Amber cracks me up!

The Shape Run at the Lake Gardens drew about 2000 participants. I was shocked so many people showed up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday to run either 5, 8 or 10kms. I opted for the 5km fun run which nearly killed me, I tell you. To start off with, I had to be there at 630am sharp and my eyelids were finding it difficult to stay open.

Hey, that's my cameraman, Adam from Health Buzz.

He had to film my back for the opening intro of the Health Buzz segment

All the ex cover girls had to run with their cover on their backs. Great idea in theory but bit embarrassing la in practise ;)

Sham, Jay and I were giving out free music CD's from MIX fm

It was an incredible turn out but no worries on the "scary number of people in the race" coz I was in the fun run which had no prizes anyway but Daphne noticed I scooted off so quickly at the start. She was teasing me on being "kiasu" I know, I know, it was just a fun run but I was trying to see if I could do it without stopping. The long flight of stairs made that impossible tho. What a killer!

Just as well I did all that stretching before the race or my calves would've cramped up when I was climbing those torturous stairs.

At the finishing line, Amber appeared out of nowhere looking fresh as a daisy. I was confused because I hadn't seen her earlier.

Jay, Daphne Iking and I were red in the face and utterly exhausted so we asked Amber what race she was in and she said "oh, I just arrived. I ran for at least 5 mins all the way from the car park!" We burst out laughing. Jay was saying "aiya, no wonder your mascara is not even smudged" I would've laughed harder but I was so tired. It was really good of her to show up but she missed the entire run! For the rest of us, we had just enough energy (Amber had heaps) to take a few snap shots :)

You know there was this one time I had to say a few lines in Mandarin which I don't speak at all for a TVC. I figured I'd ask Amber for help. How hard can it be, right? I had NO idea it would take me so long to accurately pronounce just a paragraph of Mandarin. She agreed to meet me at a cafe for lunch. A few hours later with a lot of giggles in between with all my numerous mistakes, we were still there and I was really struggling with all the tones. Amber was so patient with me. She took time out to bring me through the script. She even recorded her voice so I could listen to it at home as a guide. I told her to please come to me if she needed any help whatsoever in English. I'm glad I was able to return the favour not too long after our "Mandarin episode" because she needed some help to plan an English speech for one of her endorsements. She's improved so much from when I first met her! Wish I could say that about my non-existent Mandarin ;)

At the hair salon

Dynas and me share the same hairdresser but I think I may have been with him the longest. I met Rick about 8 or 9 years ago and I've moved wherever he's moved. He's currently in Uptown and his salon is huge! (It's called Sense Studio) He has like the whole floor. I'm so proud of him because his first salon was like a shoe box compared to what it is now :) It's been really nice seeing him grow.



ah, here's Rick. He was relieved I cut my one length long curtain of hair when I first met him because it's good to play around and have change. He said "Oh my God, your hair is SOOO long, Jojo. It's nice, it's healthy and really boring" Oh did I tell you another reason why I like Rick? He's totally blunt with me. Doesn't beat around the bush. Just tells me straight. He would see me in a magazine and say "what did they do to your hair???" and I would know he didn't like the shot but if he did, he would say I looked good if he really thought so :) so at least I'll always get an honest opinion.




"So when you wanna cut it, please come to me. I'll be waiting with the scissors" (seriously, he was!) I stubbornly kept my long hair for a few years at least and Rick was kind enough to give it treatments whenever it was getting dry (he never charged me so I didn't charge him either whenever he needed a model for his shoots) From being a person who didn't have any difference whatsoever day in day out, I started to experiment. Just baby steps like colouring my hair a shade of brown or getting a fringe, even chopping it off in '07 to a bob. 

Rick was right. It's just hair. It grows back. I felt much lighter with short hair. It made me feel "cute" and "fresh" but long hair makes me feel more 'sexy'. It's really a mood thing. So now I'm growing it back. I miss my long hair so I've already told Rick to be prepared. The long curtain is coming back. He just rolled his eyes.


I know he secretly likes my long hair but doesn't want me to get too stuck into a particular style. Especially this Adam's family "look" haha. Rick is an avant garde stylist ma. So, what would you expect? ;)



Dynas is the one who's pregnant yet her dress is more figure hugging than mine. Sexy mama!!! (And for those of you who asked, no, my hands aren't covering anything. No baby on the way la. Not even married! ;)



Getting your hair done is like getting your nails or a facial done. It's quite personal so most of us have a "usual" or regular place we go to for these things. What's funny is a friend of mine used to go to a hairdresser down the road from where he lived for the longest time. He even had a bit of a crush on her when he was a teenager but years later, he decided to shave his head so there was no real need to go to her anymore. He found a cheaper place to get a head shave.

