When In Singapore: Iced Lemon Tea

Every time I decide to cut down on my sugar intake, that's when I would be craving for a glass of Ice cold Lemon Tea. And nothing can compare to how Singaporeans do it. I think I can say that I have tasted the best Iced Lemon Tea in this country. And you do not need to go to fancy restaurants to taste a good one. Even in the nearest Kopitiam, you will get this oh-so-good drink for as low as a dollar and fifty. So if you intend to visit Singapore, stay away from the canned sodas and try this goodness. It's safe, it's sinful yet it's delicious. 

And if you really want to take with you this drink back home, then I can recommend Seasons Iced Lemon Tea. It's the best for the canned version but not as yummy as the ones auntie is making for you. 

Related Entry: http://anapink18.blogspot.sg/2014/04/when-in-singapore-singapore-zoo.html

Repost: The Beatles’ Top 11 Tips to Reinventing Yourself

What advice would you give your 12 year-old self if you could go back in time?  I know I’d warn little Susan not to drink peppermint schnapps at 3AM at that Halloween party in college. I’d also tell her to start learning Italian, since she’d need that language to speak to her future husband. And I’d most definitely tell her to start playing the guitar, that it would come in handy when she reinvented herself as a performing singer/songwriter.

“Huh?” She’d say.  “When I’m a what?“

We’re taught to do what we love, and once we find that “thing”, that’s pretty much all we do for the rest of our lives.

But I’ve found that’s just not true.

I am the Mother of Reinvention…in that I’m a mother and I’ve reinvented myself many times over the years.

From college grad to TV writer/producer to graduate (again!) to Mom to Nashville songwriter to songwriting teacher and performing artist, I’ve worn many hats over the years.  Transformation has been key to my happiness.

A wise songwriter once told me: everything you need you will find in the Beatles. So if you’re thinking of reinventing yourself, here’s a How To Guide, brought to you with a little help from my friends, The Fab Four:

1. Help!

Okay, so you hate what you’re doing for a living.  The first and hardest choice you need to make is whether you want to change your situation or not.  We spend a lot of time yearning for something different, but not actually doing anything about it. If you want to change your career, start doing the homework and laying the groundwork to make it possible.

2. Can’t Buy Me Love

What is success?  Everyone tells us it’s making the big bucks.  But if you don’t like your life, it doesn’t matter if you’re rolling in the dough. When changing careers, everyone tells you to save up some money so you can launch yourself into this new world.  That’s important, but even more important is rethinking what success means to you.  When you consider a radical shift in your career, most of the time that choice is driven by the search for something that is more meaningful or emotionally rewarding. Set yourself up for actual success by measuring success on something more than just financial rewards.

3. When I’m Sixty-Four

You’re never too old to start something new.  Never.  Trying new things is what keeps things interesting.  Yes, I do wish sometimes that I’d started my performing career in my 20’s.  And sure, I’m sometimes jealous of young musicians who can tour 200 days out of the year. Call me a late bloomer.  Or actually a perpetual bloomer. Don’t live with regrets. But you don’t want to look back on your life as something you could have lived. Carpe Diem. You only live once. Be all that you can be. Ahh, so many cliché phrases, and guess what? All of them are true.

4. Within You Without You

I was lucky. I knew what I wanted to do. But sometimes all you know is that you want and need a change. Where do you start? Start with yourself.  First of all, what do you enjoy doing? What skills do you have that relate to that?  What are you good at? Make a list of what you love, what you’re good at, and make a list of jobs that require this skill. Think outside of the box and be creative!  Writing has been the consistent skill that I’ve been able to apply to whatever discipline I’ve worked in.

5. You Can’t Do That

Yet…but it’s never too late to try! Maybe going back to school is the right way to go to help you learn a new skill.  Education is sometimes just the thing to get you started on your new career path.  Switching from TV promotion to music was daunting for me, because I was a singer with no formal music training.  I realized that if I wanted to do this as a career, I had to go back to school to learn the language.  So I quit my job to go back to school and study music at Berklee.

6. Glass Onion

What type of environment do you want to work in?  Do you prefer to be in a career that requires you to be social or would you prefer to work alone?  One of the things I love most about being a singer/songwriter is this balance between the group and the individual.  When you co-write a song, you need to share ideas and collaborate.  When you write alone, it’s just you and the guitar (or piano), and it’s a very personal solitary creative process.  I enjoy the fact that I can have both.

