Why you should look out for Watsons You Awards

Because I am one of the finalists competing to win the Healthy Hair Award.

And because you can help to support me.

Watsons celebrates everyone's the beauty in everyone's uniqueness with You Awards 2009 - For me, I found pride in my crowning glory.

Although I have the habit of saying that I have the messiest hair on earth, my healthy, long tresses defines me as a woman and I stride with greater confidence on good hair days. Being the queen of Vanity town, it is one of those things that you hardly notice when it falls in place, and then fret like hell when its too flat, too greasy or it's too kinky.

Why I want to win this contest

• If I win, you as my voter stand a chance to win attractive prizes such as a $100 Watsons voucher from Watsons
• I want to win the $2,000 to buy air-con for my house (Yes, I do not have air-con in my house)
• You get to see me making silly faces in Watsons brochures with my 1 year modelling contract
• Because I've never won a single contest in my life (Varsity Pageants that I got sabo-ed into doesn't count)
  
• Because I need to know that this works the legitimate way, and I do not have to pay people from China 10 yuan to vote for me 10 times everyday.
• Recession. I can smell a bonus cut hurling in my direction
• Because my hair IS REALLY VERY NICE

And here's how you can help me

Check out my profile under Healthy Hair when you log on to http://www.watsonsyouawards.com.sg/ or you can link directly to my voting profile [HERE]
and VOTE for me!!! Isabelle Neo (A2)

Simply fill in the blanks which include your name, email address, and mobile phone number

Each person can only vote from 1 computer once a day, with 1 email address, so that people like me wouldn't be able to play cheat. The tag your IP address or something, but you can vote intensively everyday for 14 days straight.

SO yea, vote for me. Pretty PLEASE????

Do Singaporeans dress badly?

Singaporean's fashion scape is a unique one. On one end of the sprectrum, teenagers roaming the malls in beach shorts and slippers are a common place, and on the other, executives in Raffles place are so impeccably dressed in their tailored power suits of fine silk and premium cotton, that you spend the entire MRT trip home engineering your outfit for the next day, so that you won't feel out of place.


Singaporeans the cosmopolitanders
Singapore is a melting pot for many cultures around the world. Consequently, the dominant style is probably inspired by a mixture of cultures that we are exposed to.

Mid-range to high end international fashion brands have set up shops in town, niche boutiques mushrooming across the heartlands, and even the online world is bursting at its seams with the abundance of online shopping sites. The popularity of spree communities means that we (ME!) shop for clothes all over the world at the click of a mouse.

We take inspiration from British High Street fashion and the whimsical dreamy sillouttes synonymous with Korean Pop; we devour fashion blogs and celebrity watch for the latest IT bag and bomber jacket. We take a pinch of this and a bit of that, formulating into something that we call our own.

Perhaps you could say that we weren't very fashion savvy and looked a bit gong in the early 90s, but a decade later in 2009, Singaporeans are pretty discerning when it comes to grooming and making ourselves to look good.


Singaporeans the sensible dressers
I wouldn't use "trendsetters" to describe Singaporeans, and depending on which of our regional sistas you speak to, you'd probably get a variation of that observation.

But if you ask me, I think that Singaporeans are sensible in the way we make themselves look good, balancing comfort and style. Basking in the 32 degrees celsius heat almost everyday would make wearing fur coats look very silly, and in this kind of heat, hair flops and makeup melts...Nuff said.

After all, we are fashionably snooty enough that during my trip to Vietnam, my companions and I were sniggering at how the Vietnamese women had no qualms about roaming the streets at 5pm in their matching yellow daisy flower and pink polka dot PJs with pleated hair.

It makes sense that our staple wear is an ensemble of the tube top/singlet variation with short skirts.

Should people wearing their PJs out?

The Spring Summer Collection 09 debuted at Milan saw high-end designer brands, from Prada to Jean Paul Gaultier, ditch the stiff power suits in favour of a softer and more sumptuous trend: Pyjamas. Or what the big guys like to call "Luxury Loungewear".

So has sleepwear become the new outerwear?

I can image in image conscious Singapore, the idea of running around town in one's PJ might raise a few plucked eyebrows. But in my opinion, it all boils down to one's skill in pairing.

Forget about the cotton plaid fannel pyjamas with a matching blouse and bottoms, keep those at home; In fact, don't consider a matching satin one as well - those are reserved for Kungfu practitioners. Neither am suggesting that one consider wearing a half see-through negligee from Victoria's Secret. Even the slinky polka Dolce and Gabanna set that Jessica Alba donned for the Hollywood movie premiere might get you mistaken for a Geisha wannabe.