Here's the funny thing. He ran into her when he was all grown up and she asked why he hadn't come to her and he found himself making up some excuse on the spot like he'd moved away, didn't bother anymore, was too busy. He felt bad and he thought it was ridiculous how he was mumbling away his apologies as if he'd done something wrong! It's like a relationship and he felt he's cheated on her by going to someone else hehe It's pretty funny when you think about it but it's true that people who do your hair, your nails or your beauty treatments can become a part of the people and places you see so regularly so they are a part of your life in some way.


Lynn also gets her hair done at Rick's and I was asking her how motherhood was going. She seemed really upbeat and is somehow managing to juggle her work and also be a Mum. I asked to see a photo of her baby "Aw, so tiny. really cute!" :)

Hey, how you doin??

Somehow when I run into Harith, I can't seem to take a serious photograph with him. I start doing all these goofy things. He brings it out in me ;) You know I truly believe that making someone laugh is one of the most difficult things to do and it's such a gift. I was telling Harith how many calories you can burn just from laughing. He said it doesn't work for him. He's probably too busy making everyone else laugh! ;)

I asked him if he gets NERVOUS before shows, "you know that moment when you walk out on stage just before you start your comedy act" and Harith said "I get nervous backstage everytime" but it goes away in a few seconds the moment he starts talking. I can relate to that. It's like a bit of an adrenalin rush and Harith was saying that the day he's not nervous at all could mean he's no longer challenged and that it's maybe time to try something else.

Being nervous can be a good thing if it doesn't make you freeze up. It can even make performers better because it's like a heightened state of awareness. I read somewhere that Beyonce said she was nervous if she WASN'T nervous before a show. If she was nervous, then she knew it was going to be a good show because all her senses would be alert and she was totally committed to giving her best performance.




Before I got based in KL, I met Hans in Singapore through some friends we had in common. I had no idea who he was. When he told me he was an actor, I just had to take his word for it ;) However, I ended up being based in KL and that's when I realised who Hans was. He seemed to be everywhere. I really didn't know anyone in KL when I first got here so when I had any work related questions, I would give him a buzz. I was really grateful he would take the time (usually on the go) to give me work advice on whether a job was under or over priced etc

I started to find my own way (that was years ago) but what's pretty funny is I wound up playing a cameo role on Cinta Luar Biasa with Apek, Nasha Aziz, Shani and Hans. And guess what? I was to play Han's bitchy girlfriend from KL ;0 I was in Langkawi for a few days just to shoot these couple of scenes. I simply had to show up on the beach (my girlfriend character) and start screaming at Hans in English when I saw him sitting there with Nasha Aziz (in the scene). I start accusing him in English but my very last line was in Malay "you boleh blah la" and I still remember everyone trying to help me pronounce that Malay line properly haha.

Apek is a funny fella. I met him just before I was about to start shooting this scene. At the time, I also had no idea who Apek was (now ofcourse I know isn't it? Who doesn't know Apek! :) Anyway, I introduced myself to him. He was sitting on a few wooden logs under a tree. For some reason, I remember this meeting very clearly because he was such a chilled out guy. I asked him what he was doing on the set (I know, I know! I was so duh, I tell you) and he said he wasn't doing anything. He was one of the crew boys just taking a break. Aiyo, then later on in the day, Hans properly introduces us and said he was on the main cast of the movie...what a joker the guy is! and I mean this really nicely :)

You make me mad!

Have you ever been so angry that you wanna scream? Or lash out at something?

Well, when I was about 6, there was this bully in the neighbourhood who thought he was Superman. He even called himself by this name. He was quite delusional. He was a small boy with a mean temper. He reminded me more of the "Incredible Hulk" because he was such a monster.

I had a pair of roller skates (the old school ones with the small wheels where you need to strap your foot onto the metal base) and I was pretty fast on them.

My cousins used to race me and word spread to "Superman" that I could beat a person on a bicycle simply on my roller skates.

I didn't want to race him because he was the rudest boy I knew. He started taunting me saying I was "scared" to race against someone like him.

I was getting really riled up. I could feel myself getting red in the face (look things have changed a bit. I was 6 ok;) so I agreed to race him.