7. All You Need is Love

Having a strong support system in place is key to making a successful career change.  Find two or three people you can count on who will help you support your dream no matter what. When I made the decision to go back to school, it helped a lot that I had the support of my husband and family.

8. Eight Days A Week

You have to be willing to put in the time for the new career to take hold. Ever heard the theory that it takes 10,000 hours to master something? Give yourself the patience to develop and envelope your new role.  As a performing artist, I realized early on that if I was able to accompany myself on guitar, I was a whole lot more marketable (and portable) as a musician.  So, after only using the guitar as a writing tool, I’ve recently started playing the guitar at shows. Only 95,500 more hours to go….

9. The Long and Winding Road

Sometimes one opportunity leads to a different outcome than you expected.  You’ve got to be open to new directions that come your way.  I went to Berklee as a vocal major, so that I could learn music theory etc.  I never imagined that I would discover songwriting and that it would lead to a career in songwriting and my teaching there for the past 15 years. Sometimes the path you’re on leads you to different path, and this new road is the one you’re actually supposed to take.

10. Here, There and Everywhere

The key to finding success in any industry is the community of people who are in that industry.  I hate to call it “schmoozing or networking”.  That implies insincerity on your part.  It’s really making new friends and staying connected to the people who are part of the world you want to join. Make contacts and become part of your new community. Think about what you can do for them, not what they can do for you. As someone coming from a different world, you can probably provide a new perspective, and help them as much as they can help you.

11. I’ll Follow The Sun

When I look back on the twists and turns of my crazy career path, one thing is consistent. I followed my heart.  People change their lives for many different reasons.  In my life, the changes that I made were always because I was chasing what makes me happy. You’ll make mistakes, and it will be hard sometimes.  But go to what makes you happy.  Because, tomorrow may rain, so follow the sun.

Source: http://www.thechangeblog.com/reinventing-yourself/

Pour Donations for Syria

The Ice Bucket Challenge is trending nowadays to help raise fund for providing extensive care for ALS patients, and most especially to fund the study and determine the cure for the disease. ALS - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. Since its popularity, the organization has raised over four million dollars donation in just 1 month and I gotta tell, that means a lot for those suffering the disease and for the organization.

However, let’s not forget the current situation in Syria & Iraq. Due to the ongoing civil war and the aggression attacks of IS militants, there are over four million people who are displaced, with no food, water and job to continue living.  Almost 200, 000 people were killed and the number is still growing. I can’t just take this for granted. This has to stop. Easy to say, but based on the news it will go on for few more years and this means only one thing – an ongoing tragedy in which thousands more will be displaced and hundreds more will be killed. 

I just can’t sit comfortably here and do nothing to extend a helping hand to kids and families. With this, I checked a way to help out. There are many ways on helping out but I chose to donate via World Food Programme. You can donate any amount you are willing to give, it’s the least we can do to make their suffering lesser than the reality. Help feed the hungry. Help for their recovery. 

"The Syrian crisis is now in its fourth year. Having fled their homes to escape the conflict, millions of Syrians are now without jobs, money or reliable access to food. WFP food distributions are going ahead, despite difficulties and in April we dispatched enough for 4 million people. Our greatest challenge right now is getting access to besieged communities inside Syria. WFP is also providing assistance for almost 1.5 million refugees in neighbouring countries."

Here is the link where you can make a donation thru credit card. It’s fast and it’s effective.

https://give.wfp.org/en/629/?step=country&lead_source=2013-wfp-syria-crisispage&form_tag=2013-wfp-syria-crisispage

Thank you WFP for giving me a way to help out. Your cause is my cause, and for others, I hope you make it your cause too.

I Admit to Like These

You know when you like a very popular song but don't want to admit wanting it? It's because the rest of the world wants the song, and you want to be cool not liking it. HAHA, I hate to admit it, but I sometimes pretend not liking a particular song  that is all over the radio/spotify all because the rest of the world loves it. Here's one guilty person. But right now, I am admitting to this crime and revealing the songs I secretly loved when they became hits, and still love until today.

