NOTE: This defensive post is mostly dedicated to BOYS that always say “I think you look better with no make-up” to their girlfriends. They should have said, “I wish you know the secret to invisible make-up.”

I used to say, I have to wear make-up all the time because I don’t look like Kim Kardashian. Until I came across this..

From here

As confident as I have always been in my own skin, I don’t recall ever leaving my house without any make-up.

Sure you’d ask “Ickkkk, then you teach your yoga classes in make-up?”

Balispirit Festival 2010

Are you kidding? For sure I do!

If this is how I look WITH make-up before / during / after my yoga classes,

..trust me, you don’t want to imagine how I look without.

.   .   .   .  .

Unless I’m going to fancy dinner / glam party / wedding that REQUIRES me to apply smokey eyes, falsie and lipstick (for a make-up junkie, I hate wearing lipsticks)..

.. I only stick to the basics (by make-up standard, BASIC means = moisturiser, concealer, foundation, loose powder, blusher, eyebrow liner, mascara, lipbalm and I AM NOT KIDDING!).

This konon-konon I-can-travel-looking-fresh face
required all the mentioned make-up items above, believe me!

Then you’d ask – what’s the point of putting on make-up at all if you’re not gonna look any different?

So that we simply look like your perfect woman human!

Open pores, hideous dark under-eyes circles and unsightly acne scars are not pretty. And we don’t have facial hair to hide ‘em imperfections under!

..and don’t get me started with how often us girls have to exfoliate, wax, pedicure..

Next you might ask - but when does your facial skin ever breathe?

I never worry about that as I wear mineralizer make-up and I sleep 6 hours a day with squeaky-cleansed face and I know my organs (you do know that skin is our biggest organ, right?) do get plenty of breaths everyday when I’m on my mat

And I secretly believe in my theory that -

.. at least WITH make-up, my pores are covered with a protective layer (LOL, listen to me!) that’s meant to be put on the face instead of bare skin that leads to absorbing direct pure toxin / contamination / cigarette smoke from all around.

[ To prove my theory: The longer I leave my face WITHOUT make-up, the more prone to breakout I get! ]

And c’mon boys – you don’t really think these ‘natural beauties’ DON’T have any make-up on, do you?

So my point is,

while we don’t wake up looking like your Hollywood dream girls..

BOYS – don’t complain if your girlfriends take some time to look her best (in my case, I love Petrovsky for he thinks I’m wearing make-up only when I put bright red lipstick on )

.. and GIRLS – the secret of ‘natural beauty’ OR ‘invisible make-up’ really IS – tonnes of make-up (with good blending technique)!

Love and light (looking make-up)!

Somehow I always bump into my ex-boyfriends with their new girlfriends when I wear this t-shirt..

Sorry girls ..

I am trying to pack 28 years of my life in Malaysia into two suitcases.

It is unbelievable how much junks I have collected all these years.

How many pairs of shoes I have.

How many dresses I have only worn once.

How I kept buying jeans in hope that one day I will find that one pair that makes me feel like a million dollars.

How many hair products and perfume bottles I needed to feel clean and complete.

As much as I want to let go of everything I ever own and start my life afresh abroad, I figured that I still can’t live (fine, at the risk sounding shallow – leave my house) without:

• my electric toothbrush
• Lady Speed Stick
• Gilette Venus razors (am still not ready to be au naturale. Should I decide to go to India for a year, I’ll save up to have permanent hair removal first, LOL!)
• M.A.C Mineralizer concealer, foundation, loose powder, blusher – to look like a woman human
• any mascara (washable all the way since I don’t want to care about eye make-up remover) for survival

(yes, I am seriously going to try and wash my face + hair + body with simply any soap. I figure I will still live, if not live happier . And I discovered something, all the Kiehl’s and L’Occitane don’t make me stand on my hands longer, do you?)

And that’s all I am bringing with me.

.   .   .   .   .   .

