February 2014

A little while ago, I wrote a blog about synthetic oestrogen and hormones in beauty products. I was specifically concerned about the impact on my state of mind due to the daily slathering of my entire body with these concoctions. It’s hard to find conclusive evidence about impact, but I decided to take no chances and went on the hunt for natural alternatives. As anyone who has done this knows, it’s enormously challenging, because you need a bloody PHD in Physics to understand all of the code names for chemicals on bottles. Additionally, you need to remember your glasses so you can actually read those labels grrrrrr. So I looked and read and pondered and tried stuff and looked and read and pondered, and the only conclusion I could come to was Coconut Oil. When I first started using it, it was a bit weird. I smelt like a Pina Colada first thing in the morning – a little weird! Initially I only used it on my feet, but then decided to use it everywhere, and I reckon it’s a very good alternative to the chemical infused products I was entertaining before. It frustrates me that we just don’t know what this stuff is doing, and the beauty industry takes no responsibility. Coconut oil certainly reads like a miracle oil when you look into it. It’s great for your hair and skin, helps maintain cholesterol levels, and it helps with weight loss. It’s great for immunity, digestion, metabolism, and some claim it supports all sorts of other serious stuff, including kidney and liver problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. It’s good for stress and bone strength, and many even suggest it’s reversing Alzheimer’s symptoms. Why? Because it contains lauric, capric and caprylic acid. I don’t know about all of that, I just use it on my skin, as well as in a little bit of cooking, but potentially it’s worth more research so I can maximize its benefits. Thankfully, there’s 1,000s of resources on coconut oil, with a few links here, here, here, here, and here. With that said, not everyone supports it and some disagree with the claims made. You can check some alternative views hereand here to make your own mind up. Another thing that worries me about coconut oil is environmental impact, as well as the impact on local communities where it is abundant. For example, while we’re all enjoying the benefits of Quinoa, the Andeans who have been growing it for more than 7,000 years are not able to afford the staple and it’s having a significant impact in this region. Regarding coconut oil, I found this discussion and this article on sustainability. We all need to make decisions about where we source our products and accept responsibility for the impact right? So far, coconut oil doesn’t look hideous from that point of view. Another thing I recently did was start using Magnesium Oil. I read about it here when someone shared it on Facebook and thought, good for sleep and stress – let me give that baby a go. I took ages hunting around Singapore for magnesium flakes and do you think I could find it? THEN I discovered a big bag of magnesium flakes, sitting by my bathtub, unused for years DOH! I still have no idea where to buy it in Singapore. This linkhas the recipe for making your own and it’s really simple. You boil it with distilled water, dissolve the flakes, cool it down, put it in a spray bottle, and every morning after your shower (and before your coconut oil) give yourself a spray all over and you’re done. Don’t use it at night though, it makes your skin itch! Oh and it certainly does give you a zing when you spray it on. More information is here, here, here and here. I couldn’t find any negatives, only to avoid synthetically produced magnesium. Anyhoo, apparently most of us are deficient in magnesium, a mineral we need for all sorts of stuff – including healthy teeth. But the main reason I thought it looked good was for improved sleep -I’ll have some of that. However, if you’re one of those lucky people that can get in the ocean every day, you’re probably not depleted, so no need to do this. Also, if you’re able to eat vegetables and fruit from magnesium-rich soil, you won’t need it either – but apparently that is not so common anymore…. There you go, another part of my daily rituals and thought it worth a share, as others may be concerned about the crap available in the shops today. Yours, without the bollocks Andrea

