As we rush through life!


---------------------------


In Washington, DC, at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007,
this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During
that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them
on their way to work.

*About 3 minutes: *

The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat
and, without stopping, continued to walk.

*At 6 minutes: *

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his
watch and started to walk again.
*
At 45 minutes:*

The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a
short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal
pace. The man collected a total of $32.

*After 1 hour:*

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one
applauded. There was no recognition at all.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest
musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever
written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua
Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit
and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro
Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment
about perception, taste and people's priorities.

*This experiment raised several questions: *
1.In a common-place environment, at an inconvenient or inappropriate hour,
do we perceive beauty?
2.If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
3.Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

*Learning:* If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the
best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written,
with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made... how many other
things are we missing as we rush through life?
- unknown

Greeted by no one when we reached the place =p Okie, Elva Beauty Palace is one of the few spa salons that I like! Firstly, it's location at Clementi meant I can do away with the buzzle and hussle of jostling amongst the crowd in town after work during peak hours. Read some reviews on it and after much thought, I decided to drag my BF along for a facial and massage. (Ain't he lucky?! =p) Such pampering is not jus for girls anymore. (Must convince him why I'm willing to spend on such service =p)  Age is catching up! As my skin is rather thin and very sensitive, I'm always very concerned about the type of treatment that will be given to me. I will never forget the facial from Jean Yip that resulted in a pimple prone and low self-esteem me a few years back! OMG. I remember my face was red like a tomato and the unprofessional squeezing left several scars on my forehead. Thank God my face is fine now! What a bad experience =(... So girls, please ensure you know and ask your beautician what she will be 'doing to you' before the job!  This the the product the Elva Beauty Palace uses - a French brand that aims to cleanse and comfort the skin. I like it especially for the fruity ingredients in their products that not only soothes my skin but also, they smell so nice! We went for the Collagen age Age Reversal facial that creates a firm collagen structure under dermis to firm the face instantly. She also included the eye massage for me cos I told her that I've been getting little sleep and is looking like a panda. Oh well.   The blue LED light to treat my pores came from this machine. I like Elva Beauty Palace also because they will arrange for my BF and I to undergo the facial in the same room. I thought we could talk a little after the mask set on my face but my BF actually fell asleep by then. HAHA =p My eyes were covered by I heard him snore! HAHA. Okie, at least I know he was having a restful session. HAHA... There was no hard selling, except they will ask if we wanna add on some ampoule which I rejected. I pre-warned my BF beforehand so he rejected it when his beautician wanted him to pay for this extra ampoule too. Actually he did not know what is it too, all he know is he should reject any unnecessary extra treatment. HAHA. Good job, dear. As smart as me. =D  Our 90 minutes session cost about $20 each (promo package) so it's super worth it! Be sure to bargain if you guys intend to sign up for their package. It is quite negotiable and they provide trial sessions to let you pay for just one session and decided later if you wanna continue. They also have promo vouchers place at the reception table which you can grab and give your friends to use together! Worth a go, girls! Bring your BF along. Fun experience! =) Check out their website http://www.elvabeautypalace.com/services.html

Labels: Elva Beauty Palace, Facial, Guinot

Meredith Grey: 


At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them. But there are some lines... that are way too dangerous to cross.


Just another quote that caught me. 

At the Exit (1986) by Quint Buchholz

Refresh Bodyworks at Millenia.

There are quite a few branches to choose from. I went to the Jurong Point branch. I've tried their Spot On 20 massage and what they are famous for, the Foot Reflexology. Well, I'd say their service is not bad and there was no hard-selling at all. My objective for the visit was to fix my tired shoulders and stiff neck, so the Spot On 20 upper body massage was just the one!

Taken after the massage (see that mas-sue? He is kneading my BF away) when I was doing the foot reflexology.

Remember to tell the mas-sue your problem area first so they can 'aim' and focus at those areas. This is a 'point-massage' so for those whose threshold for pain is lower, you gotta bear with it a bit, as it involves a lot of 'kneading' actions. Well, that is necessary I guess - to knead away the aches!
2 weeks later, I went back for their foot reflexology cos I was given another voucher to do it - FOC. My BF got the free back massage voucher. Lucky us!

That pair of hairy legs are not mine! HAHA!! He said his muscle ache from his 30km run 3 days before really ached less after this particular foot reflexology! Thumbs up!

The mas-sue also scrubbed my tired feet so they look less dry now. Hooray! Time to go for my pedicure soon to beautify my feet! Hee! For the promotional price, Refresh is really worth it. Check out their website http://www.refresh.com.sg/promotions/! This is the link for their trial promotion.  Don't forget to print out the coupons from the their website to enjoy the discount.

Labels: Foot Reflexology, Refresh Bodyworks, Spot On 20