Creepy dolls greet you as you enter and beware of those roaming clowns that decide to greet you either from behind or they jump in front of you in excitement.  Fresh meat for the Puppet Master!!

If you are feeling thirsty on the way, feel free to get some blood bags from the undead waitresses.  Next, we entered another zone where panic ensued due to crashes and biohazard waste has turned victims into zombies with melting flesh and all...

The Transformers ride wasn't open the last time I was at USS but I'm so glad that it was this time round (although there was technical issues until about 11pm).  The ride was AWESOME! We waited for 2 hours for it but it was really good although it could've been a couple of minutes longer.  If only they could send more than 12 people each trip, the queue might move a bit faster.  This is a MUST ride in addition to Battlestar Galactica.  I don't think I will ever have the courage to take the Cylon ride...I think I'll stick to the Human side.

After our stint in the Human side of Battlestar Galactica, we entered 1 of the 3 haunted houses - the Death Alley...where the saw the horror of...

RUBBISH.  Seriously people...just hold onto your rubbish till you see the rubbish bin! There were bins along the queue for goodness' sakes!!

Anyway, back to the Death Alley.  I think USS has really outdone themselves this year with 3 haunted houses and each with a different theme.  Death Alley was Chinatown and you would know this from the Chinese song that was hauntingly looped till it would drive you mad before you entered the haunted house.  They stuck to the usual gory dismembered body parts, actors hiding behind corners and walls to come out and scare you. This time round, they even hired children and the elderly to create more authenticity.  Well done!

 At the Bizarre Bazaar, I was captured by a Mummy and then we were also hypnotised to pose with a very good looking Pharoh-ish slave driver!

Thank goodness they only closed the rides at 1am (an hour later than last year), but then again, we didn't have enough time to go to the Shrek 4D adventure and neither did we get to ride the Revenge of the Mummy.  I really don't understand the screaming girls because, with so many people...its really hard to be spooked.  All in all, my feet hurt, my back was sore but I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Of course it helped that I had the excellent company of these 2 dearies of mine. Especially when Ming goes into bitch mode.  Will I go next year? Oh yes!

Yet another year passes and this year...I decided to do something a little bit different. I organised my own bday lunch party. I know...sounds really weird but I bought Union Jack fake nails, buntings and napkins when I was in London so...I decided to use it during my birthday.  It was that or Christmas...and somehow, Union Jack buntings don't seem to gel with Christmas.  My guests were told of the Red, White & Blue dress code and I was very happy that most of them went with the spirit of it all!

On my nails! :)

Bunting and napkins!

The luncheon was held at Vineyard @ Hortpark and this is the 2nd year that I spent my birthday there. Love the food and it does help that I know the catering folks at Creative Eateries.  No food pics of my lunch this time. Was busy socialising than eating.  Seriously.

Decorating the place. The bunting is up!!

Hamming it up! HRM Ing is here...with her 'passport' too!

More Union Jacks!

 I was very glad that my Japanese friend managed to make it for my Birthday lunch too! He was in town for another mutual friend's wedding which made it really convenient for him to join in for my lunch.  Sorry ladies. He's married and has a son. :P

The 'cake'.

I had requested NOT to have a cake cos I'm on a diet (haha) and I honestly am not a cake person.  This was the only 'cake' that had a candle and I cut for that day.

 Presents time! Above are the biscuits from Ryosuke and if you're wondering where I took the pics, I went to KTV after the lunch. Yup...I had a whole day of activities planned.  Below are the presents from my colleagues - Moscato wine, blueberry jam, body lotion and hand cream.

That black thing is EXACTLY what I wanted and needed - a new make up brush holder. YAY! My besties and some old friends got that and a headphone for me.  Below was a surprise necklace from another colleague. Thanks Mag!

Dinner was with the family at Tomo Izakaya @ Clarke Quay where my parents ordered the premium sashimi platter which had Ootoro (melts in your mouth), Salmon, Snapper, Prawn, Squid, Swordfish, Yellowtail and Scallops. YUMMEEE!

 Dessert was at TCC @ Clarke Quay!

After dinner, I went to Avalon with some friends and met up with a whole bunch of my friend's friends. It turned into a large crowd because everyone brought friends of their own too.

I didn't quite like Avalon despite the really good DJ.  The main reason was that the crowd was very very young and the 4 sluts dancers in their underwear gyrating to the music on stage weren't helping.  The dance floor was filled with men facing only ONE direction. I think my Siew Mai and Mel Li were more into R&B/ Pop than House/ Trance. Ah well.  Will stick to our usual spots at Butter/ Zouk.

So yes...that's how I spent my turning of another year older. It'll be the last 20+ birthday!! Will be hitting the big 3-0 next year! Ahhh....not that I feel any different but I do feel like I'm in a weird crossroads of sorts, especially when more friends of mine get married and have children.  Ah well. Life still moves on.

Hehehe...it's that time of the year again...days before I turn a year older (officially) and more white hair grows.  As per tradition, below is my wishlist. Kinda short this year since I don't really want anything except more salary?