Nevertheless (come on, be real!) to be accepted in a civilised community, I have to bring

• 5 pairs of Thai / Balinese fisherman pants (with heavy heart, I’m giving up engineered adidas Techfit tights) & 5 literally-no-frills spaghetti strap tops for teaching / practicing
• 3 (they are different colors to match the above articles!) Lululemon HOLY GRAIL sportsbras I discovered in Toronto and I am sooo looking forward to being able to not wear bras at all [when I'm not teaching a yoga class, that is] outside of Malaysia, like I have for the past couple of weeks – so liberating!
• my tennis & rockclimbing shoes
• 2 pairs of jeans (they don’t have to be washed every week time I wear them, right?), 2 sundresses, 3 pairs of sunglasses  & 3 pairs of bikini (they weigh like nothing so bringing 3 each IS alright )
• 1 drawstring linen pants, 1 khaki hot pants, 1 stonewash denim mini skirt, 1 boyfriend (or motorcycle? I can’t decide) jacket, 1 hoodie sweater
• TWO flat pumps*, TWO pairs of high heels* (in case of Academy Awards invitation emergency), ONE flip flop* & ONE practical handbag*= * I’m sceptical I’d be able to bring only the underlined too but I promise my spine I will try my very best
  
• Complete 6 Seasons of Sex And The City (if I ever feel lonely – without my girlfriends, I mean!)
• laptop + charger, digital camera + charger, handphone + charger & international power transmitter for that matter
• Moleskine watercolor + Daler Bowney color palette + 3 crucial brushes
• The Kor’an & Kor’an’s translation in English
• Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, Anatomy of Hatha Yoga & The Language (A to Y) of Yoga
• Maha Sodhana Level II DVD with Dharma Mittra & Ashtanga Intermediate Series DVD with Kino MacGregor for daily practice
• 8 copies of SHAPE M’sia November ‘09 I still have (as yoga portfolio)
• Lululemon travel yoga mat in Bandhas yoga mat bag (they are both presents from my boyfriend , can I just pack him in my suitcase too?)

and I’m leaving and should I reveal now, selling EVERYTHING ELSE behind.

You read me right – all my 3(0?) shoeracks of high heels, whole wardrobe of adidas by Stella McCartney & adidas Originals jackets, obscene array of yoga mats & adidas futsal shoes, half a library of books (that I thought would make me smarter), my treasured set of pots & pans , my bedroom set (matching queen bed + wardrobe + dressing table + queen mattress), my TV and they will all be available for The Banned Yoga Instructor’s Moving Out (Of The Country) Sale.

Unless they are my bedroom set, my pots & pans and 29′ TV, nothing else’s going to be over RM80 – I guarantee

Stay tuned to this space for time & date especially if you are an XS / UK 6 / US 0 or 2 / shoe size 35 or 36.

A Malaysian Dreamer & A Small Big Fan of SATC’s Guide To New York Virgins

.   .   .   .   .   .

5 Things You Should Know & Be Prepared Of in New York

• Lotsa small bills for tips (in hotels, tip bellhops at least $1 per bag and tip the chamber staff $1 to $2 per day if you’ve left a disaster for them to clean up. Tip the doorman or concierge if they have provided you with special service, like calling a cab. In restaurants & bars, tip service staff 15% to 20% of the check and tip bartenders 10% to 15%. Tip cab drivers 15% of the fare.)

And TIPPING IS A-MUST except at cafeterias & fast-food outlets only!

They said only share this photo on Facebook if they look cute, how cute!

And yes, the American jargons – check (instead of bill), bill (instead of notes), change (instead of coins) & drugstore (instead of pharmacy)

• There is almost no free Internet / wi-fi service anywhere except for some smaller parks! Yes, not even in Starbucks or McDonald’s. I heard some American birds tweeted and celebrated the news that Starbucks will start offering free wi-fi from July 1st. And we complain on the limitless places (mamaks also have wi-fi now ya?) albeit slow connection in KL.

