English whisky goes on sale for first time since 19th century

St George's single malt, distilled in Norfolk, wins praise from the Scots...

My Marathon Timing...

Congratulations Xiufeng on completing the

2009 Singapore Marathon

in a finish time of: 1:15:47

 

http://www.marathon-photos.com/

.....

10 KM Marathon

I did it!!!

10 km Standard Chartered Marathon 2009... in slightly less than 1 hr 20min!! Let's wait for them to mail me the exact time....

xxx

Okay my legs and knee joints are aching right now...

What's happening Now at Where-We-First-Met?

Crazy Horse Paris Singapore(end 2005 - start 2007?) --> vacant for a year plus --> Bellini Grande (14months) and.....

Dec 2009...

If You Miss Singapore...

Google Street View Singapore is finally launched yesterday:

Google Street View of Singapore

Pattaya boat crash kills 2, injures 15

We were also headed to and fro Pattaya & Kok Lam exactly a week ago on the speedboat…

Our Oct and Nov Photos...

All our photos in Oct / Nov....

Gettin all hyped up!!! Thailand Thailand!!

Stevemichelle's Blogspot Makeovers Throughout the Years...

28-02-09 ~ 12-11-09

Golf Balls

The Mayonnaise Jar When things in your life seem , almost too much to handle, When 24 Hours in a day is not enough, Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class And had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students, if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.' The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. 'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - family, children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions – Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else --The small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, You will never have room for the things that are important to you. So... Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play With your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. 'Take care of the golf balls first -- The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.' One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked'. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.' Please share this with other "Golf Balls" I just did.......

Thinking of my baby!

See this car door, had to ask the guy for a photo, haha
Knew it would make my baby smile!
X x X
Sent via BlackBerry from Maxis

Steve's New Pet

Adopted yesterday.

His name is Biggie.

An award for Sultan Lounge!

Dear all

 

Good news, for The Best of Malaysia Travel Awards 2009 by Expatriate Lifestyle, Sultan Lounge have won an award for "Best Hotel Bar & Club in Malaysia" category. The award ceremony/event will be held on October 15 at Passion Road Restaurant.

 

Well done Sultan Lounge team!

 

Thanks

 

Regards

Director of Communications

 

 

address     Kuala Lumpur City Centre

                    50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

website      www.mandarinoriental.com

 

 

Mandarin Oriental's Signature Spa Therapies and homecare range are now available at many of the Group's luxury hotel spas worldwide. These bespoke spa treatments combine the powerful effects of oriental meridian massage with the therapeutic benefits of custom-blended essential oils, created uniquely for Mandarin Oriental. For reservations and more information visit www.mandarinoriental.com.

 

Repeatedly acknowledged as Malaysia's leading luxury hotel, Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur has been distinguished by Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveller, FinanceAsia, Institutional Investor, Asiamoney, Euromoney, Business Traveller, Hospitality Asia, Tourism Malaysia and the 5 Star Diamond Award by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.  

 

 

Fw: White fungus I cooked today. x

So love my angel for thinking of me always!

Having tasted it before, its not all bad for a healthy thing! Haha

Sent via BlackBerry from Maxis

---

From: Michelle Hu <michellehuh@gmail.com>

Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:52:23 +0800

To: steveyallop<steveyallop@gmail.com>

Subject: White fungus I cooked today. x

want some? x

Cosmo World - Scrapbook

A try-out of the scrapbook...

20th Sept - Kuala Lumpur Times Square, Cosmo World Theme Park

We had such a lovey Dovey time together. . . xxx

So Near, yet...

THE BREAKFAST SHOW '09 - 24 September 09

THE BREAKFAST SHOW '09 - 24 September 09

Shared via AddThis

Baby's live on NTV 7 channel, Malaysia's hottest local channel!!

Wooooo hooo!!! Xx must be still in the midst of receiving live interview at this time!! xx

drunken babies at Quatro

We are the drunken babies!!! xxxxxxxxxxxx

Fwd: Emailing: L1000641

 My baby's always simply the best!!! xxxx

French 'Spiderman' climbs Petronas Towers in KL

Wed, Sep 02, 2009 AFP Top of Form Bottom of Form
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - - French "Spiderman" Alain Robert was arrested Tuesday after successfully scaling Malaysia's Petronas Towers, in his third attempt on the nation's tallest structure, police said. The 46-year-old began climbing the 88-storey building before dawn and reached the top before being discovered by security officials, Kuala Lumpur police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman told AFP. "We have taken him back to the police station for questioning and checking his passport. He can be charged for criminal trespass," he told AFP. Robert first tried to scale the building on March 20, 1997, and made a second unsuccessful attempt in 2007 after which he was freed without charge. He has been nicknamed "Spiderman" for his high-profile escapades, which have included climbing the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The 452-metre (1,483-feet) Petronas Twin Towers, which were completed in 1998, were for several years the world's tallest buildings until being upstaged by Taipei 101 among others.

