Category Archives: Rantings & Ravings

Smoke gets in your eyes… (and chokes you)

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Singapore is being hit  badly by the yearly haze that’s coming from Indonesia. The worst so far coming from the forest fire in 7 years.

Just looking through my tightly-shut window and witnessing how hazy, cloudy and smokey it is makes me wanna tear up and cry. Really. Not because I am getting emotional, but the sight is definitely and utterly torturous especially on the respiratory system. Just going down to throw out the rubbish at work yesterday left my eyes so dry and sore!

It feels, smells and looks like the whole of Mother Earth is chain-smoking and chugging away dear old Mr Tobacco.. urrgh.

Smoking hot is a whole new term here in SingSing..

Smoking hot is a whole new term here in SingSing..

Funny thing is I have been having the sinusitis and allergies complaints since a few weeks before. And now that the (haze) bitch is back in town, I am not too mentally disturbed about it, I seem to be in a ‘bring it on’ mode. I guess when the mind is fit, the rest will follow. Although my husband and I are being very very vigilant about applying oils on our darling son through out his day. We diffuse the oils whenever we are at home too.

Here are some that we use through and through:

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Young Living’s Purification is a wonderful blend of : Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus), lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Melaleuca (Melaleuca alternifolia) lavandin (Lavandula x hybrida), and myrtle (Myrtus communis).

“Purification™ can be used directly on the skin to cleanse and soothe insect bites, cuts, and scrapes. When diffused, it helps to purify and cleanse the air from cigarette smoke and disagreeable odours.”
(http://www.youngliving.com/en_SG/essential-oil-blends/Purification)

When we diffuse this oil at home, I always visualize that the air went ‘poof’ and all the bugs, bacterias and little dusty vermin scurries away! Its an excellent air purifier.

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Thieves is a blend of: Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus), lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Melaleuca (Melaleuca alternifolia) lavandin (Lavandula x hybrida), and myrtle (Myrtus communis).

“Thieves® was created based on research about four thieves in France who protected themselves with cloves, rosemary, and other aromatics while robbing plague victims. This proprietary blend was university tested and found to be highly effective in supporting the immune system and good health.”
(http://www.youngliving.com/en_SG/thieves-essential-oil/Thieves)

We rub a drop of it on each of Shaqil’s foot before he goes to school, to guard him from being susceptible to the myriads of bugs that goes around in childcares and also at night before bedtime. This is a daily routine that he is used to already, and will also co-operate by giving us his feet willingly.

Right now in Singapore, we are hearing cases of all time high records of dengue, HFMD and now the haze is wreaking havoc with more people rushing to the nearest hospital with complaints of tightness in chest, wheezing, lung infection and sore and itchy eyes. We are not stingy with Thieves, really. 😉

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“Myrtle (Myrtus communis) has a clear, fresh, herbaceous scent, similar to eucalyptus. Supportive of the respiratory system, skin, and hair, it has been researched for its effects on glandular imbalances and its soothing effects when inhaled. It is also helpful for meditation and lifting the spirit.”
(http://www.youngliving.com/en_SG/essential-oils/Myrtle)

I purchased this earlier this month together with another oil from Young Living, a blend called Lady Sclareol. I intended to use them both to support my 1 thyroid gland. But I am beginning to be a new fan of this herbaceous and uplifting oil. The 1st time I ingested 3 drops of it neat on my tongue and with a gulp of water, I felt a nice comforting relief that clears my throat and my left sinus blockage. And goodness me, it was yummy too! Since the PSI level is hitting 155 as of 17th June, I am carrying this in my pocket. Along with 7 other oils that I have in my cutie patootie essential oil bag! Haha..

I can only hope that the forest fires will stop very very soon. It is maddening to see a big blur every time I peer out the window. Pun intended.

But till then, these oils are our little warriors- the last drop will depart from the bottle sooner than expected but they will serve us well. Insyaallah..