How have I been blogging & tweeting, you asked? iPhone around town & $19.95 PER DAY (about RM70 sehari!) for Internet in my hotel room.

• Lotsa practical scarves if you weren’t prepared for summer to be this cold!

You’ll want to wear your scarf like this too after you watch Sex And The City II!

• Sunnies for the summer. And to hide undrawn eyebrows for the walk back after yoga..

I brought FIVE from home, just in case . And say nothing about the bangles & dangles please.

and comfortable walking shoes. See how I bold the ‘comfortable’?

Listen, I need to match different yoga pants & those heels are for fancy dinners!

•  Walk, walk, walk, walk (I took the yellow cab to yoga at 5th Avenue every morning. When I finally use the Map on my iPhone,  I realize 5th Avenue is just 5 minutes walk from the hotel I’m staying at )

Look who’s walking too behind me?

.   .   .   .   .   .

5 Things To Do On Your First Day In NY Manhattan

•  Watch Sex And The City II movie, D-U-H! With typical American junkfood overload.

•  Dump your LUXE New York guide & buy TimeOut New York For Visitors

•  Hate yourself a little for packing only summer dresses & hot pants when the weather is 22ºC in the afternoon (except that they use Fahrenheit here). And you thought it’s summerrrrrrrrrrrrrr..

•  Eat lotsa crispy big apples. Usually they are complimentary by your hotel’s concierge.

•  Don’t forget to make reservations for all the fancy schmancy restaurants to have dinner at (the famous restaurants get booked by months ahead sometimes, yes. So we have to give up on Pastis, Nobu and Le Bernadine)

At La Grenouille, one of the most romantic (and expensive) dinner I ever had.

.   .   .   .   .   .

5 Places To Go On Your Second Day In Manhattan

•  World Trade Centre ‘bathtub’ site

•  Empire State Building’s observatory deck

• Statue of Liberty via Staten Island Ferry (it’s my fifth day and I still haven’t )

•  St Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue (although I bet, you’d end up spending the rest of the day on 5th Avenue. Who are these Americans kidding, the church is designated in between Versace, H. Stern & Saks!)

I swear I was IN FRONT of St Patrick’s Cathedral! Can I blame St Patrick the photographer? Anywayyyy, if you take a look across, that’s the very Bergdorf Goodman which they shot the opening scene of SATCII in

•  Picnic (or yoga) at the park

.   .   .   .   .   .

5 Places You Have To Try And Go Anyway Anytime In Manhattan

•  Museum of Modern Art, West 53 Street

•  Museum of Sex , 5th Avenue

•  Chrysler Building

•  Classic movie screening at Bryant Park

.   .   .   .   .   .

5 Things You Just Have To Do In NY

•  Dress up for the ballet at Lincoln Centre on Thursday night

•  Stand-up comedy at West Village (I didn’t dare snap photos, I was being made fun of for coming from Malaysia enough..)

•  Shake Shack at Madison Park – some New Yorkers swear that the burgers at this food stand are the best in the city. I only tried the ‘Shroom Burger (for vegetarians) on the second day and I have been coming for more almost every evening! The queue is absurdly long though but it only proves its NYC’s best dine in small parks.

•  Be amazed at the abundance of naked man figures on the street and on top of every other building

•  Yankees game (yes, God is punishing me for making my boyfriend watch Sex And The City II)

.   .   .   .   .   .

5 Shops You Don’t Want To (or shall I write, Wanna) Miss In Manhattan

•  H&M, H&M, H&M, H&M, H&M – there is (at least one) H&M in almost every block you wouldn’t miss missing it

•  Prada flagship store Soho at Broadway

Yes, it’s the very Prada Carrie took Berger to.

