I hope you had a great Christmas!

I’m in Oz at the moment and just got back from Rock In The Vines, where I enjoyed great live tunes from Taxiride, Diesel and The Black Sorrows, with my family at Buller’s Winery. Sitting on our picnic blanket and listenting to live music while sipping a crisp white and gazing at the surrounding gum trees, blue skies and bushland was an Aussie experience sure to linger in the memory.

And as the New Year kicks into high gear it’s time to get set to party like it’s 2009 - or should it be 2010? Either way, as you’re farewelling the 12 months just gone and looking forward to all the coming year brings I hope you too enjoy celebrations with those you love. By then I’ll be up north in the hills of Byron Bay - trying to avoid all the drunk backpackers! A quiet dinner at a country restaurant - along with some more live music - is planned, can’t wait. But if I was in Singapore, I’d be checking out these ways of seeing in the New Year. Whether you opt to go clubbing or enjoy a meal with a view of the fireworks, I hope you have a great night and a fabulous year ahead.

Personal and wellbeing coach, trainer and author ELISABETTA FRANZOSO introduces self-responsibility – the first topic of the Wellness Wheel Inventory by John W. Travis M.D.

In my experience as a wellbeing coach I’ve often encountered people who persistently look “out there” for solutions or quick fixes to their problems, only to later discover the answer was within all along.

Reality Check Attempts to find the appropriate therapy, a listening ear or the ideal book with the magical solutions to all your problems, will only leave you in deep frustration. Looking within and assuming responsibility for what you might discover is the only condition for genuine wellbeing.

Insight As a society, we’re used to allowing others to dictate what’s best for us. We give up our “personal power” to teachers who decide what we must learn and how to learn it, to politicians who decide how to use our money and to medical professionals who assume responsibility for our wellness.

              The problem isn’t that we use experts – it’s that we often shift all the responsibility to someone or something other than ourselves, so we won’t have to suffer guilt or shame should we fail. 

Result If you’re reluctant to take responsibility for illness or emotional misalignments, you’ve lost touch with your reservoir of knowledge and intuition, physical body signals and emotional responses. The end result is a power-robbed existence – diminishing of personal freedom, weakened self- concept, guilt and shame.  

Moving Forward By taking responsibility for a problem, you accept you may not have intentionally engineered your current situation and it could have been caused by external factors, but you’re assuming responsibility for how you choose to respond to the situation. Taking responsibility is a true sign of personal growth and maturity.

Q: What is responsibility?

A: Responsibility is defined as “owning the ability to respond to an event”. Taking charge of your life and wellbeing means taking calculated risks, recognising you have choices and are willing to live with the consequences of those choices.

Q: How can I recognise when I’m practising self-responsibility?

A: Regardless of whatever challenges you might face, if you acknowledge there’s a lesson to be learned you can release the blame and embrace the process of assuming full responsibility. A personal coach is able to facilitate this process allowing you to escape denial, release blame and enter the process of true self-responsibility.

Elisabetta Franzoso BA, Dipl.Psych, MSocSc Author of Stella’s Mum Gets Her Groove Back available at bookstores and www.amazon.com
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Join Elisabetta’s public workshops, Communication in 4Dimensions at Singapore Institute of Management. For further information email info@insideoutyou.com or call 6465 4605.

Elisabetta Franzoso is a highly self-driven coach and motivator who focuses on communication, self-expression and wellbeing. Her passion is to empower people to achieve excellence and transformation from the inside out. To complete your Well-Being Inventory Index and get your detailed personal Health and Wellness Assessment, contact Elisabetta and her team of professional Life Coaches, Psychological Counsellors, Fitness Trainers, Nutritionists, Physicians and Body Therapists.

Dr Francine Chia of SMILEFOCUS reveals how fluctuating hormones can play havoc with your dental health.

A woman experiences hormonal changes at various stages throughout her life. Fluctuating hormone levels during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause and post-menopause can cause swelling and changes to the gums – subsequently increasing the risk of tooth and gum diseases. Be vigilant with your oral hygiene, especially during the following stages of your life:

Pregnancy The nausea and vomiting often experienced during pregnancy causes acid from the stomach to enter the mouth, promoting tooth decay. It’s important you don’t brush with toothpaste straight after vomiting, as this removes the natural alkaline – potentially increasing damage to the enamel from the acid. Instead, use a fluoride mouth rinse to neutralise the acid.
          If morning sickness makes cleaning your teeth “impossible”, try using a child-sized toothbrush and avoid frothy toothpastes as they contains Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS), which causes and worsens mouth ulcers by drying out the protective mucous lining in the mouth. Most importantly, don’t stop your normal dental routine, as the long-term effects can be quite nasty. Tender gums are aggravated by hormone changes and are more likely to harbour bacteria, causing plaque to form, which further damages the gums and causes gingivitis. This predisposes you to infection and inflammation of the tissues around the teeth, also known as periodontitis, which can damage the bones supporting the teeth. A recent study suggested periodontal infection increases the likelihood of a premature birth or infants with low birth weights, which may in turn increase your child’s risk of health problems and disabilities in the future.

