Painting the town florescent pink tonight

No big plans, just gonna see where the night takes us.
Sounds like I'm just asking for an adventure.
BE safe everyone. CU in 2012

Trapped in a beautiful skin

Body con dresses are so hard to get out of. Especially when a zipper doesn't exist.

My Magical Birthday 11/11

I felt creative this year so I decided to whip up some invitations.

Picked up some fancy paper from the craft store. I thought the different textures and colors combined well together. I think my fave was the gold glitter. I've been seeing it everywhere this season...starting from Miu Miu's collection.

After cutting up the paper I started to put it together by making them into little pockets. Half way through, I wonder what I got myseld into. Like when I damasked my wall. lol* But hey - when my creativity takes over it TAKES OVER!

Sparkle time! Call me a girl but I love making things pretty!

The damasked paper had a nice embossed velvet feel.

♥ The Day Of ♥

To start the day off I booked a private session with one of my favorite yoga teachers so me and my friends can play

Me and my sister

hmmm what should I wear for dinner?

I did some last minute shopping and found 2 runners up...

I chose this one ♥ Its from Urban Outfitters

We had dinner at Mango Shiva. Its a trendy Indian Restaurant on 8th Ave. My Indian Themed birthday wasn't intentional, It just worked out that way =)

It would be such a shame to call it quits now but im just not feeling it.
need some time to contemplate on if i want to resume this blogging journey.
almost feels like a chapter wants to close but im swimming upstream to keep it open.
my energy wants to be directed elsewhere.

I want to make decisions that are life enhancing but lately blogging doesnt feel that way. so much effort goes into my posts and lately i question if its worth it. I have lots to share but I feel stuck in this space. Am I outgrowing my blog?

Perhaps this is only an impulse. Perhaps it is not.

Either way, Im going down that rabbit hole so catch me if you can.

Toodles for now.

Transforming your body with Agni (Fire) & review on fat burners

Today we are going to talk about agni (digestive fire) which governs your metabolism and how to use it to help your body burn excess fat. A little disclaimer tho - that these are tips and tricks that work well for ME. Each body is different and complex so something that works for me might not be healthy for you. Pls listen to your body's intuition when taking any kind of advice.

What is agni? Agni is the Sanskrit word for fire & in Ayurveda it is responsible for breaking down food as well as absorbing nutrients into your body. The stronger your digestive fire, the stronger your digestive capacity. And this is always a good thing bcos when the fire is weak, you'll start to accumulate toxins and also unwanted fat. By increasing and strengthing your agni you can burn these things away and create more ojas(vigor).

Also, when energy & heat are created in your body, it will help raise your metabolism. And im sure you know what that means. lol* Metabolism is essential to weight loss.

On a deeper level, Agni creates that vital spark of life and brings energy into what you do. It goes with the words passion and enthusiasm. Can you achieve much without those qualities? Perhaps. But you wouldnt get very far.

So here are some of the things I do to create more energy and heat. Pls note tho, that if you already have a fiery constituion, some of my recommendation could cause an imbalance. It could show up as heart burn, indigestion, irritablity, anger....so remember to always check in with yourself. It would be good starting point to familiarize yourself with the doshas(vata, pitta, kapha) & figure out which type is more dominant.

♥ Drink warm-hot ginger water first thing in the morning. I dont always drink it with ginger. But it adds a bit more to the interal heating if you need it. And having a slice ginger before meals assists with digestion.

♥ Agni is highest during noon so it makes sense for lunch to be your biggest meal of the day -not breakfast, not dinner but at lunch. I try to add spice or chilli flakes to my lunch to give it an extra boost as well.

♥ This might sound crazy but I drink hot water when I workout. It makes me sweat more.

♥ I used to take energy/fat burners when I first started working out. It not a very healthy thing to do but I used it to help get me to the gym and help me keep going to the gym. On occasion I still take one if Im being a lazy & i need a kick in the butt. This is my last last resort tho. Its counter-productive since my motives have shifted to becoming more health conscious rather than solely focused on weight loss.

{Hydroxycut}: This is the first fat burner I tried. It had ephedra in it. tsk tsk. I didnt like it cos it made me feel so anxious and sketchy. For some reason if I took it consecutively each day a weird cough would start to develop. I thought it was just in my head but after a few times of testing it, my theories were correct. I have no idea why it did that but i stopped taking it right after

{abs+}: useless. i didnt keep taking these at all. no effect. na-da.