•  Forget SAKS at 5th Avenue, go to Century 21 at Financial District instead. They carrie carry seriously discounted designer clothes, but – expect crowd & next-to-nothing-at-all service

•  Steve Madden flagship store Soho at Broadway

•  HBO Official Shop, 42nd & Avenue of the Americas where they house original merchanchise of True Blood, The Sopranos, Entourage, Big Love and of course, Sex And The City takes the biggest section of the store.

.   .   .   .   .   .

5 Yoga Centres You Want To Check Out In Manhattan

•  Kula Yoga Project, Warren St

•  Yoga Sutra, 5th Avenue (highly recommended for practicing Ashtangis)

•  OM Yoga Centre, Union Square

•  Dharma Mittra NY Yoga Centre, Third Avenue

•  Bikram Yoga NYC, 5th Avenue

•  Jivamukti Yoga, Union Square

What.. that’s SIX already? I have been refraining myself from going to corporate yoga centres to why I am not suggesting Pure Yoga & Exhale but I gave in for YogaWorks as I signed for 2-weeks unlimited classes and I’ll write another entry on who was in my class in YogaWorks Soho in another entry hopefully.

.   .   .   .   .   .

5 Things You Don’t Necessarily Have To Do

•  Empire State Building Skyride & 3D Movie. Unless you are a kid with kids.

•  The overrated Sex And The City tour. The bus only takes you to FOUR locations in the series / movies and you can’t take photos in the bus, I am not kidding! We are better off googling ALL the tour locations (because they rotate them and only go to selected four spots each tour) and walk to the locations, better still – on our heels!

•  Madame Tussauds – they don’t even have the SATC girls! And they are Madame Tussauds New York, what a shame..

•  Yes, I put much hype in Magnolia Bakery because of SATC & The Devil Wears Prada, but if you don’t have all the time in the world New York, try Katz’s Delicatessen instead. Movie lovers would know that it is the famous site for When Harry Met Sally.

•   Use the subway, maybe because I still can’t figure out how to!

.   .   .   .   .   .

Stay tuned for my next entry on my famous encounter(s) in New York City.

Love and big apples!

I don’t think any yoga practitioner can say No to any piece by Lululemon Athletica. Unless of course – she is endorsed by the world’s biggest and best sports brand that is.

Notwithstanding, THIS has got to be either the most edgy (errr, pun intended?) if not the crudest yoga print ad I’ve ever seen.

Camel Pose = Ushtrasana

And I gotta say, the most effective too! Camel Toe and (don’t get me started with) VPL are just plain unsightly – in yoga class and let alone in shopping malls!

.   .   .   .   .   .

Did I ever tell you – I am dating a guy whose Lululemon closet (yes, he does have closet-ful of yoga clothes ) is bigger than my adidas wardrobe?

How is this relationship even going to work out?

.   .   .   .   .   .

Lurve and lemon.

I can’t say how confident flattered I am when so many Nuffnang bloggers believe that I am going to win adidas OLE KO Challenge this Friday!

The adidas Pure Game Ole K.O. Challenge is organised by StarAsia Malaysia (sole distributor for adidas Active Body Care range) and is set to fan the football fever by offering fantastic prizes to winners of the one-of-a-kind challenge that will combine endurance and skills.

Contestants will play one-on-one street football in a spherical steel cage 20 ft in diameter and 18 ft high, and compete to score as many points as possible within a set time frame by kicking the ball through their opponent’s legs – a move also known as “ole”.

Highlight of the event would be Malaysian top bloggers from Project Alpha Season 1 & Season 2 competing against each other.

.   .   .   .   .   .

Of course pretty (scary looking) bloggers like Kenny Sia, Shaolin Tiger and Huai Bin get nominated as well.

Little did many of you (that did not vote for me ) know that -

I actually DO play futsal.

And I used to be my team’s captain (or am I still?) when we used to play on a weekly basis if not – competitively.

Those who put your money on Kenny, scared already or not?

.   .   .   .   .   .