Today most of us are faced with a constant and fast moving stream of information, ideas, motivation and the less-than-savory-aspects of humankind as we share our lives on social channels. It’s a torrent that is becoming harder and harder to manage, but it’s our new digital reality and it’s fundamentally changing the world in ways we can’t even imagine right now. In the meantime, we’re all working out how WE want to live within the context of this new world and I personally think it’s a fascinating time for humankind. I always have hope we will achieve our best selves in the mix of whatever we face – eventually at least. Sometimes people send out stuff that makes you think, some challenge your ideas or beliefs, and some people share stuff that pisses you off because you are just not in the right frame of mind to hear that bullshit TODAY! Tomorrow might be a completely different situation and the spiritual bollocks of one day becomes the inspiration that gets you through the next. It’s pretty interesting. Anyhoo, one thing that really stood out to me recently – something I have long since lost in the bowels of my Facebook history – was this. A picture of our beautiful world from space. At the top it said: “Rubbish.” At the bottom it said: “There is no away.” That’s it really. Nothing more to be said. It’s really simple and it completely struck a chord with me. But are we getting the message? Do we really understand what we’re dealing with? I mean really? I don’t think so. Recently I was doing some research on the airline industry for work and I came across a story on CNN World, featuring Kishore Mahbubani, who is Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore and a member of the World Economic Forum. He said: the “explosion of Asia’s middle class, which was named by the World Economic Forum’s Agenda Council as one of the ten most significant trends for 2014, is stunning.” In this article, he states that the middle class in Asia is estimated to be at 500 million people today, but that number is expected to reach 1.75 billion by 2020 – a three-fold increase in just seven years. This prediction is considered one of the biggest seismic shifts in human history – with close to two billion middle class predicted for Asia – or 30 per cent of the world’s middle class – all based in my neighborhood. My mind boggles at this number, especially as I’m already feeling the influx of the new middle class today. Like any middle class demographic anywhere in the world, we can only expect this growing community to have the same expectations the West has enjoyed for the last half century. But the West has not done a good job of growing and caring for the environment at the same time. We have not set a good example. So how do we survive nearly two billion new people consuming at the rate we consume within a very short timeframe? Demanding more luxury goods, cupboards full of clothes and shoes, more cars, more white goods, more TVs than a family needs, more space at home, and more plastic shit toys that break within 24 hours of buying them? And then what about food? This is Asia, so one luxury is Shark Fin soup. But another luxury is lobsters – the poor bloody lobsters. Is there any way we can cater for more demand and expect our marine life to survive?  Even perfume! I saw a documentary recently and the future of the perfume industry is catering to a new customer with different tastes – pungent versus delicate. My fragrances of choice may no longer be available because my market will shrink to irrelevancy within the mix of this expected growth. Of course, there are many more things that can be included here, but the fundamental thing that will change is energy requirements – we’re going to need more, a lot more! How can we do it? Well we can’t do it based on our current approach, we know that. We live in a world where there is NO AWAY. It’s dramatic, really dramatic, and we need to change things now, right now, or we’re all screwed. I think this guy really did get it right in his video: “One Guy With A Marker Just Made The Global Warming Debate Completely Obsolete”. I certainly hope we don’t have to live through a Day After Tomorrowscenario before we get the bloody message. With all that said, I know I’m not doing enough and could do a lot more – you? Without the bollocks Andrea

A brand new Jax rocks our world February 13th 2008 When I speak with like-minded Mums – the variety who don’t wax lyrical about the wonders of motherhood and tend to be more open to conversations around the grueling aspects of the early years – one thing that always comes up from Mums with older kids is this: “it gets good from about the age of seven. You’ll enjoy it more then.” When Mum’s started telling me this years ago I wondered how I’d ever make it through the chaos and craziness of the coming years. Then (well, still really) I was dealing with the discovery of children starting fires IN the house, the sitting down at the end of a day thinking “shit, they didn’t die today that’s good”, and the cleaning up of blood thinking how the hell did we avoid a visit to the hospital?  Grueling, and more often than not, Mum and Dad weren’t always having a whole lot of fun. But today, I am pleased to say IT’S ONLY ONE MORE YEAR and both boys will be seven, because today it is Jax’s 6thbirthday. I bloody love this kid. He is a gutsy, charming little dude and he is going to be alright in this life. However, he’s also a massive, argumentative pain in the arse – I mean who knew a five (now six) year old knew so much? “Mum are there toilets on buses?” “Yes love, some buses have toilets – the ones for long distance travel.” “No they don’t Mum. Buses don’t have toilets.” End of discussion. “Dad – what did you say to that man.” “I just told him he was a silly driver.” “No you didn’t – you used the bloody-fucking word, and that’s naughty.” “You’re right Jax, I was naughty.” First Halloween approx nine months “Dad, don’t use the bloody-fucking word. If you use the bloody-fucking word you’ll have no more toys. I don’t use the bloody-fucking word because it’s really naughty, so you shouldn’t use the bloody-fucking word. People who use the bloody-fucking word are soooo naughty, that’s why I don’t use the bloody-fucking word…” (insert eight more uses of the bloody-fucking word whilst claiming innocence here). Please note: if you’ve been reading my blog, the above might sound familiar. It continues to this day. Anyhoo, Lex turned seven in November, and while he continues to be a pain in the arse, we have definitely seen a cooling down of craziness, and well, he just seems a lot more mature. Fire remains an interest area though… grrrrrr. Now six, I’ve definitely noticed Jax becoming a more mature, independent and confident little man in recent months, but we still have the unreasonableness, belligerence and inability-to-reason cropping up now and again. It’s a lot of lot of fun let me tell you. But we’re close, really close. Maximum one more year, hooray! Our little man today Jax is a great little puddin’. He’s easy to hang out with and bloody hilarious. Truth to tell, Steve and I have really enjoyed watching both of the boys grow and come into their own. They’re incredibly different, but equally fantastic, and this world better watch out when they’re unleashed upon it – especially the girls as far as Jax is concerned. He’s going to get a lot of action. So happy birthday my love. This has not been an easy ride for your old Mum and Dad, but we really wouldn’t have you any other way – well maybe a little less argumentative! We love you mate. Yours without the bollocks Andrea