He was on his bicycle and I was on my skates. There were quite a few kids that came out to watch this. I knew that "Superman" couldn't afford to lose to me. He would never live it down for the following reasons:

1) I was on tiny wheels compared to him

2) He was older than me (about 8)

3) I was a girl. He hated girls and it annoyed him that I had already beaten a few boys in the neighbourhood (he felt he needed to put me back in my place).

It was for these reasons he could not lose this race and it was for these same reasons I HAD to win. He needed to be taught a lesson (and I really wanted to be the girl who could embarrass him because he was so confident and stuck-up ALL the time)

So there we were at the starting line which was a straight road which we had agreed on between the houses.

The moment the race began, I was practically sprinting on my skates and he was almost neck and neck with me on his small bicycle but I didn't let up. I ran and skated (you know how they move their hands side to side on ice? well, same sort of movement minus the snow and professionalism:) My lungs were burning but I kept going.

Incredibly, I was actually leading. I managed to get ahead of him and widen the gap between us.

I was fully focussed but something unforeseen happened. My skate got caught on a piece of gravel from the road. The stone got trapped in the wheel immediately jamming it.

At brake neck pace, I fell down on the road. My left hand was extended out facing palm up to the sky.

Now, you'd think this stupid little sh*t would stop because I had fallen down. Not only did he NOT stop, he actually RAN OVER my wrist on his bicycle.

I still have the scar to this day because the skin came off. I was pretty scratched up. And I was really upset I tripped because I was about to win.

Odette (my older sister) came out when she heard all this commotion outside. When she saw my bleeding wrist, she was furious!

She threatened to call the police on him (she was just trying to scare him but he didn't show any signs of being worried) He beat his chest and said "Call the police! I dun care. I fly away. Me Superman, the quickest, the fastest...."
He was standing on the ledge delivering his speech as if we were all his subjects. Then, he lifted his hand in the air preparing for flight (what a nut)..... Minus the cape and underpants, he really thought he was Superman!

Can you imagine he said it was my fault for racing against him. What a little gangster....

Looking back, it really makes me laugh because it was so dramatic, so silly yet I had raced as if my life depended on it ;)

I shouldn't even have bothered trying to prove myself. In the end I got hurt and even if I had won, would he have changed? Maybe not. People change when the time is right. For "Superman", maybe never hehe

You see, we think we're trying to prove something to someone else but most of the time, we're trying to prove it to ourselves.

But seriously, what I learnt was that I shouldn't have needed to "win" to prove anything. And who was he anyway? What did it matter? Just some rude neighbourhood bully.

I let my anger get the better of me and he had the last laugh but everyone saw that I was ahead before I fell down okay so I was still the winner in my young head! :)
Nowadays, I fight my battles on a Scrabble board. My Mum's quite relieved about this. Much safer than the other games I used to play (or the skate boarding injuries I used to get) coz I don't come home black and blue :)

Do you believe in Fate?

Well, I'm now at a cafe after walking about 5kms on foot and catching up with my girlfriend. I'm so knackered but I was killing 2 birds with one stone. I got to properly talk to her and exercise at the same time coz we were walking and talking.

We were talking about fate. Do you believe in fate? You know there's a book called What a Fortune Teller Told Me. I'm not done with it but its a really interesting premise for a book.

Basically, the author is a journalist and he was totally sceptical of anything supernatural and he also didn't believe in fate. He accompanied a friend of his to a fortune teller in Hong Kong and he decided to wait outside. He was not interested in meeting with her or having a reading.

photo by Jothi

However, the fortune teller wanted to see him! She requested for him to come in when she saw him lingering at the doorway. He didn't wanna be rude so he went in. What this woman said to him actually altered the course of his life. Just like that. It sounds like a cliché but in the case of this journalist, it's true how a single moment in time can transform a life forever.

She said to him that he almost lost his life the year before. He was a total cynic but this piece of information really scared him because it was quantifiable (since it already happened) and it was true. She then went on to say that he saved himself with a smile. At this point he got even more afraid of her because it was one thing to say he almost died and get the year right but this smiling fact was just too much. She was THAT accurate.

The year before, he was ambushed at gunpoint while covering a story in a war torn country. He was against the fence and they were going to kill him (I suppose they were soldiers) but before they fired their guns, he held out his hand and smiled at them (he was shaking like a leaf) and while still smiling, he showed them his passport to prove he wasn't the "enemy country" and they lowered their guns. He was still taken prisoner and held hostage but they held their fire when he "smiled" so his life was spared.