That is until (almost) all of my former teammates that you can see in these photos below, either busy preparing themselves to get married or happily gotten married and have babies!

Yes, yes it is definitely easier to put the blame on them – they found their happy ending already.

.   .   .   .   .   .

So for single girls alike (and boys who want to see some yoga instructor with flashy adidas futsal boots running around and dribbling about putting giants like Shaolin Tiger to shame),

do put on your TEAM NINIE jersey (or any baby blue top will do!) and support me here:

Date: Friday, 21 May 2010

Time: 7.30pm

Location: Centre Court, Mid Valley Megamall

and if I do win (help me repeat the affirmation for this post!), I might just throw a yoga class at the end of the tournament! It would be exciting to see all the ‘blogger boys’ get pretzeled in the middle of Megamall, wouldn’t it?

Special thanks to adidas Action3 range for keeping me smelling fresh even after futsal training!

.   .   .   .   .   .

Love and support for girls in boots & can kick balls this Friday!

Some dresses hide in your wardrobe for seasons secretly waiting for you to take them out to an appropriate event.

For me and this champagne (hued) dress, it was Harper’s BAZAAR Fashion In Focus champagne launch at The Gardens last Friday.

With Geraldine Loy who did make-up for this photo & my BE Yoga in Haute Couture for TATLER

Lovely Gabrielle Tan and Xandria Ooi

These two photos don’t do justice to my dress.

I actually have many more photos of the dress (or, me actually ) looking better but I am just not ready to share my Plus One to the event (clearly he was in almost every photo as well) here.

Or maybe I am ready.

Are you?

Promise you won’t tell Gwynie?

Every morning I wake up, every yoga class I teach, every yoga pants I slip on – I count my blessing..

For getting to flex in the best material,

adidias Fashion Week (Midvalley, April 10)

For getting to pretzel Malaysia’s loveliest couple..

Sazzy Falak & Nazril Idrus

For never running out of dresses to wear,

Alan Yun

And I can never thank my three-stripes of light enough..

For bringing good local movies, music & talents together everywhere..

Afdlin Shauki

Juliana Ibrahim

Noh (Hujan)

For beautiful lovely people you add colours, flavours and happiness to,

Juliana Ibrahim & Daphne Iking

Qi Khusyairi & Jehan Miskin

KL’s most charming boys

For the partnership, trust and responsibility we’ve been sharing for the past 4 years,

adidas Malaysia’s Country Manager, Ng Chee Loon & Brand Manager, Jessica Lim

Thank you adidas,

for the fun & sweetness at / in all of your events & products,

for this friendship,

and for this perfect fit.

My dress is from adidas Originals

As someone mentioned (to) me on Twitter,

To Air is human. To wear Three Stripes is divine.

Love and endless gratitude.

Three out of ten biggest events in my life happened all last week – I don’t know where to start.

• Starbucks Live & Inspire (Bangsar Village II)

I was really nervous before the event as I felt like a tiny ant compared to their past guests.

I second guessed myself that night, did all this people show up because of me? I was close to turning the hour long talk to a yoga session (well, I partly did) but the crowd was so attentive and supportive that I felt the hour passed by really quickly.

Before I knew it, I made everyone remember

Photos from www.liveandinspire.com

Thank you Live & Inspire team, Starbucks and Bangsar Village II for having thought of me as someone who is actually inspiring in your book.

• adidas Stella McCartney Spring / Summer ‘10 event (rooftop Lot 10)

This is not one of the biggest events in my life (since it is not an event for me / I organize) but any adidas event is a big event for me.

I arrived fashionable late and regretted it as I realised I was the only adidas ambassador having 11 camera crews (thank you Kyanite & Project Alpha) recording my arrival and following me the whole event!

Since I couldn’t spot any adidas male ambassadors with the likes of Jehan Miskin, Henry Golding and Faizal Tahir \o/ around (I only found out later that only female ambassadors were invited!) so I pretzeled the models instead!