 

When We Repel... Retaliate... Rebounce..

REPEL:

 

Lack iv kip He vs ill-dangerous Her

 

Lack iv kip He vs Angel Her

 

Angel He vs Paralytic Her

 

...

 

And Maybe More.?

[ADV] PriceBreaker - Crazy Offers at Natas Holiday 2009

NATAS travelling Fair is taking over Singapore Craze this weekend at Singapore Expo!!

Regards,


 

---

From: mailing-list@pricebreaker.travel
To: CC:
Subject: [ADV] PriceBreaker - Crazy Offers at Natas Holiday 2009
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:05:22 +0800

/body>

New health, New food...

Michi’s slim-beauty new food add-ons to her daily diet:

1. yogurt

2. wholegrain bread ( Did I say bread??)

3. Apple (green or red??)

Rooibos Tea

R

4. More to come.

Be expected to see all these shits stocked up in our fridge next time. Hope the it lands in M@r!n@ 5@nd5 soon~~~~~ Hehehehe. Zzz. x

We skyped FINALLY for the 1st time!!

We managed to TALK finally on SKYPE!!!!!
 
All planned and to be booked up to Bangkok very soon!! I love my Baby!!!!¬¬¬
 
 

My Whiskey Lovin Baby!

Sent via BlackBerry

Sultan Lounge - SIMPLY THE BEST

Wooo~~~ Hoo~~~

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR COLLEAGUES AT SULTAN LOUNGE ... WELL DONE !!! .. WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!!!

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that Sultan Lounge won " SIMPLY THE BEST " for July 2009 with the following achievements:

My Little Sister

This is written by steve, not me..

Sent via BlackBerry

Asia Culture: Beauty Lies in Asian with White Skin

Highly prized as an accent to beauty in ancient times, whiter skin appearance has enjoyed a revival among women around the world. It’s more evident so in Japan where female consumers are known for their pain-taking effort to shun sunlight under parasols in summer. Even in her childhood, a Japanese woman spends a great deal of time tending to her young soft skin with a wide range and scope of basic beauty products found in any drugstore throughout the nation. And the legendary beauty of geishas depends on the whiteness and softness of the skin on the nape of their necks.

To possess ‘bihaku' (beautiful white) skin, the ideal porcelain-pale complexion, has been engrained in the Japanese culture for centuries. In the past, women used to scrub their skin with ‘nuka’ (rice hulls) for skin oxidization or grind pearls into powder for swallowing. Nowadays, consumers rely on scientists to play a major role in formulating increasingly sophisticated and safer products.

Although the myth that Asian women pursue white skin is to emulate the stereotypically Caucasian beauty, the original reason behind the obsession with the lighter skin has more to do with social class differences than ‘want what you don't have' syndrome. It was believed that a lighter complexion is associated with wealth and higher education levels, whereas darker skin alludes to a life of outdoor labor toiling in the sun.

However, over the years throughout Asia, white skin viewed as a symbol of innocence and femininity has transformed to an image of youthfulness and attractiveness to the opposite sex due to aggressively marketing by major cosmetic companies. Moreover, international film industries and advertisements clearly pushed the lighter-skinned celebrities and models as emblems of Asian beauty. However, one must not overlook the consumer’s propensity towards having fairer skin, perhaps arises from the danger of increasing level of ultraviolet rays in our earth’s atmosphere.

Interestingly enough, teams of scientists and dermatologists have studied people of different color skins in the following Asian countries: Japan, South Korea, China, India, and the Philippines. The findings are as follows:

1. Asians are more inclined to have dark spots (hyperpigmentation) earlier than the onset of wrinkles and laxity (loss of skin firmness).

2. Among Asians, the Japanese have the lightest skin tone, therefore, Japanese women have low melanin and skin redness. Consequently, Japanese skin shows the least deterioration with age. At the other end of the scale, the Indians have the darkest skin tone, thus, high melanin content and skin redness.

3. Asian women’s skin has better biomechanical properties such as elasticity and structures (collagen) compared to Caucasians.

4. Chinese and Korean skins turn yellowish with age.

Realistically, cosmetics work only as a veneer for beautiful looking skin. As cliché as it sounds, beauty really does come from within. To maintain or obtain good skin requires basic regimen: a healthy diet, exercise, plenty of water and eight hours of sleep. Nowadays, a consumer is at a point in time when she has never been so well informed - knows exactly what to eat, how to care for her skin, and how to read the labels on the back of cosmetics packages.