This fortune teller then tells him not to fly at all in a specific year in the future. "A whole year?" But his session with her had already ended (not that he ever intended to see her at all!)

Can you imagine the year in which she told him NOT to fly was 16 years away! But he never forgot the date (coz she must've really freaked him out) and as the years went by, this particular one just hung over his head, poor guy.

All his assignments as a journalist involved a lot of travel but he made a firm decision that he was not flying in the year she told him not to. He didn't wanna take the chance.

He decided to use every conceivable transport from the beginning of that year. He was seeing and writing about the world on foot, car, bike, train, you name it and he turned all the adventures of his travels into a book (which became a major bestseller). He saw the world from a different point of view.

This book made him so internationally successful as an author that it didn't matter what the old lady had said, right? She changed his life for the better anyway. But here's the thing.

A specific UN assignment he was meant to cover had to be passed up and given to someone else because it involved flying. Something went wrong on that operation and the helicopter crashed. There were no survivors. It could've been him.

How creepy is that? Makes you wonder doesn't it? How much of what happens to us is by chance or by design?

I would like to think that things happen for a reason yet we always have choices. So long as we have the power of choice, we have the power to make things happen or decide which way we would go.

Is there a rough blue print in place though? Some say our lives have a plan. We can choose to stick to the plan (if there was one) and just flow with what you're actually here to do.

What do YOU think? Do comment. I'm curious on how you see it. Do you or don't you believe in fate?

I'm still working out what I'm really, really supposed to be doing in my life though I'm enjoying it (life I mean, not the not knowing ;) Hey, maybe it's right under my nose! What if my purpose was to just keep writing to you as I type my thoughts out into cyberspace? :)

Rod Stewart LIVE in Singapore

It was really good fun going to this concert with Greta. She is really "out there" Can you imagine she was once sitting with my parents and me listening to some LIVE music at a hotel lounge in Singapore when my Mum commented "Greta, you should be on stage, girl. Why don't you go up there and sing a song?" Now, the average person would just say "no la, but thanks anyway Aunty" sort of thing. Not Greta. She's not the average person. She grins at my Mum, grabs my hand and marches me over to the band. I'm panicking, thinking to myself "She can't be serious. Wow. She's just gonna get up there and start singing to all these hotel guests??? I wouldn't be caught dead singing in public but mind you, I can't sing and I know Greta can but what guts!"

So there we were waiting to have a word with the band who thought (like other hotel guests) that we were simply making a song request. I say to them "Uhm, my friend wants to sing a song. Is this possible?" As it turns out, they were delighted to have her on stage. They even introduced her with a flourish. People in the lounge stopped talking and the chatter died down. Suddenly, all eyes were on the stage wondering what was happening.



She takes me on stage with her. A stage is not foreign to me but I only sing in the shower or to my pugs (not humans and certainly not to so many in this elegant hotel lounge staring at us). I felt so uncomfortable because I was standing there next to her and there was NO WAY I was going to sing. The glass could break know what I mean? so what was I doing up here again? :-o

Greta starts singing "What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes and the band is supporting her. I decide to be her back-up dancer to make myself useful and it was seriously better for me to be dancing than standing stock still. So there I was swaying gently from left to right with a bright smile on my face (actually I was nervous for my friend but I should've known better. There was no need to be. This was Greta we were talking about remember? :) Can you imagine she starts waving her hands in the air for emphasis and reaching out to emphasize certain notes with an incredible amount of passion. She was not only NOT shy while she was singing this song, she started pacing around confidently with mic in hand like a real pro!





The lounge fell silent totally captivated by her voice. She was a guest and this was an unexpected display of raw talent. Her voice was powerful and she hit the notes with no issues at all. At this point, I'm thinking to myself, perhaps the band is feeling less generous for allowing her to go on stage in case she replaces their jobs haha (but to give them credit, they're smiling away obviously impressed ;)

So when I had a spare ticket to Rod Stewart in concert last weekend, Greta was the first person I thought of coz she appreciates all kinds of live performances. Not to mention, deep down there was a singer buried in her which is why it all came so naturally :)





It was really nice to see people of all ages out for this concert and it was a sell-out. Rod Stewart mentioned how appreciative he was that people came out to watch his concert in a recession.





