What a race! Congratulations to Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who led from start to finish and crossed the finish line just 0.2 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel followed by his teammate Mark Webber - much to my father’s delight. But poor Lewis Hamilton! How I feel for him, failing to finish the last two races must be giving his self-esteem a serious knock. Here’s hoping things improve and he manages to climb back on top of the Championship ladder. With just four races to go and four drivers within 21 points of each other, this is still anyone’s race….

If you’re having F1 withdrawal symptoms, get your fix at the new Ferrari store at Marina Bay Sands. At the 38th Ferrari store to open worldwide, you’ll find a wide range of memorabilia, model cars, Cavallino sportswear and leather accessories to splurge on, plus  a life-size Ferrari F1 car in the window. Get a preview here

If the increased traffic on the roads is anything to go by there must be lots of visitors in town for this weekend’s high octane action. Collecting my father from the airport the other night I managed to get lost around Marina Bay trying to get onto the ECP. Luckily I was early, so I was able to relax and enjoy the confusion by pretending to be an F1 driver for a while. I’m sure cruising under the bright lights in my VOLVO isn’t the same as Lewis Hamilton speeding around the circuit in his McLaren Mercedes, but I had fun!

It’s no secret who I’m hoping wins the championship - Lewis Hamilton has a very tough fight ahead of him but I’m praying he can still pull it out of the bag. You can read all about how he and the rest of the McLaren team are acclimatising to Singapore here. If Mark Webber wins my Dad will be jumping for joy… c’mon Lewis!!! The current tally is:
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For more stats, check out the official F1 website here and if you’re eager to get your mitts on some of the few tickets left click here

If you’re heading to the track during the day don’t forget your sunscreen and a hat and read this if you’re keen to take a break from race track action and perve on The Chippendales, dance with Jenson Button or catch Mariah Carey, Adam Lambert and Missy Elliott live on stage!

I’ve lived in Singapore for 11 years, my husband for 12. I’m currently on an Employment Pass and he’s a PR. He - and many others - keep asking me why I don’t become a PR.Hmmm… the thought I could have benefited from employer’s contributions towards CPF all these years does bug me. But my reasoning has always been I can save my own money and decide where I want to put it myself. Problem is I don’t think handbags and shoes have an increasing market value! I’d also lose a few other company benefits that would be equalised. So for me, it’s been a no - to date.

Senior Minister Goh’s recent comments make me think being an EP holder is not a bad thing. I was really surprised at the vitriol some heartlanders obviously feel towards PRs, but I guess if the situation is not carefully managed they would feel the impact within the job market and and of course within the housing sector - where prices have been known to soar and crash by up to 40% in a year. You can read more about the Senior Minister’s interesting responses to some probing questions from Singaporeans here

Then this morning, I was surprised to hear Class 95 DJ Glenn Ong - who to this point I had always found quite sexy and fun - pass comment that he can’t stand "smartarse ang mohs". At first this ticked me off. But then I realised I also group some people into a stereotype. Particularly those who live in our island home who cannot drive, but for some unknown reason have been issued a driver’s license without understanding the concept and consequences of not indicating and then cutting in on other drivers. So, I can forgive him for grouping us together - it happens. 

But hopefully to those Singaporeans I come into contact with daily and those who know me personally , they recognise me as a fellow island-dweller, considerate person and a grateful ang moh - rather than one of the smartarse variety…

Further to Friday’s post I can report my first day at Body Temple’s Running Club was a success! Admittedly I was second-last in the pack, but I hear it’s not about where you place - it’s about finishing. Hmmm whoever came up with that gem probably placed last all the time…

Still, I managed to run/walk 2.5km and have done the same again this morning. Whether I’m on track for the Great Eastern Women’s 10K on October 31 remains to be seen. But as registration is closing shortly I might just sign up anyway. Let’s face it, to walk 10km would take me about 1 hour and 40 minutes, so worst case scenario that’s an option - but not one I want to fall back on. I’m off to Oz for 10 days on Thursday night for my parent’s joint 60th birthday celebrations, so here’s hoping a more temperate climate allows me to build up my distance and improve my pace.

Another fitness find I’ve been hearing good things about is Speed Institute at Turf City - fast becoming a favourite with once-yummy mummies, who need a push in the right direction and work out after dropping their kids at school. The one-hour group circuit is challenging and sure to work up a sweat - as long as you focus on strengthening your glutes, rather than your jawbone from too much yacking! They also offer youth and adult exercise, goal and sports specific programmes for professional and amateur athletes, as does TriBob - renowned for supporting triathletes and marathon runners.

