Trendy Hitched

I’ve always been a believer of natural beauty. Thus, I only started wearing make-up until recently. Even then, I believe no amount of make-up can hide bad skin. So in search of the perfect skin care regimen, I discovered Clarisonic. To those who don’t know what it is, it’s like your regular electric toothbrush only with brush heads specifically designed for skin. It claims to clean even the most stubborn dirt and oil in your face. It also gently exfoliates the skin. Sounds promising, eh? Plus they have a special brush head for sensitive skin. It seems perfect for me.

I’ve recently included  an AHA solution in my regimen per advise of my dermatologist, which by the way seems to be one of the greatest inventions of mankind (yes, glycolic acid does wonders to our skin). I worry that if I use the Clarisonic system together with my existing regimen, it might over-exfoliate my skin. I guess I will just check it with my dermatologist on my next visit. For now, I’ll just continue using my ever reliable Cetaphil for cleansing.

I’m not usually good at this but as they say, start small, dream big. Happy 2012!

When the traffic has gone from bad to worse,  shopping bazaars sprout up like some plant in the wild, and finding a parking slot takes as much time as you finish an entire level of Angry Birds, you know for sure the holidays are coming. Yes, it’s that time of the year again. But before I let the scrooge in me come out, let me share with you my wish list for this season. I got tons actually (like world peace, first world internet connection, etc.) but this list is more realistic, meaning Santa (yes, you dear hubby ) could easily get it for me , so here goes.

Today, I decided to make a list of what I consider valuable learnings I have acquired for the past ten years or so of my adult life. My life’s been on a roller coaster since I lost the tween status and I consider myself blessed to have experienced it. For without those challenges, my life would’ve been ridiculously boring, so here goes.

• Always read the user’s manual. No matter how tedious or boring (to some) it seems to be, it saves one from the great anxiety of not being able to make something work or function as it supposed to be.

• Complaining does not and will not get you anywhere near where you want to be. It does however lessen your agitation every time you whine about it , which in turn reduces your heart palpitations. Yes, whining sometimes helps us get by in our daily lives and can be considered healthy if done in moderation.

• Just because you don’t like something does not mean it is universally bad. Each of us is born unique and each of us has different set of tastes and preferences. Some may be similar but still varying to some extent. What one considers classy may come across as tacky to someone else. What one believes as a norm may actually be an exception to another. Get the point?

• It is important to know when to open one’s mouth. One does not have to say what’s on one’s mind all the time. Yes people, some thoughts are best kept in the corners of our minds. As H. Jackson Brown, Jr put it, good manners sometimes mean simply putting up with other people’s bad manners. Unfortunately, that requires a lot of effort for some people, which  leads me to my next point..

• We should not expect people around us to be nice and proper all the time, especially during trying times. We will always get offended by others and we gotta accept that fact of life. Ricky Gervais once wrote, no one has the right to never be offended. He nailed it! At some point in your life, truth will hit you hard and knock you down. It’s up to you how fast you will get up to your feet and be back in the game of life.

• Money might seem to be everything you need in your life right now, but IT IS NOT. Money spent can always be earned back but relationships, once broken, are hard to revive.

• You don’t get to choose the problems life will throw you, just as you don’t get to choose your family. The only choice you have really is how you react to these kinds of situations. Actually, you got two choices here – one is you try to become an adult and deal with it with as much compassion, patience, and diplomacy one can get out of life. Or, you become neurotic and let all hell break loose. Based on experience, it is always good to have the former as the first course of action.

• Lastly, do not be too hard on yourself. It only makes you bitter, frustrated and ugly. Life’s too short to be wasted perfecting it and nobody gets out alive of it anyway.