In the middle of the performance, Rod Stewart introduced his 21 year old daughter, Ruby on stage as a surprise element. I didn't even know he had a daughter. She was a bit nervous (goodness, I would be singing to such a large crowd) but she had a really nice voice and is also a model for an underwear brand, can you imagine? I dont have a shot so you'll have to look her up. Looks like she's following in her father's footsteps minus the modelling la ;)





When people were shouting for more at the end, this showed up on screen. Pretty darn funny so there was no encore, go figure. I think he really did leave the building! ;)




A lot of songs had elements of the violin and saxophone in it. They also did some solos which showcased their individual talents. Really beautiful instruments and his guitarist was super talented.




It's kinda hard to believe Rod Stewart is born in 1945. Wow and he was still really active on stage at 64! It was great hearing "Sailing" and "Have I Told You Lately" It surprised me how many songs I knew he sang but gotta expect it. He's been around for a really long time so he's had that many famous hits under his belt :)





Bit of a traffic jam getting to the Singapore Indoor Stadium...but since we parked pretty far away, we were on foot so no problem at all!

It's off!

Harley had that satellite dish round his neck (the e collar) for the whole of last week and the vet said his eye is totally ok now, yay!

That ridiculous looking collar is off so this also means the kids in my neighbourhood can stop calling him an astronaut ;)

I really hope I won't be back at the vets anytime soon. Fingers crossed! :)

Fear of Change

When I was studying psychology, there were so many things that fascinated me, especially the topic of FEAR. Generally speaking, we all have a long list of fears, some worse than others. One common one is CHANGE and it can really hold us back in life. People fear change to the point that they fear travel, moving houses, leaving unhappy jobs or relationships even when there's no more love left in them.

It's amazing how much "denial" can get in the way of seeing your situation clearly. I had a girlfriend who would call me up and the conversation was different versions of the same thing. It would go something like... (I'm J and we'll call her G for girlfriend ok)

J: hi babe, how's it going?
G: I can't stand him!
J: What's he done now?
G: He was talking to a girl on the phone. He said it was some guy at work. I heard a girl's voice...
J: Did you confront him?
G: No, I checked his phone to see if it was someone in the phone book.
J: And?
G: It was a girl I'd never heard of. Her name didn't even ring a bell
J: do you think something's going on?
G: Well, he promised he'd never do it again
J: do what?
G: cheat on me
J: what?? I didn't even know he's already cheated!
G: but he said he was really sorry. It was quitea long time ago and it won't happen again. I believed him
J: you wanted to believe him...
G: actually, Jo...
J: you're worrying me, what is it?
G: he's cheated on me twice
J: oh my God! and you said the most important quality you looked for in a man was loyalty
G: I know!
J: how did you even find out?
G: I went for a pap smear and it turns out I got an STD I could only have gotten from him
J: babe, I'm so sorry to hear this...I don't know what to say...
G: there's no cure for it
J: oh my God!! And he's still talking to women behind your back?
G: I think so
J: what are you going to do about it
G: I've broken up with him
J: but you break up with him every week babe.
G: but this time, it's for real. I'm sticking with my decision. It's for the best
J: of course it is. I'm glad you've made this decision

Well, here's the sad part. She kept breaking her own promises and taking him back. She was losing her self esteem and sense of self. Our conversations usually revolved around the same theme. She was desperately unhappy with her partner and she wanted to leave him. She would even decide before hanging up that she was going to break it off with him because she deserved better but she never did break up with him (the longest she lasted was a month once).

I told her it was just fear. She knew what she wanted but she was afraid to rock the boat and disconnect from him. She was clinging on to her past and it was so toxic for her. They were together for years and I feel she was afraid to be without him in her life. She was terrified of change. Change is what she wanted. It's all she spoke about because he made her feel so unattractive and worthless. She even dreamed about it yet remained stuck in this unhealthy relationship.

Not surprisingly, it came to an end because he cheated on her AGAIN and started going out with someone else. She experienced yet another painful round of hurt but more importantly, she felt relief. That's when she knew deep down, it was for the best (I was the friend on the sidelines picking up all the broken pieces because it took time for her to heal but I was hugely relieved she finally saw the light!) Once she was dumped, she started wondering why she didn't do it earlier because she was ready to leave him ages ago.

Like I was saying earlier, we all fear change to different degrees in different situations but if it's holding you back in life, the only way to push you past it or move you forward would involve CHANGE. Change can be a beautiful or really painful thing. Sometimes, it's as inevitable as growing old but when you fear it, face it. And when you think it's for the better, welcome it with open arms! (just like this shot on the beach :)