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Lessons I get paid to learn

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As a holistic spa therapist, I get to meet many different people from different walks of life. The socialite, the politician, the royalty, the self-made millionaire and of course the streams of celebrities. Not only do I meet them, but I am entrusted their sacred temples, their tired bodies that comes with hundreds of knots and tensions.

They disrobe, lie spread on the bed and they are all mine. Sounds provocative, but far from it-  its an honorable job really- according to a recent client that I had the good fortune to meet. That day, 31st January was really a day that deserves a place in my heart and soul. Its memory is worthy of a blog post, really.. But then again, there were just so many days in the span of my life as a therapist that’s worth remembering and retelling.

So in comes this very nice-smelling Indian gentleman, one whom I shall just name Mr SG. Really, he smells so good, musky and all peppery with a sandalwood tone. The air in the spa wafted and clung with his aroma. This guy really has a presence- with his thick and long black hair, full grown beard and Gandhi-like glasses rimming his very soulful sympathetic eyes. He asked for a massage, and yours truly attended to him and assisted him with his arrival, consultation, gathering his medical info and selecting the massage for him like any good and caring therapist would. Ahem.. 🙂

Normally, during a treatment I would refrain from chatting- unless I am asked a question. Its best to just be relaxed, immersed in the oils and music, enjoy the treatment ritual, be it a simple 1hour massage or more. But he was very friendly and very interested to know more of my job and how much I enjoy it. He shared with me that he is a very seasoned spa-goer, as his work-based travels brings him to different countries and continents that has spas in idyllic locations.

He shared an episode in a spa  he visited in Goa.. His Thai therapist was complaining about her job there and how she longed to just pack up and leave! When asked why was she there if she hated to be, she answered: she cannot stand serving Indian people because they are all smelly! Oh my! I was so shocked to hear that.. Awkward too. I asked then what was his reply. He answered, “With all my heart, I apologized to her on behalf of all the smelly Indian people that she had to come across, and I felt really really sorry for her!”..  Ok, my jaw dropped then. One would’ve thought that he would’ve clubbed that silly arse Thai therapist, but he was really very sorry for the Thai therapist’s work ordeals and his compassionate nature is truly most exemplary!

As we ended the 90min massage, he asked for recommendation for his next visit. I recommended him a herbal heated treatment that will help to comfort his arthritis and spine issues. He gave me a $20 tip, very rarely do we get tips. As he left, I told myself I will not forget this aromatic-smelling and very kind Indian man!

The end of this day came about as my husband and I were parked outside the supermarket, buying stuffs for my son. I waited in the car with Shaqil, feeding him his milk. I suddenly saw a figure of a heavily-build man lumped and hunched over at the kerb, shivering and and trembling in tremors of pain. It must be a lot of pain, because his face was wincing!
I wanted to go out and reached out to him as fast as I could, but I couldn’t with feeding child in tow and car parked illegally too. As my husband came back to the car, I commanded to him to go to that man and help him in any way. My husband went to him and spent a good 10 minutes talking to him, and after that he helped the stranger into our car. Turned out that this elderly Malay man was scheduled to have a kidney operation the very next morning, and he has several medical conditions apart from his kidney disease such as heart failure and Parkinson’s too. And he is homeless. And hasn’t eaten the whole day too… 😦

I suggested that we drive him to the hospital he was bounded to go to, and to assist him with admittance. Funny thing was, the nurses and administrators in the hospital have to repeatedly asked me if I was related to this man. I hated to say no, because I am really not related to him by blood. The staff there were giving me dirty looks, as if I was abandoning my father/uncle/relative as quick as I can to the nearest hands able to take over. It pissed me off, really. I don’t think they buy our help-a-stranger story!

Anyway, we got hold of his identification details and promised to call him the day after to check on him.
He was very grateful, and we were only too happy and humbled to help.. My dear son was way past his bedtime but its all worth it. Before we said goodbyes though, I remembered that he hasn’t eaten.. I asked my husband for some cash but unfortunately he used up the cash in the supermarket earlier. With Shaqil still firmly planted on my hip, I rummaged through my battered wallet and found $20. Yes, the $20 that I got from Mr SG earlier that day as a tip.