Menopause The gradual decline in female hormone levels during menopause can create oral problems such as burning sensations in the mouth, dry mouth or a bad taste. Gums may also become sore and sensitive. Close attention to oral hygiene is imperative, as you’ll be more prone to tooth decay. Regular brushing, flossing and a professional scale and clean by your dentist is recommended. Chewing sugarless gum may help in the case of a dry mouth and can also eradicate unpleasant tastes.
Osteoporosis is common post-menopause, so ensure you have sufficient calcium, vitamin D and magnesium in your diet to maintain a healthy jaw bone to support your teeth.

          Birth control pills and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) can also affect oral hygiene, so do pay close attention to your oral health daily and visit your dentist for regular check-ups.

Dr Francine Chia
B.D.S. (Adelaide)

Searching for the ideal way to catch up with friends before Christmas? Here’s my pick of the best:

• Sail away on Asha - a stunning 48 foot catamaran which can host up to 20 people on a day or sunset cruise, leaving Marina at Keppel Bay for Singapore waters - or the islands of Malaysia and Indonesia if you’re looking at an overnight or weekend break. Split the $2,000 charter fee between you, choose a menu to suit and Bring Your Own Booze - no corkage charges apply! And if you book a charter on Asha or her sister vessel Tahnee between December 24 and 31 you’ll also receive a free bottle of Moet & Chandon. Cheers!
• Do High Tea with the girls at COVA Pasticceria in Paragon at just $35 for adults and $18 for children aged five to 12 years. Festive treats include fruit cake and Champagne-infused pannacotta - yum! On Christmas Eve, hip by Suntec City for some last minute shopping and then visit Conrad Centennial’s Lobby Lounge where afternoon tea is served at just $24.
• Flying out of town next week? Chill out with friends at St Regis this Sunday where brunch will set you back $168 but includes unlimited servings of Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2003 - an elegant toast to 2009.
• Ready to party? Gaze at the Orchard Road lights and then get your groove on at KPO - the old Killiney Road Post Office, opposite The Dubliner. If it’s too much for the boys they can always head across the road for a Guinness! If you’re up for a boogie, head to Stereolab/Stereolounge on the ground floor of Pan Pacific Singapore and get ready to g-r-o-o-v-e.
• If a wine bar is more your thing, check out Wine Connection at Robertson Walk - the vibe is always relaxed and the prices cheap, cheap lah.
• For a family ooh-ahh experience, be sure to check out the Christmas lights at Singapore Botanic Gardens . Where the sounds of Agapella singing Christmas carols at a free open-air concert on the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage from 6pm to 7pm this Saturday and Sunday night (December 19 & 20). Brink a blanket and a picnic basket and soak up the Christmas spirit.

Cheers!

If you haven’t been caught up in the Twilight buzz it’s about time you got with the picture - literally!

This engrossing series of four books by Stephenie Meyer has audiences of all ages spellbound and I didn’t believe the hype until I got hooked myself. I managed to catch New Moon - the second book in the series, now a film - in Gold Class over the weekend.  A girlfriend booked out the entire cinema so a group of us could weep over Bella’s (Kristen Stewart) heartbreak, sigh over Edward’s (Robert Pattinson) slow-mo moves to pulsating beats and drool over Jacob’s (Taylor Lautner) impressive abs in relative privacy.

As a girlfriend in Oz who’s just caught the flick commented, "We screamed along with the tweens as soon as Taylor Lautner took his top off… his body must be illegal it’s so outrageous!" And I have to concur, as he derobed I emitted an audible "Holy moly" myself. You have to see it to believe it, but I am now seriously concerned over the appreciation I have for this boy’s body - especially as he’s almost 20 years my junior! Taylor Swift is one lucky girl…

My advice is to read the books (they’re impossible to put down) before you see the movie, so you can fully grasp what’s going on. But it’s not mandatory, you’ll still "get it".

And let me know if Taylor’s rock-hard abs shift you from Team Edward (Irni, I’m swaying!) to Team Jacob… I think I’m going to stick with the 109-year old - at least I’ll avoid getting arrested!