If burning off calories on the dancefloor is more your style I can recommend two very different options - ballroom dancing and pole dancing! The St Regis Singapore hosts an Afternoon Tea and Tea Dance every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from3pm to 5pm. Enjoy high tea treats with a glass of Champagne, plus - and this is the drawcard - the opportunity to take a twirl on the dance floor with an attractive, professional male dance instructor of your choice. A big hit with Tai Tai’s - who finally have the perfect salve for their husbands’ not-so-discrete indescretions! This is a really fun afternoon out with a group of girlfriends. For those of you intent on keeping your husband’s eyes firmly on the main prize, slip into a pair of high heels and check out Bobbi’s Pole Studio - which started in Oz but now has dance studios in Singpaore and Malaysia. Not only will your new skills liven things up in the bedroom, you’ll also feel more confident, fit and sexy. Trust me, I recently attended the Miss Pole Dance Singapore 2010 competition and those girls have killer bodies. Hanging upside down and twirling around a pole takes an incredible amount of stamina and strength - and builds abs and buns of steel!

And for those of you who wanted to see the "before" shot of my retouched photo - here it is!

OK, so here’s the thing. As I admitted in my Ed’s letter in The Finder Look Good. Feel Great! - our annual health and beauty supplement, free with this month’s issue - I have put on a few kilos recently. I am not happy about it, but I’m having a real struggle overcoming my love for food in favour for developing a healthier attitude to exercise.

Today we shot the cover of our October issue at MacRitchie Reservoir. Seeing as it’s such a beautiful location my lovely colleagues Nyen (Photographer), Mei Yan (Graphic Designer) and I decided to take a few Editor’s - a.k.a. me - photos. What started as a standard exercise quickly led to hysterics - of the funny variety, thankfully - as we tried to capture a "skinny" angle. Now I’m blaming it on the dress, but there was a distinct lack of skinny showing up on film. I declared the fattest shot would be mine to treasure, to look at whenever I was tempted by chocolate or too tired to exercise, to help me continue on my weight-loss quest. Or, we figured, maybe it would be better to doctor a shot and to show me what I could potentially look like if I got my act together.

This the result. Note, the wrinkles seem to have been added (I’m sure!) and what I really need to show you is a side by side shot of the original so you can see the wonders of Photoshop for yourself. Nyen’s gone home, so that will be up on Monday. But until then, I have signed up for a running club and my first day of torture is tomorrow and this picture is going to motivate me to stay on track over the weekend. Although, I am wondering why Nyen felt it necessary to increase my boob size by about two cups… men!

Hi and welcome to Originals’ blog!  Originals has been in motion since March 2003.  After many years sourcing furniture throughout Indonesia, I was drawn to a new feel and direction in styling.  Elements of things I had seen through my travels gradually came together to begin the picture of what the store is today.  The idea of clean and uncluttered interiors, but still warm and sociable as opposed to clinical and minimalist, really appealed.  The calmness and lightness of softer natural toned teak, highlighted with the fresh colors I found in India and has become our signature.  The idea of our blog is to simply tell you about the things that inspire us along our way, along with tips for styling, asking for your feedback on new design ideas and sharing our experiences. Feel free to post your comments or questions any time.

Here’s what you’ll find instore at Originals:

Our basic range of functional furniture for the home is the core of our ‘practical solutions for modern living’ philosophy.  The lines are very simple and clean.  The wood is teak so has beautiful grains and the natural unfinished wood is so easy to mix with crèmes and beiges, or stand alongside many different colour ranges.  Our supplier, Ethnicraft is a Belgian company and I love the quality of both their design and production.  They have a clear outlook of what they want to produce with no compromise on materials.  They believe they have a moral obligation to take environmental issues to heart and reflect this in their whole approach to their business.  They tick all our boxes!

The personality part of what we do comes from discovering in India!  After years of travelling to Rajasthan and surrounding states I now have a few regular suppliers I trust, and have built up an understanding of the type of products and the quality of the finishing we look for.  It is fantastic to travel there and go into their world.  There will always be new discoveries and developments that keep us “always evolving” and I’ll be sharing these experiences with you here.

And the final part of the range is from a small supplier I met 13 years ago in Eastern Java, another place I love to go to.  Production is simple and all handmade.  With the original pieces we find, and the changes we can make, or the simple designs we build, we have a pretty unique edge to Indonesian styling.

One thing we can guarantee is that we will always be changing and evolving at Originals!  We try our hardest to totally respect our customer’s right to have the best service we can give them, or simply feel comfortable and welcome whenever they feel like dropping by the store.  We’re on Facebook too, join us and be updated on our latest news and products!

Geri

In India on a buying trip with Sanje & Sonia