It’s not surprising that Japan has experienced an unprecedented boom in anti-aging cosmetic treatments as an aging population reaches out for products that aim to help them looking younger and healthier. The billion-dollar cosmetics industry has shown skyrocketed sales of anti-aging creams, skin tonics and skin whitening creams, as well as products, such as treatments for blotchy and wrinkled skin, hair care treatments and tonics for graying in the past year. Moreover, the consumer vigor for youthful looks and good health has also boosted business growth for gyms and health spas.

Although most whitening creams are safe, doctors, consumer groups and government officials have reported devastating consequences for some women using blemish creams in large, harmful amounts. It has been proven that a few compounds can whiten skin by retarding the production of melanin: hydroquinone, Alpha Hydoxy Acids (AHAs) and mercury. However, all three compounds if used in high doses are dangerous to one's health. The highly touted hydroquinone in cosmetic products can cause ochronosis - the appearance of very dark patches of skin, or develop leukoderma - the skin loses the ability to produce pigment, resulting in patches of pink. As for mercury, the FDA had warned that it should never be applied to the skin, for it damages the central nervous system, the kidneys, and the development of the fetus’ brain; and it might lead to death.

Sadly, in the poorer parts of Southeast Asia, illegal potent bleaching agents have made their way into the black-market sold as inexpensive cosmetic products. Recently, Thailand's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given warning to 70 whitening creams and Indonesian officials have listed more than 50 banned cosmetics. In addition, FDA has complained that these cosmetic bottles labeled as ‘whitening’ are, in fact, misleading - they are nothing more than sunscreens blocking out ultraviolet rays.

Despite numerous skin-whitening horror stories reported in recent years, the trend of skin whitening won’t abate soon as it has already spread from Asia to South America, even to Africa. More recently, scientists have moved to the cellular level in tackling anti-ageing – the discovery of sirtuin, an enzyme that can dramatically extend life, has energized biotechnology companies to develop “anti-aging” drug.

Until the “anti-aging” drug becomes available for mass distribution, skin-whitening cosmetics will continue to be sold on shelves as long as consumers believe that beauty is somehow associated with white skin and youthful appearance.

Asia Cuture: I want a Porcelain White Skin

Skin whitening big business in Asia

From PRI's The World 30 March, 2009 12:21:00

Download audio (mp3)

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(Image: BBC, theworld.org)

Customers from Mumbai to Beijing say they want lighter skin, but health professionals are concerned.

Barack Obama's inauguration as the nation's first African-American president got a lot in this country thinking and talking about race. Obama's triumph proved that any child can dream of becoming president, regardless of skin color. We in America may have reaffirmed the notion that the color of a person's skin shouldn't matter. But for many people across Asia, the color of skin matters a lot. In recent years, "skin whitening" has become a huge industry in countries like China, Korea, Japan, and India.

"The World's" Phillip Martin has been exploring the phenomenon of skin whitening in Asia and has this report.

Walking beside a rushing stream in Hsingchu, Taiwan, 18-year-old Hilda Chu balances an umbrella in one hand and textbooks in the other. Her skin is ghostly white. Hilda says she carries an umbrella mainly to avoid skin cancer, but also to preserve her light complexion: "I try hard to make my skin white, yes. If my skin is lighter, I think I will be more happier. "

Hilda Chu is among a growing number of Asians who are paying lots of money to dermatologists like Dr. Hseih Ya Ju who says bluntly Asians like white skin. Dr. Hsieh works at MacKay Memorial Hospital in Hsingchu, where she sees about 25 patients a day. She says her professional motto is simple: "To make your skin white, make your skin tight, and your skin bright."

Dr. Hsieh says her treatments can cost anywhere from $300 to $500 US dollars per session: "Sometimes we suggest patients take some pills – Transamine. Transamine is a kind of pills that will help patient become white."

Whitening regimes like transamine are offered in creams, pills, and injections and with laser treatments. But not everyone can afford them -- so a growing number of poor Asian women are using illegal products containing toxic chemicals that have left some of them disfigured. Even some government-sanctioned skin whitening products contain high levels of toxic mercury.

So it's no surprise that Dr. Ernesto Gonzalez, a senior dermatologist at Boston's Mass General Hospital, says skin whitening can be dangerous: "The best protection that you have for your skin against sun damage is pigment, melanin. If you lose the pigment of your skin, you suddenly become white. The whiter they become the more chances they will be subjected to skin damage and skin cancer."

But this has not stemmed the practice in places like Taiwan, where more than 50 percent of women and a smaller but growing proportion of men pay big money to lighten their beige, tan, and golden complexions. One survey by Synovate found that 4 out of 10 women in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea used a skin-whitening cream. More than 60 global companies are competing for a share of Asia's estimated $18 billion dollar market.