My 4-inched heels didn’t even come close to making me half as tall standing beside these superfit models!

Especially when I’m beside Amber Chia who wore flats!

To why I feel like making the next photo my Facebook profile immediately since I am evidently AS TALL AS Amber Chia, Elaine Daly, Yasmin Yusoff and Tengku Azura only in this snap!

Some photos from the event are from Project Alpha Facebook Page

The top I wore is from adidas Stella McCartney Fall / Winter ‘09 collection. Their Summer / Spring ‘10 collection paraded during the event was nothing short from fabulous! I love any adidas by Stella McCartney anything mostly for its vegetarian, no-cruelty-involved and organic principles.

From what I heard, Stella McCartney herself handpicked all the clothes and (vegetarian) food for the event (and all other events involving her line)!

That Friday as I was followed around by 11 camera crews, I got the preview of how ugly reality TV can be. I mean, I am not even a celebrity-celebrity you know what I mean so I thought – I might not be that worthy until..

As I was being interviewed by Jojo Struys alongside the Brand Manager of adidas Malaysia, Jessica Lim, I noticed that my phone rang and it was my ex-boyfriend, the Supertall one.

I hesisantly told her, “It’s my ex-boyfriend” only to be forced psyched into picking up the call and have it put on loudspeaker for the whole Malaysia to hear!

I knew he was somewhere around asking for direction of where the party was as we were supposed to have a meeting together after that so – I picked up the call when they were shooting me as I know I wouldn’t embarrass any of us.

Errr, spoke too soon.

As soon as the camera crews caught his glimpse on Lot 10 rooftop, all 11 of them ran to him to get an interview of “Why did you break up with Ninie Ahmad?”

Poor Supertall!

To know what he had to say (honestly, I am curious too! Can’t you see me eavesdropping?), I guess we all just have to stay tuned and wait for Project Alpha to start showing on hitz.tv (ASTRO Ch705) in April.

Tomorrow I will share the other big event I was telling you about.

Before I get back on my yoga mat in a couple of minutes, if I can bid a special shout and gratitude to Joseph Teoh

who has been my loyal plus one for both events mentioned in this post and hopefully for many more to come.

Love and three-stripes of light.

Especially those from Shoes Shoes Shoes.

One of my recent purchase from them that never fails to collect compliments -  is this pair of pretty pumps.

They also never fail to surprise me as they can look this scarlett red in bright daylight

Or this clementine orange at night / with camera flash!

Most of the time they look blood red with beautiful jade coloured stones, I could not feel and wear anything more Christmas-y than this!

Love, light and many healthy Christmas parties this week.

What happens when you put together

• a bunch of yoga freaks
• dress them in designer gowns
• make them wear RM200,000 timepieces on their arms (and ankles)?

These pages of Malaysia TATLER December 2009, I’m afraid.

[ Photos are property of The Gardens Mall & TATLER Malaysia. Any reproduction of any kind (online, print, mention) must credit The Gardens & TATLER Malaysia ]

Dresses from M Women, watches from The Hour Glass (exclusively at The Gardens Mall)

Dresses by BCBG Max Azria, watches from Calibre (exclusively at The Gardens Mall)

LEFT – Dresses by Karl Ng (on Atilia) & Alvin Tay (on Ninie) , watches from The Hour Glass, RIGHT- Dress from Tang + Co, watches from Zurich Timepieces (exclusively at The Gardens Mall)

LEFT- Dresses from Guess by Marciano, watches from Zurich Timepieces, RIGHT – Dresses by Karen Millen, watches from Calibre (exclusively at The Gardens Mall)

Art direction by Joseph Teoh, make-up by Geraldine Loy, photography by Aaron Lee. All  yoga personalities, arms, thighs and abs are from BE Yoga

Have a colourful, blessed and healthy New Year(s) ahead!