Gimme A Break

My niece has always been very vain. Even as a toddler, she was constantly dressing up her Barbie dolls, putting on makeup for them, fixing their hair. So we were the least bit surprised she has chosen to go to a cosmetology school in Missouri to pursue her life’s calling, as she jokingly puts it. How exciting is that!

We’re absolutely thrilled for her. It’s a passion with her and we just know she’s going to do good and be the best beautician in the world. And can you imagine all the free beauty advice and treatments we’ll be getting after she graduates ?

• wealth from a fire hydrant
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• she’s waving a Rejuvawand now
• beauty advice we could all use
• family event of the year

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Over the Chinese New Year season, I met many relatives I haven’t seen in a long time and one of them is a cousin who recently graduated as a doctor. Wow, talk about the bold and the brainy!

She was telling us about her course and her new job, showing us photos of her at work conducting her rounds and so on. And what really surprised me was the clothes she was wearing which don’t resemble anything a doctor normally wears. Man, those koi uniforms are in bright prints and ever so chic I would never have known she’s a doctor!

Apparently these days, medical professionals have turned fashionable wearing these brightly colored koi scrubs at work. Even the koi scrub pants are in bright plain colors. I’m shocked and impressed! They look like something you would wear to lunch with a girl friend, not to a medical job, know what I mean?

It’s almost revolutionary, I say, seeing as how we’ve always equated medical professionals with rather drab colors. Obviously I was curious as to where she gets this fashionable attire and she says she and her colleagues get their stuff from Scrubs and Beyond. So yeah, it’s all good!

• camos and cardigans I don’t understand
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• blabbermouth
• one boo-boo makes two
• trendy and wearable

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Like I always say, I’m not much of a drinker. I guess I never had much of an opportunity because when I was growing up, we were not much of a drinking family either. Oh sure, we did have special occasions when we would open up a bottle of wine but for the most part, we are water people.

But lately I’ve been reading that it’s good healthwise to have the occasional glass of wine. So I’ve been trying to make it a point to do that. At wedding receptions, I used to instinctly say no when I was offered a glass of wine but now I make it a point to grab a glass .

The other night, at my cousin’s wedding, I had Campo de Borja wine which comes from Spanish wine country where the weather is rather harsh and apparently great for growing some of the best grapes. I admit I was fascinated I got to learn a little about the wine I was drinking .

I still haven’t quite acquired a taste for which wines are good or which colors to be looking for, but I think I’m off to a pretty good start already considering how clueless I can be!

• acquiring a taste for wine
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• red wine noodles

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How would you like to win a $5000 grand prize to ring in the new year? I say, let’s go for it. Abbott Medical Optics Inc. is running the “You Gotta See This” Video Contest where you can do exactly that.

Okay, on with the details which are so simple even your kids can help you with it. All you have to do is make and submit a video in one of the following categories:
• “My contacts are getting in the way of my good time”
• “My favorite sport or activity would be so much cooler with better vision”
• “You should see life after the iLASIK® Procedure”.

Then just call up your friends and pester ask them to vote for you because votes are one of the deciding factors to help you win any of those amazing prizes. So yeah, go ahead and bribe your friends if you have to to increase your chances of winning the Grand Prize of $5,000 (selected from all submitted videos).

Even if you don’t win that, you could qualify for any of category prizes, i.e. 3 First Prizes of a HDTV package valued at $2,500 value, and 3 Second Prizes of the Flip UltraHD camcorder valued at $199.99.

So don’t miss out on your chance. Go check out the iLASIK Video Contest details here. Folks have already started submitting their entries so you’d best get started quick.

• you can bid 4 prizes
• bid for cool prizes
• who knows?
• we won!
• showing them the ropes

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My sister-in-law is a nurse and she works really long hours. It amazes me how she handled raising two kids and working the midnight shift year after year. It must really be tough to be up tending to two kids in the day and then having to go to work at night.

It’s a wonder she doesn’t have eyebags the size of refrigerators! One day, I just couldn’t bear it any more and decided to ask her what’s her secret for looking so fresh even with so little sleep.

Well, apparently nurses have a beauty regime that really perks them up. One of their beauty secrets is to always remove their makeup before they go to bed, no matter how tired they are. Moisturizing is another important beauty regime to keep their skin from looking and feeling worn.

And of course, when they finally do hit the bed, they make it a point to sleep right so they wake up fresher and ready to take on the world. She says I can get all these beauty tips from Scrubs which is an online magazine that she and her fellow nurses are avid fans of.

I dare say we busy moms could use beauty and makeup tips like that. I mean, isn’t our job equally stressful and taxing at times even though we’re only dealing with our kids ?

• catching up on my beauty sleep
• best beautician in the world
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• me and the mosquito

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I washed my car today. Not that it’s that big a deal but for me, it is. Well, for starters, with everything that’s on my plate, having a clean car is not one of my top priorities.

I don’t really care either if people stare at my not-so-clean car. That’s not to say I don’t care about my car. I do. I love it dearly and really want it to look good. But like how some folks need to find the inspiration to write, I need to find the inspiration to wash, you know .

Well, today I found that inspiration. Between the hot dusty mornings and wet rainy afternoons, my car was starting to sport the polka dot look. Great but only if polka dots are back in fashion this season?

In fact, I was so inspired after the wash I decided to give it a shine as well! Yep, I polished the car by hand all by my lonesome . And now that I’ve done it, let me tell you what a fantastic workout that was!

You may have heard or read about housework doubling up as a form of exercise for those who are too busy for the real thing. Mmm, I don’t know. Personally, I have my doubts that sweeping the floor or doing the dishes will do the trick!

But if you’re looking at a good hour’s workout, go wash and polish your car! And if you’re still not beat by then, come on over and give my car a shine! :lol:

• mistaken for Cruella de Ville
• due for a car wash
• depending on the rain
• forget the news
• glimpses of doggie year

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I know many people think H1N1 is a bunch of overhype but being a mother of school-going kids, I have no choice but to be on the alert. I was doing a bit of research on the internet when I came across Scrubs, the nurse’s guide to good living.

At first, it didn’t look to me like I would find anything of interest there since I’m not a nurse but I was pleasantly surprised to find it’s a site with a certain warmth about it and has sections that touch on lifestyle and living that many of us can relate to.

I also found a very relevant article about swine flu with information on how to avoid swine flu, how you would know if you had it, what to do in the event of an outbreak and where to check for the latest updates. Exactly what I was hoping to find.

I also found the comments section useful because you can read other people’s thoughts and concerns that can probably help to allay some of your own. All in all, it’s a pretty well-rounded site that focuses on all aspects of living. I’m definitely going to have to check out the beauty and news and entertainment sections later when I have time.

• refreshing thoughts and perspectives
• compare free cell phones
• where to find sports gear for your kids
• am I doing anything wrong?
• snatch reading

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Working an online business requires me to be at my PC for hours at a time. That plus the fact that the internet can be pretty addictive on its own. So besides working on my business, I’m often surfing for stuff or getting stuck on emails and social networking.

It’s no wonder my back and shoulders ache and I sometimes need to get my kids to massage my shoulders before I go to bed ! Just days ago, a friend gave me a shoulder pain pump after she heard me complaining.

Consider it my Christmas present to you, she said. A really nice touch, I love practical gifts that I can actually use instead of stashing in a corner to collect dust.

So let’s see how I go with my new mechanical massager. At least my kids will be spared having to play reluctant masseuse, heh.

• how to complain effectively
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• taking the headache out of gift-shopping
• leveling the playing field
• ain’t nothin’ I can do ’bout ‘em busy days

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