Nydia Lin is a senior executive in Taiwan for the Japanese cosmetics giant, Shisedo: "We promote the idea of whitening. Especially in Taiwan, we see many beautiful idols on TV and they are all very focused on their whitening skin. As Chinese say, 'Whitening is everything. You can just cover all your defective parts if you are white.'"

You hear variations of that slogan – you can cover up three shortcomings if you are white – all over Asia. But Chao-Yuan Tsen sees whitening as a form of self-hatred and racial inferiority. She's Secretary General of the Awakening Foundation, a women's rights organization: "The beauty industries in Taiwan emphasize different skin tones. They say if you can be as white as Japanese and Western women, you can be as beautiful as a cherry blossom. I think this promoting this kind of image that they create doesn't make women any happier. It actually creates more anxiety."

Anxiety that's deeply ingrained in the fabric of Asian society. Beijing-based author Lijia Zang knows this firsthand, and writes about it in her recent memoir 'Socialism is Great': "I have often been called a "peasant girl". Even my sister sometimes calls me a peasant girl. I don't think my father liked me very much because I was not a pretty child. I was dark, and I remember he said to me repeatedly that I was not their natural daughter. They picked me up from a coal dump, which was why my skin was so dark."

Across much of Asia, long held views about class superiority help explain the appeal of skin whitening. So says Anne Rose Kitagawa, assistant curator of Japanese Art at Harvard's Sackler Museum. She cites the 11th century Japanese epic "The Tale of Genji" that she says tells the story of a raunchy prince and his descendents: "They had many late night trysts with women who they almost never saw in direct light. And the feminine ideal during the Han period for women of the court was almost unearthly light white skin. Sort of large, moon-like, roundish faces, long, long black hair. And so you can see how a culture that maintained that as an early ideal might continue on with an ideal that light skin equals beauty."

That ancient ideal has been reinforced by modern Western culture. And it can be seen in the faces of Western models gazing from the giant billboards along the route of the commuter train that snakes through downtown Tokyo. The billboards also include white-skinned Asians with porcelain colored faces. Across Asia, the pressure to be white is pushed by relentless advertising, from Japan to Korea to India. This ad for skin whitening products features one of India’s biggest movie stars: Shah Rukh Khan – who says that you, too, can be successful in life and love if your skin color is a lighter shade of pale.

Tarun Khanna of the Harvard Business School and author of the book "Billions of Entrepreneurs" says many Indians believe a fair complexion is the key to finding a successful partner: "In the marriage market, fairness is a big, big deal. You can go to the websites that are marriage brokers and the very fact that most of the matrimonial ads will present people as being fair skinned or not indicate that it is an attribute that the market values."

Indeed. Of the more than 200 personal ads I surveyed online, 192 Indian men and women either described themselves as fair skinned or said they were looking for a partner who was. It's a common desire across Asia. On the streets of Beijing, with translation assistance from a young writer, Mia Lee, a reddish-hued migrant worker from Central China was asked what he thought was the secret to happiness.

He wants a girlfriend with pale skin.

Which is why you see advertisements for skin whitening products just about everywhere here. Author Lijia Zang says it’s another sign of China's emerging middle class and the social pressures faced by women trying to enter the professional work force: "So for some women, even those who don’t think white is particularly beautiful, but in order to go far in a career, in order to attract a good boyfriend, they try to put on whitening cream."

PRI's "The World" is a one-hour, weekday radio news magazine offering a mix of news, features, interviews, and music from around the globe. "The World" is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston.

More "The World."

The Malaysian Mega Sale guide

The Malaysian Mega Sale guide

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Little Ab's Blog

www.abbiecharlton.blogspot.com

 

1 more day before I go to KL! xx

 

Happy Familys!

Got my little sister a dell inspiron mini laptop today!
Abbie chose a purple one, very nice I must admit! Haha
Everyone counting down for Michelles arrival!
Come on baby baby! X

Wrote by super silly Steve! X

Sent via BlackBerry

First time from my Blackberry!

Hoping this works!
For both of us!
Sent via BlackBerry

Super excited if this works!

Fingers crossed!
X
Sent via BlackBerry

I am on TV Commercial!

Me and my Sister, Fon are are TV commercial!!! OMG!!!! I look so Chubby!!! zzzzz.. Can You See us????

zzz

Less than 1 day to Charlton's Holiday!!xxx

Wow, finally!!! The Charltons are flying tomorrow!!! Start of the Holiday 2009!!~~ xxx

My birthday Present: A Baby Leopard!!

Finally got it right after asking 20 questions for the past few days! Xx

 

So cute!! xx

 

Thanks BBB!! xx