I almost cried! The hairs on my hands stood on its ends. I am not inclined to carry a lot of cash, preferring to just withdraw money whenever I need it. That’s the only $20 I had really! It’d be another fuss to go looking for an ATM. And Mr SG had personally came all the way to the spa, booked and paid for a treatment and handed out this tip to me so that I can help this homeless, ill and hungry elderly man.. I was so humbled and lost in the magical moment..

I am so grateful for this lesson. What have I learn? I learned that I have a new answer to the skeptical hospital staffs who badgered me on my relation to this pitiful man. The answer is: YES, YES, YES. We are all related. We are all interconnected, and we are all responsible and rightful to the connection. Blood connection is merely a poetic way of introduction, but we are all related through unseen webs weaved by higher reason.

Another lesson: I learned that this nice-smelling Indian gentleman deserves a retelling of how his presence affected my whole day, and also for others whom he wouldn’t have a clue about. But I suspect that he has a clue, for a kind man like him deserves a clue and so much more!

Surreal Sunday

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Ok, so I had a terribly lazy do-nothing Sunday.

Both husband and son are sound asleep, and I’m blinking away like an idiot and still figuring out: “how on earth did I manage to have a pimple growing on my right cheek just by being home and did everything about nothing??” Surreal.

In my path to discovering stimulus for my currently sleepless and zit-nurturing self, I roamed through the net and read too much on conspiracy theories, Lil Wayne being gay (like i care), other blogs and also found Octavio Ocampo.

Now here is a man who really invites you to lean in and gives new meaning to “closer”.
You really ought to look closer and read what he is telling you. I very nearly had my eyeballs touching the screen of my Galaxy Note as I took note of all details!

His paintings are labelled “surrealism”, and I believe that it is of no coincidence that that word popped again in completing my 11/11 Sunday. Ooooh!

I will not sleep tonight if I continue getting lost in his beautiful art.. Tomorrow is another day for me to delight more.

These are 2 among many that I like:

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“Mona Lisa’s Chair”: Who ISN’T fascinated by this smiling lady? If you are not, then be prepared.

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“Forever Always”: Too sweet..

Here’s more. Check out his other works here.

Animal Totem:Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

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I’m sure I’m not the only one to feel an affinity with animals at many points in life. Right? Right?

One of the 1st animals I felt a certain attraction was wolves. Its a very much misunderstood creature; always thought to be cold blooded and ferocious. Man, even I can be ferocious when provoked. Thanks to fairy tales and lores of werewolves, children (myself included) are scared into thinking that wolves are growling fierce beasts that will maul you into cute little bits upon 1st sight.

So when I started to realize this attraction towards wolves, I asked myself “why do I feel this way?”. Last time I checked, I wasn’t Little nor was I wearing a Red Riding Hood. Hmmm. And 1st thing that came to mind was, “surely this doggie can’t be that bad huh”?? When I surf channels on TV, I’ll freeze when it chanced upon animal channels that featured on wolves and the more I ignore it, the more sightings of the wolves I will have. TV, movies, magazines, dreams.. They all have wolves in it. I paid no mind to it. The naive me couldn’t understand it, and thought I was going bonkers. Me going bonkers is not a rarity really. Just worried about the animal part, that’s all. By the way, this was years ago-before I was attuned to Reiki. (read: very stupid)

And then I began to be attracted to bears! Not the cuddly soft ones that are dead, no no. But a real big brown and grizzly bear! I remember then; one late and slow afternoon at work in the spa, my colleagues and I were kidding and (note the animal here) horsing around and we began to imagine what we would be if we are animals.. At least 3 of them agreed that I remind them of a wolf because I can be fierce, (misconception again, peeps!) and at the same time they said that I’m good as a bear cos I’m warm, motherly and always ready to give a good big bear hug.. And they even coined the name “Mama Brown Bear” for me. Ok, that was just too close for comfort!