Call Me Maybe
Carly Rae Jepsen

What Makes You Beautiful

One Direction

Beautiful Soul 

Jesse McCartney

(I really love this song. Like really really love)

Like A Love Song

Selena Gomez

Listen some more: http://anapink18.blogspot.sg/2014/08/if-we-listen-carefully.html

When in Singapore: Carousell

De-clutter, re-sell,  just sell, or just BUY. Here is an application you can download on your mobile phones to do those things, CAROUSELL (yup, it's your merry-go-round with an extra L). Carousell is a mobile application you can download on your iPhones and Android devices that allows you to snap and sell. It's widely used in Singapore, so if you haven't tried it yet.... try it NOW.  With limited space on your closet especially us, ladies, this is the best way to de-clutter and free up some space for the new trends in town. It's also for those techy guys who would like to have the latest gadgets available and wish to sell their old ones. It's also for just anything you want to sell out - just make sure they are in good condition of course. And most of all, if you have sellers, all kinds of BUYERS are highly encouraged to participate. I am 100% sure you'll love this application. From SGD5 tops to very good deal cameras, what else could you wish for? Oh probably filters on the search? No problem at all. Carousell does not only provide you a price range filter, and text filters, it does provide you as well a location based search. With the gps on our phones, Carousell can list all the items near your area.. That's right, if you want to arrange for a meet-up or personal collection, it's both convenient for you and the seller. What's more, you can chat with the seller, and follow them. It's just amazing. 

What else are you waiting for? Try it NOW! 

More about this? https://carousell.co/

 



 

If We Listen Carefully

Sometimes we love songs with upbeat melody and we never care of the lyrics. I seldom commit this crime because lyrics are more important to me than melody. But this crime is often committed by many especially when the melody is damn great. Here are some songs worth listening again and this time, take time to listen and understand the message of it. You will surely love them more.

Lady Gaga & Born This Way

There's nothin' wrong with lovin' who you are
She said, 'cause He made you perfect, babe
So hold your head up,
girl and you'll go far

TI, Rihanna & Live Your Life

So live your life, hey
You steady chasin' that paper
Just live your life, oh
Ain't got no time for no haters

Bonnie Bailey & Ever After

And now we're slightly weathered, we're slightly worn 
Our hands grip together, eye to eye through the storm, yet 
I still believe in ever after with you, yeahhhhh 
Cuz life is a pleasure with you by my side, 
And there ain't no current in this river we can't ride 
I still believe in ever after with you 

Good Read: DO YOU FORGET TO FOCUS ON YOUR GOALS?

Because life is never a straight path but a curvy and challenging one. It never was and will never be. _____

I get it. Life happens. It happens big. And it can be distracting. Other people rely on you. Things happen outside of your control.

And usually not just once. But a lot.

In fact, that is really what life is. A series of events that happens – many of which we can’t control.

And if we aren’t careful, we can let all the things that happen derail us from what we really want.

I get asked all the time “How do I stay on track and not get caught up?”

Caught up in what?

Work.
Kids.
Life.
Drama.
A relationship.
Etc.

The key thing is to make a daily practice of remembering what you want. But not just the goals that you want. The feelings that you want to feel.

For the most part – we are emotional creatures. All the goals we set, we set because we want to feel a certain way. This has been one of the core ideas I’ve been teaching for years.

The problem is that many of us go about trying to get the things we want, so we can feel the way we want to feel – in a backwards way.

We show in life to take, rather than give. We try to stress ourselves to peace. Or lack our way to abundance. Or resent our way to joy.

It doesn’t work.

When you think about the goals you want to set – ask yourself – what are the feelings you are actually going for?

Perhaps the finances you want to create are because you want to feel protected and free.

Perhaps you want the relationship so that you can feel love and connection.

Maybe you want the start a business so you can feel worthy.

And all these are wonderful things.

But – we must look at the means to our end. We must start from where we want to end, instead of the other way around.

So, look at your goals. Try to find the emotions you are looking for in setting their goals.

Let’s say it’s – feeling worthy.

So instead of going out and chasing a sense of feeling your worth.

Ask this question: What can I do today to feel worthy?

The answer may surprise you. And how can you remember to never forget this? How can you not get caught up in life?

By making this a daily practice.

Imagine not showering for a month.

The same thing happens to our emotional life when we forget to connect back to what we really want to feel as a daily practice.

So – what do you want to feel today? And what can your new daily practice of remembering be?

Source: http://thedailylove.com/do-you-forget-to-focus-on-your-goals/