This morning I awoke to complete silence - something I haven’t experienced in a long time. Usually, at our place, the "cock-a-doodle-doo" of our resident wild cockerel - known as The Colonel, Mr Chook Chook, or cheekily, KFC - reverberates from around 5:30am. But yesterday he dropped dead. Just like that! I don’t know what the average lifespan of a chicken is, but Google puts it at around 15 years. He only flew in to first visit us about three years ago, but who knows how long he’s been waking up the neighbourhood. Maybe that was the problem…

He’d fly in for a feed every morning at 6:30am and when I left for work at 8:30am he was preening in front of the mirror we’d bought him - thinking a "friend" might calm down any excessive noise. By 10am my part-time helper had found him underneath our bedrooom window, not a mark on him, but certainly not alive. Now I’m wondering if he had a heart attack over his reflection, although the sight of a "fellow chook" would fascinate him for hours, so I doubt it. A neighbour said she saw the monkeys playing with him - but they normally stick to themselves and he must have already been dead, as they’ve been known to spirit away injured birds, but are unlikely to take away (literrally) anything already dead.

So he’s either choked on something he mistook for food, or he’s had a heart attack. Poor Chook Chook, we really will miss you - you were part of our rural slice of Singapore… and there goes the chicken I’d defrosted for dinner!

Whether you’re a bookworm, panto pirate, fitness fanatic or savvy fashionista, there’s plenty going on in Singapore this weekend to keep you occupied! Check out the following events, sure to keep every member of the family entertained:

FAMILY FUN A Right Rubbish Christmas, presented by Centre Stage, is a panto-style Christmas production sure to have kids young and old rolling in the aisles. Dec 3-6, Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel. Tickets: $45-adults & $35-children, www.centre-stage.com

BOOKWORM BLISS Buying books can be an expensive business, but the Penguin Books Warehouse Sale has oodles of fascinating tomes - fiction, non-fiction, children’s, reference, lifestyle, business and more - at heavily discounted prices.
Dec 3-6, 10am-9:30pm. Singapore Expo Hall 6B. Tickets: Free.

FASHIONISTA FROLIC Any glamourpuss worth her steel-capped stilettos knows how to spot a fashion find at 20 paces and this weekend FashBash and MAAD have joined forces to ensure you’ll make it through the silly season looking your absolute best, without breaking the bank. As they say, "two days, two bazaars, too frickin’ awesome" - indeed.
Dec 5 & 6, 11am-7pm. Red Dot Design Museum. Tickets: Free.

MARATHON MAYHEM Hot-foot it down to the Padang early on Sunday morning to motivate the 50,000 fitness fanatics running in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon . Quedos to all those taking part, whether you’re a 10km newbie, 21km pacer or a 42km sta-maniac. Cheer squads take note: support at random points along the course (see map) - not just the finish line - is always appreciated and NEVER say, "Good job, you’ve only got 20km to go!" Dec 6, Start: 5:30am.  

AIDAN BAILEY reports how currency fluctuations can veil the real issue of understanding the importance of an asset’s holding currency.

Following nearly a decade of stability, the recent volatility experienced in the Foreign Exchange Market (FX) has not only taken the financial world by surprise, it’s also upset the plans of international investors and expatriates.

          When planning finances across the globe it’s imperative to take the power of the currency into consideration. If you’re from the UK, living and spending in Singapore will have you thinking in terms of Great British Pounds (GPB) or Singapore Dollars (SGD). But if your long term goal is to retire in Europe, you really need to start building a portfolio in Euros (EUR).

          Currency management can be a mug’s game, so unless you have the utmost confidence in your research, never try to “time the exchange”. It’s always best to accumulate assets at a gradual and steady pace through regular savings or transfers of capital.  Set up regular transfer or deposit dates and stick to a predetermined action plan. Should certain external factors be advantageously aligned, you can always add lump sums on an ad hoc basis.

          When investing across currencies or converting currency always be wary of “red herrings”. A Euro investment policy which invests in European equities will not only expose you to the Euro, but also other European currencies outside of the Euro. Assuming the fund’s assets are spread among European stockmarkets and weighted according to relative capitalisation, this fund could carry 30 percent of its exposure to non-Euro denominated assets.

          Avoid being misled into believing a fund denominated in Euros offers added security over a fund in an alternative currency denomination. Once you strip away the denomination issue you’re left with the nature and currency of the underlying assets – this should be your real focus. If you believe the Euro will increase in strength, choose a Euro Currency Fund, Euro Bond Fund or a Euro Equity Fund.

Currency Case Study

Q. I invested US$100,000 in a USD denominated UK Equity Growth Fund and the USD/GBP exchange rate moved from 1.6 to 3.0. Should I be worried?   

A. Not at all, you’re actually protected because of the currency of the assets held within the fund. On making your initial investment, your cash was converted into a Sterling denominated asset: USD100,000/1.6 = GBP62,500. If the market had remained stable this wouldn’t have changed. But if you sell the assets now, your investment will be converted to cash at the new exchange rate of USD3 to GBP1. Therefore your investment would result in: £62,500 x 3 = USD187,500. A marked increase!

Aidan Bailey BA (Hons) CertPFS AWP^CM 

General Manager Singapore, International Division