Then I became more friendly with Google. I love Google really. You find everything there; heck, you can even find your lost soul there! Anyway, I reluctantly typed out (at the risk of self-embarrassment) ‘animal attraction’ and a plethora of info popped up. One that caught my eye, was Animal Totems. Man, was I in for a treat! 🙂

Turns out what I’ve been feeling towards wolves and brown bears are not too off the scale! I am really not crazy. Phew, I am really not crazy then! *does a lil jig* 😉                                                 

One of the sites that I kept on coming back again and again is Avia Venefica’s amazing work. This is what she says about the Wolf  Totem:

Totem Wolf Symbols

totem wolf symbols

Wolf Meaning and Totem Symbolism of the Wolf

To understand totem wolf symbols, one must first understand the heart of the Wolf. This takes time because the Wolf has had to endure many false stereotypes, misconceptions and misunderstandings.

Not at all the picture of ferocity or terror, the Wolf is a creature with a high sense of loyalty and strength. Another misconception is that of the “lone wolf.” To the contrary, the Wolf is actually a social creature, friendly, and gregarious with its counterparts.

The Wolf is an incredible communicator. By using touch, body movements, eye contact as well as many complex vocal expressions – the wolf makes his point understood. Those with totem wolf symbols are of the same inclination – they are expressive both vocally and physically. Those who have the wolf as their totem animal are naturally eloquent in speech, and also have knack for creative writing.

A quick-list of totem wolf symbolic attributes include:

  • Intelligence
  • Cunning
  • Communication
  • Friendliness
  • Loyalty
  • Generosity
  • Compassionate

Totem wolf symbols belong to those who truly understand the depth of passion that belong to this noble creature. The Wolf is a representative of deep faith, and profound understanding.

Further, the Wolf possess a high intellect, and have been observed using strategies about hunting, habitat and migration.

In history, the totem Wolf symbol appears with the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. Legend has it that the two founding brothers were raised and suckled by a she-wolf.

In Norse mythology, the Wolf is a symbol for victory when ridden by Odin and the Valkyries upon the battlefield.

As a Celtic symbol, the Wolf was a source of lunar power. Celtic lore states that the Wolf would hunt down the sun and devour it at each dusk so as to allow the power of the moon to come forth.

In Asia, the wolf guards the doors that allow entrance to heavenly, celestial realms. The Wolf is also said to be among the ancestry of Genghis Khan.

When this gracious creature appears to us, and serves as a totem in our lives, the Wolf beckons us to ask these questions:

  • Are you thinking about a different form of education?
  • Are you being a true friend, and are your friends being true to you?
  • Are you communicating yourself clearly to others?
  • Are you being loyal to yourself?
  • Are you incorporating strategies and planning to achieve your goals?
  • Are you spending enough quality time with yourself, friends and family?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Amazing! I still remember when I 1st read about animal totems on that Google search. I felt a whole lot in me melted away. Relief, that I am not alone after all. These creatures are ‘popping’ by into my life at the times that I need them to be, without me realizing it at all. Once I read it through, it ALL just clicked! 

And now, years after that 1st realization of Animal Totems, I have been guided through by a few other creatures. One that kept on coming when I was pregnant was the Spider. I remembered seeing spiders (they are easier to be seen than wolves & bears) everyday for almost a week! And of course with them, they brought messages that I value and hoped I have heeded well to.

Now, at the closing of the year, I again find myself drawn to my Wolf again. Of course. The Wolf is asking me to deliver conclusions. *howls* I hear youuuuuuuuuuuu!… Oh, and of course seeing Jacob Black as a (were)wolf again on The Twilight  Saga helps to relieve the uhm, itch?

Jacob Black... Auuuwwww!!..

Now, now. I’m gonna be a good gal and think and talk to myself on what may be done with the Wolf’s current visit. Here’s more images of them beautiful creatures..

Toothpaste, much?

Oooops!