Mel's 2012 Birthday Wishlist:

1. Black make up brush holder (foldable for travel and easy storage) - taken
2. Maroon 5's latest album - taken
3. Butterfly wings necklace from Swarovski
4. Beats earphones
5. White leather strap watch
6. Ticket to James Morrison's concert on 2 Oct
7. Sponsorship to AniSong/Anifest in November 

*Updated as of 7 Oct

Yes, I'm still alive. I have been superbly busy with my recent holiday, followed by a month long investment festival which isn't over as I'm typing this...

I'm surprised that I'm still alive. Hmm...anyhows, I'll be going to the dentist tomorrow to hopefully, pull out my troublesome wisdom tooth. Bah. Will blog soon.

I just removed my stitches yesterday so I feel a lot more comfortable now! :)  I now have 2 small crosses (scars) and a line...haha...'battle wounds'.  Anyway, thing is that endometriosis is a long term condition so I am currently on a treatment where I get a series of injections that block my oestrogen so that I go into a semi-menopausal state to prevent this endometriosis from recurring.  Well, I'll have to stop it when I want to get preggers.  Such joy, isn't it?  You can read an article written by my gynae here regarding this condition.

Anyway, to celebrate my removal of stitches as well as finally solving my whole really bad period problem, I decided to put on the fake nails ($3.50) which I bought some time ago.

Looks a little chin chiong, I know, but I found it rather sweet.  However, if you follow me on twitter, you'll know that the caption read "Nails for the Day?"  I normally change my nail design once a week.  In this case, the stupid pack only had ONE nail per size.  How silly is that??  I couldn't deck out all my nails in the end because there wasn't any nail small enough for my right index finger!  Ok...this is the follow up to my tweet.  The nails didn't even last an hour.  The left pinky dropped out after an hour.  Then when I went to bed, the left fourth nail came out.  When I woke up this morning at 10am, all the white flowers had dropped out.  After my shower, the left thumb dropped off.  Pathetic glue and bits.  The next time I decide to go cheapo, it had better be from Daiso.  As I'm typing this, only the right third and fourth nails are still attached.  I'm going to take them off soon.  :P

So...instead of being a fun girly nail affair, it turned into a teeth-baring "I-wanna-rip-you-guys-off" moment with said nails.  Sigh.  Shall celebrate in other ways.  Korean BBQ anyone?

Hey all, I've just had another surgery done and this time, it is to remove all the growth in my fallopian tubes, near my ovaries as well as parts of my intestines.  My condition is known as endometriosis and this explains the PCOS, the excessive bleeding, irregular periods, depression and even lethargy.

The best decision that I've ever made was to just not care about the money and go see my private gynae.  If I had stayed with SGH, they would've still kept their diagnosis that I've got borderline PCOS and I would've continued to suffer month after month.  I nearly fainted twice last year and thank goodness both times I was at home.  My current gynae was quite upset that the doctors in the A&E didn't detect the thick uterine lining and see it as a cause of worry.

Anyway, what causes endometriosis?  Doctors still don't know and it could be hereditary and exacerbated with stress.  Worst part of this is that it can recur.  So now, I have to go see my gynae for regular injections.  To add, he advised that once I get married, to hurry and get pregnant because my condition makes it tough for me to conceive.  Such good news, isn't it?  Well, with this surgery, I really hope to be back to normal and live life normally.  This should help my weight loss since my hormones should be going back to normal.

So ladies, if you have more than 2 of the symptoms that I had mentioned earlier, please go and see a reliable gynaecologist.

Some thank yous now...thanks to Ming who brought me taiyaki in the hospital! Zedd who brought me egg tarts! Father Suyono who brought me Holy Communion as well as all the well wishes via Facebook.  Check out the get well basket from the company below...

It has been a long time since I lasted posted and this has to do with me running around almost like a headless chook (chicken).  What have I been busy with?  Seminar after seminar (organising AND presenting) as well as a few videos.  They make me cringe because I don't think I look good in either of them videos BUT it's my first foray into videos as a presenter so please pardon me.  The first video is my market commentary for the 23 Mar while the second is an educational video on the Risks of trading CFDs.  Btw, as I'm now a licensed Trading Representative, I'll not be blogging anything related to the stock market...not that I've been doing so previously...but just a heads up.

 

Wow your special Valentine this year with our unique bouquets and jewellery!  Oct 1983 has teamed up with The Bouquet People to come up with this special selection where you can show your love and appreciation without any fuss.

Choose from our unique bouquets where you can even have messages such as "LOVE", "MUAX" or "HUGS" or cute little foam cupcakes that reads, "Boy Love Girl".  Some of our handmade jewellery are made with 14k gold-plated materials, Swarovski crystals or even quartz!

More photos and the order form can be found at www.oct1983.com.sg.

Do note that last orders are on 8 February. Terms & Conditions do apply.  Check out the youtube version of our catalogue below!