As if our work demands are not enough to get us bonkers, hubby and I had decided to embark on another renovation for our humble abode. Something minor, I may say, but still took (and continuously taking) a dent in our already measly savings account. The stress levels however, are far better than what took place back in early 2010.  The difference? We got a contractor to manage it for us this time. Not an ideal situation for someone like me who was able to do things on her own last year (now don’t get jealous, I got an engineer for a dad, an architect for a brother, and an achiever/coach for a mom). But being a good wife who doesn’t want to further pressure my already worn-out-from-a-new-role hubby, I agreed to it. Not without having to point out every now and then how expensive our contractor is charging us.

Anyway, the whole renovation thing got me scrambling again for some new ideas for the other parts of the house (despite the fact that no one knows when we will have a major renovation again). My brain’s probably so bored with numbers and stress that it needs to be refilled with some creative juices. Here are some of my inspirations for the next who-knows-when renovation.

I hope these images got you fired up. Tata!

Photo credits: Houzz

That and a couple of reds. Nuff said.

I just had my much-needed pampering in the form of a foot spa. It took me a week to actually find time to do it. Coincidentally, I just read a Huffington article on how women find it hard to do things for themselves (in the middle of their busy lives) without feeling guilty of being self-indulgent, and how women should start “putting themselves on the list”. It is somewhat comforting to know that I’m not alone in this dilemma after all.

I find it ironic that I could easily render overtime hours to finish a report but can’t find time to show up for a dermatologist’s appointment, or easily give in to hubby’s random requests even if it means canceling my planned body massage. Just like the author of the article, try as I might, I sometimes just could not put my “me duties” at the same priority levels a work report or a “wifey duty” would have. It’s just not easy..

Success, as they say has sweet rewards, but it also comes with a price. I may not be sporting a perfectly groomed hair at work everyday. I may show up at parties not having a good polished set of nails. I may even need to re-take that level 1 French language class because I de-prioritized it back when I was trying to win my employer a deal. But, I know one thing, I am a work in progress. And I will continually strive to put myself back on the list.

I am experiencing yet again bouts of craving. I can’t exactly remember how it was triggered (although I could conveniently put the blame on my friend who just arrived from Paris ), but I am starting to feel the strong urge to scratch the itch. The picture on the right is a dead giveaway of my exact emotion right now, and if hubby sees this, I’m sure he’d freak out!

It was only recently when I took the vows of  thriftiness. After realizing that I somehow would  need to employ practicality in my life at some point (yes, I’m a late bloomer in that aspect of life), I took the following simple vows:

• I vow to remember what my priorities are.
• I vow to buy only when necessary.
• And I vow not to do impulse  buying.

With the rate of things now, it looks like my subconscious self also took a separate vow — to break these three vows eventually. Ha! Bags, shoes, clothes, travels and even a new car have been occupying my mind lately, as if my work is not enough to keep me distracted. Sigh. I guess I just need to reinforce to myself the very reason why I took those three vows, that is to be able to retire young. So if in case you see me toting a new Chloe or find out that I am out for a vacation trip, I probably just got lucky with a windfall. That… or my EQ just bailed out on me big time.

Today we got a new CEO, making it the third leader since I entered HP. I have not experienced these frequent changes of direction, not until the recent two years of my career.

One article in HBR stated that this beloved icon has already lost the “HP way”, something that the founders Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard have long instilled in the company. Whether it’s completely true or not, recent events proved that our leaders have failed to commit to the enduring set of values of HP. What’s worse is they also failed to do something I consider elementary and fundamental – succession planning. How can we not find someone from within the ranks among a pool of gifted technology leaders? Apple was able to replace Steve Jobs with someone with a track record inside the company, why can’t we? We had three chances to do it, but it never happened.

Tonight, I saw our new CEO being interviewed at CNBC. She reassured the public of the company’s commitment to stabilize its business. Yes, we employees are committed and will continue to rally amidst this crisis. I’m just hoping the board will do its part – demonstrate true leadership, commit to develop a focused vision, and execute a credible strategy . In short, may they get their acts together, even before Bill and Dave turn over in their graves.