{Heat}: Im sad they stopped making this bcos this was my favorite. It really got me jumping up to go to the gym and it didnt give me the jittery feeling that Hydroxycut gave me. I had so much natural energy. I felt it in my body not in my head. If that makes sense. I felt so positive. I sweated a lot and I think I sound like I may have been addicted to it. I guess it was a good thing they stopped making it. Looking back I think I depended on it bcos when I ran out it took me a while to get back into the swing of being so insanely motivated to exercise. So the lesson is: dont depend on these things or get too attached to any of the tips Im sharing. Use them as tools to help you but remember that your health is always number one.

{Lipo 6}: The guy at the store recommended this to me after he told me they stopped making Heat. I didnt like this at first bcos it gave me a weird head buzz. But I continued anyway. I eventually started liking it halfway thru. Helped heat up my body and i sweat more while I worked out but as for energy I didnt feel any different.

{Ripped freak}: hmm. I dont know yet. I've only taken it 4 times. I think its bcos I dont have the desire to take fat burners anymore. This one gets in my head too and I dont like it.

♥ I fell into buying this body heating lotion. Its popular in Asia and it claims to heat up your body to help you slim down, but I've only used it once so I dont know how effective it is. I didnt enjoy using it at all bcos it makes your body feel sticky and dirty. Kinda like you've been rolling around in honey. I think I'll try it again in the shower but its kinda besides the point since its only gonna wash off. it doesnt even have a nice consistency to go on smoothly and evenly.
I think I'll give this product a second try. I'll let you know how it goes. I got it in Aberdeen Mall in Richmond BC if you guys are interested. Let me tell you tho that it cost me $40 something. EDIT: dont buy it. Save your money. Tried it again and the only thing i like about it is that it smells like cinnamon.

♥ Tea. Drink tea! Chai tea is good. It usually has cardamom in it which is good for weight and fat loss. It improves your metabolism. Green tea is always good too. It aides in the digestion of fat and I drink oolong if i have cravings. It helps surpress them. Especially if Im grabbing for that cookie before dinner.

♥ Hot yoga! This should have been at the very top of my list. lol* But I guess I left the best for last. Where can I even begin to list the benefits of hot yoga. Asana practice has tons of benefits on its own so imagine what the bonus of doing it in a hot room would be.

♥ Practice Pranayama. Its one of the 8 limbs of Ashtanga. Yoga is not complete without these parts. When we hear yoga, us westerners think of it as the physical poses. But the physical poses (asanas) are only one part of it. The practice of yoga covers all these aspects: Yamas, Niyamas, Asana, Pranayama, Prathayara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi. I'll write a post about this on a later date but right now we are going to focus on Pranayama.

♥ Pranayama is the practice of breath control. Its a natural way to create heat inside your body. I try to do this right when I wake up in the morning. It gets my metabolism going & on cold frosty mornings it warms me up. The 2 main types of pranayama that I do most often are: Ujjayi(ocean breath) and Nadi Suddhi(alternate nostril breathing). I find right nostril breathing helps when you are feeling lethargic and lacking in energy and alternate nostril breathing helps balance the left and right sides of your body

♥ For added effectiveness I engage Ujjayi breath while Im doing my asana(physical aspect of yoga) practice. It helps your energy flow to different parts of your body - in the dark little corners where fat hides. I've noticed my muscles are a lot more toned from doing this. If you don't know where to start, try a few Ashtanga yoga classes. You'll learn how to align your breath with each pose.
Here's a youtube video to get you started:
*David Swanson. Go to time: 00:30 This is where he starts talking about breath

Happy Halloween. Here is my creation.
We stayed in tonight and carved pumpkins.
Our plan was to hand out candy but only one group of kids showed. How sad is that? lol*
What did you do for Halloween this year? I'd love to see your costumes.
Comment with a link =)

╔══╗
╚╗╔╝
╔╝(¯`v´¯)
╚══`. unicorns

Flavored mojitos

Mango and grapefruit flavored mojitos are so refreshing
I am desperately holding on to summer memories.
I have tropical blood. I don't do well in the cold

A little sparkle here, a little sparkle there

I want to go over a few new things that I added to my blog just recently and maybe not so recently

♥ Related posts: I want to make my older posts more accessible esp to new visitors so I added the related posts at the bottom of each entry. Easier to navigate and prevents entries from being buried
♥ This goes hand in hand with the Labels I added to my right side column. Same concept but in word form. Here's a baby description of each.