Instead go for a fine boudoir-inspired alternativemodernas suggested by the pretty Deputy Editor of STYLE: magazine, May Yip.

I thought the pairing of a kimono PJ with a modern gold skirt was brilliant.

Or you could do it like me, a couple of looks that are PJ inspired - relaxed, loungey and luxurious. Most importantly, good enough to hit the streets.

- Pair a long, diaphanous soft cotton drawstring pyjamas trouser with a fitted (and short) modern top, that barely graze the belly-button. I can see me sipping hot lemongrass in pretty china teacups at Dempsey on Sunday.

- Pair a silky PJ top with a high-waisted tight skirt. Add a dash of blusher, lipstick and slip on killer heels. You are ready for Raffles Place, and your colleagues wouldn't even guess that you just rolled out of bed!

The rest of my ugly Piyo Piyo an Hello Kitty PJ sheaths violates my fashion reputation, therefore my examples stop here, until I get nicer PJs for myself. :)

Geekess VS Smart bimbo

Which is more attractive:

A Geekess or a Smart Bimbo (sans the big breast)?

The Intern

In the week that I was away gallivanting in Vietnam, a new intern came into our office.
Since there was an empty spot at my desk, she was asked to fill my space until I am back from vacation.
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I arrived at work unusually early that morning, and happily returned to my seat.

About half an hour later, the intern arrived in the office and made a beeline to the seat that she has grown accustomed to in the past 1 week, which of course I was perched prettily on.

Intern (to me): Isabelle?
Me: No, it's Muthu.
Intern: Where's Isabelle? And why are you sitting on Isabelle's seat? So where am I supposed to seat?
Me: Isabelle vas eaten up by me. Hee Hee Hee, and now I am going to eatchu!

The intern started crying.

Intern: Why, you are a horrible, horrible person and I hate you!
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Fine... that didn't happen. The intern wasn't a bimbo, and the conversation above didn't happen beyond the 1st line.

Being the nice AE that I am, I showed her to her new seat, and brought her some draft paper from my stash to doodle on.

But if I didn't talk about what went on in my head, there wouldn't be an entry, would there?

My Vampire Chronicles

I've always been intrigued by the charismatic and sophistication of Vampires portrayed in modern fiction (the disgusting ones in Buffy are an exception). But as a general rule of thumb, most vampires that I've came across are mysterious, sensual and powerful blood suckers that have held my fascination for as long as my memory went.

Some friends and I have been musing upon the idea of dressing up as vampires, when we finally got down to it last Saturday.

Contrary to what one might think, there was no cheesy plastic fangs and messy bovine blood trailing off anyone's neck. Through the clever use lighting, some expert styling and Underworld-inspired costume: full thigh-high boots, corsets that suck your breath out and flasher leather coats, the shoot was laid out to depict a vampire's surreal existence, stylized solitude and animalistic sensuality.

We focused on 2 key ingredients that makes up a vampire:

1) Haunting eyes.

Although I might have fall slightly short of achieving that, but the idea is that the typical Isabelle "cow" face doesn't show.

2) Sleek but deadly poise of a vampire

And of course not forgetting the disputes stemmed from their territoriality.

Me on Creative Vado HD Camcorder

Working on tech and digital PR has its perks. Everytime the company gets a cool new gizmo, you are the first to test it out. I doubt the alcohol team gets to guzzle down buckets to Champagne/Whisky before the event itself.

So for the event this Saturday, my company ordered this cool gizmo, Creative Vado HD Camcorder from Creative for me, which delivered within a short 24 hours.

I was hyperventilating when it came because not only was it cool and compact, it's totally idiot proof and really easy to use.

Complete with 8GB of memory, and cool movie editing functions, like adding music, effect and all the la-dee-dum, videos can also be automatically shared on various online platforms in just a matter of seconds.

So presenting my virgin movie, created by me, directed by me, and starring me...

*Eh clap la!!*

Jetting off to Bali for the Easter Holidays

Escaping into the lush greenery nestled somewhere within Bali's cultural paradise, Ubud.

By a stroke of luck, I managed to catch Air Asia's lunchtime promotion, for a vastly discounted round-trip to idyllic Bali and back.

Image by John Liow

*I will try to upload the view from the front porch of my 2-storey villa, with paddy field view and outdoor bath, onto tweetpic if they have wireless in the wilderness. (That's why we need WiMax)

See ya sucker~ Woots.