-Beauty: posts on makeup, hair, skin care
-Cindee: personal thoughts, a lil about me, tags
-Creativity: art, projects, creative ppl, artists, ideas
-Daydreaming: my thoughts, inspirational photos
-DIY: do it yourself projects
-Fashion: designs I've created, style tips, fashion elements & design
-Fitness: weight loss, workout tips, gym music, motivation
-Health: posts on living a healthy lifestyle, nutrition
-How to: a mini guide to life
-Links: features links i've collected, loved and want to share
-Outfits: my outfit posts
-Personal Growth: articles regarding personal growth
-Quotes: just like it says. quotes =)
-Spirituality: ideas on how to connect with ur inner essence, holistic systems, authentic living
-Wanderlust: Anything & everything to do with exploring & traveling the world
-Yoga: my insights on yoga, philosophy, practice tips

♥ I have also included a menu underneath my banner. Home, Once Upon A Time, Cindee-rella & Contact Me. Its pretty much an introduction to who I am and what my blog is all about. I plan to add more to this menu later on
♥ Facebook like: I always have fun "liking" things that are posted on FB so I decided to add it to my entries as well. They are at the very bottom of each post
♥ Share: Share posts on ur twitter, FB...etc. Sharing is caring right? hehe. Who remembers the Care Bears?
♥ Made in Calgary/ Made in Vancouver: I have been collecting a list of local bloggers that I enjoy visiting. Some of them are friends and some I have been developing a friendship with. I love it bcos it makes us all more connected.
♥ Links: On my other list of links on the right side column I have collected links that I absolutely adore and think my readers would love too! If your blog/website should be on this list I would be delighted to exchange links with you.

White Blackberry Bold 9700 for sale

SOLD

This was my cute white blackberry with Hello Kitty posing as the Statue of Liberty. Goes so well with the white. Unfortunately it stopped working so I sent it in to get it replaced. In the process of waiting for my new blackberry I impulsively went and bought an iPhone instead. At first i was a lil iffy about it bcos I was addicted to bbm. But now that I have an iPhone I wont ever switch back to berry.
Anyways...long story short. After a week my new berry arrived. Its been un touched...still in its case with the plastic sticker still stuck to the screen(i like to test myself & see how long I can keep my fingers from peeling it off). So if anyone is interested pls contact me.
♥ Model: Blackberry Bold 9700
♥ Color: White
♥ Includes: charger, white case, battery & SD card
♥ Provider: Rogers but you can get it unlocked
♥ Price: $250

Gobble gobble. How to eat turkey

Its thanksgiving in Canada today. So Happy Turkey day!

I had such a huge dinner with my family last night and another one today *rubs her tummy* I think I can do it. I always look forward to these dinners. I just have to learn how to moderate my food intake bcos I can be such a glutton and that's not really what its about. Thanksgiving is about appreciating what we have in our lives and feeling gratitude towards the ppl that have become a part of it. I lose sight of these things from time to time when I live inside my head and forget to live in the present moment.

So this thanksgiving, when you eat your turkey, eat the drumstick first hehe and become mindful of the abundance we have in our lives.

Cake artist

One of the things that really excites me is when i meet very talented ppl. You can tell that the things they create and express are coming from their heart. So today I'd love to share with you a piece of sweetness that I think you'd very much enjoy as well.

When I say a piece of sweetness I meant it literally. This girl creates such delightful looking cakes and desserts that are as appealing to the eyes as they are appetizing to the tummy. But then, I always have a hard time eating things that look too lovely =P

See for yourself.

♥ Tell us a little about yourself, what is it that you do?
My name is Jeanie Lam, and I recently graduated from SAIT's Baking and
Pastry Arts Program. I specialize in wedding cakes and special occasion cakes (ex.
Baby Shower cakes, Birthday cakes, etc..).

♥ Where are you from & how did you get into this industry?
I was born and raised here in Calgary, Alberta.
I've always enjoyed baking and making pastries. Growing up, watching my
grandpa make moon cakes every year with different designs and different fillings
and the little 3D piglets. He was inspiring.
I also loved watching all the different challenges they would have on the
Food Network and awed at all the competitors. I wanted to be like the competitors
on those show, or even like Buddy from Cake Boss. They're so inspiring and creative.
My friends would always tell me to go to SAIT and take the baking and pastry arts
program, since I baked all the time for farewell parties or birthday parties. So I
applied, went thorugh the course interview and got in. Survived two years of studies
and hands-on work and now here I am just steps away from fulfilling my dream.

♥ What did you deam of becoming when you were a little girl?
Growing up I always wanted to become a pediatrician. I never even considered
becoming a baker or a pastry chef. Now when I think back to it all, I'm not even
sure why I had that desire dream of becoming a pediatrician. In junior high I had
that dream and even wrote that in the year book and on a piece of paper that went
into our time capsule. I guess we don't know what we really want to be until we
really grow up and think about what we really want to do with the rest of our lives.

♥ What inspires you when you are creating a piece of work?
When I receive a cake order, I ask the client who it's for and if they can tell me a
little bit about the person it's for. Whether they have a cake in mind or a picture
they would like to use as their template and we go from there. I give the client my
ideas and suggestions and draw up a cake with both of out ideas. I always try to
spice up the cake with my own designs and combine that with the persons characteristics
and personality.

♥ What services do you provide (custom, from catalog...etc)?
Most of the cakes that I've created are custom. Some of the others
are templates from catalogs with my own little twist.

♥ Use three words to describe your creations?
classy, moderate, and creative


♥ So if we are interested in ordering from you, how do we go about?
E-mail right now is the best way to contact me.
jeanie.lam@hotmail.com
send me an e-mail, with details about the order and when you
need the cake or desserts. Preferably two weeks before the event,
that will give both of us time to discuss the details of the cake.

Wanderlust Wednesday - Langkawi Lagoon, Malaysia

Run away with me!

I've decided to start a Wanderlust theme on Wednesdays. Since traveling and exploring are my most favorite thing, I want to share my discoveries & experiences with you. It delights me to capture memories onto film and it would feel wrong and rather unsatisfying if these photos go unseen. So pls enjoy.

First on my list is a resort called Langkawi Lagoon Resort that we stayed at. On their web site it says that it is a "5 star jewl of Langkawi, Malaysia". Langkawi is a cluster of 99 islands in the NW side of Malaysia & as we would find out soon enough, that it is a place of secrets and legends. As a birthday gift me and my darling sister decided to bring our papa here for his birthday.

When we first arrived at the resort we were greeted with these tropical drinks. It was perfectly refreshing considering how hot and humid it was that day. What are some of your favorite summer-time drinks? I still love my mojitos. Gin gin gin...cin. wait. Mojitos have rum. Not gin....

The rooms were traditional, clean and quite roomy. I thought it was rather cute how they incorporated a bit of modern into their decor, yet still remained true to the culture. Going somewhere exotic wouldnt be the same if the places you stayed at looked like a Hilton. Take me away....I laid on the bed so I could enjoy the air-con but only for a moment. There was something else I wanted to enjoy more. To the beach we go!

The Sea Villas are not attached to the main resort. These suites are what I call honey moon suites. They seem romantically alluring as they stand in these stunning, vibrant waters. Everytime I go somewhere so beautiful I always want my imaginary soul mate to come with me. Now its more than imaginary ♥

As we walked along the path we noticed on the outside of a suite were a fragrant arrangement of flowers. Taking a look closer, it was an entrance to Embunspa. Shall we walk thru the door that leads to bliss? Unfortunately we didnt get a chance to try any of the many services they offer. Perhaps next time? When I come back for my honeymoon? hehe. Asia is definitely one of the best places to go for massages.

She sells seashells by the seashore. She sells seashells by the seashore.

One of my simple pleasures is collecting seashells. Its interesting what kind of treasures you come across. I would like to stumble upon a seacomb adorned with pearls. that's what mermaids use.

This place is so photogenic. Wouldnt you agree? I didnt have to change the settings on my camera or position myself to get good lighting. It was just perfectly and naturally ready for its close up. These photos are obviously photoshopped for my own amusement but the originals didnt need to be retouched at all.

This resort was definitely a jewl and very pleasing to all my senses. Everything is so peaceful during the day and also at night. You can hear the stars twinkle as the waves gently arrive at shore....the slight breeze makes the leaves of the palm trees dance - expressing itself thru them. Stars, waves, breeze and leaves gather nightly to tell stories of the legends of this Island.