The Love of My Life

My husband is my idol, truly. And I don't mean to sound cheesy. Just the way he treats me with unconditional love, kindness and appreciation is something I have a lot to learn about. Our story hasn't been the easiest one with long distance and cultural differences but he has never stopped believing in us. Not one day has passed that he wasn't there for me. I'm forever grateful for that.

It's time to give turn to my husband to share his views about Ang Moh Chick! So here is a small interview. This is a way to make you all know me a bit better as well. :)

So how did you meet with your wife?

She was on exchange at my university in Singapore. We met through a friend who is a Finn on exchange as well and I was his tutor at SMU.

Describe her in five words.

Delicate, smart, kind-hearted, sweet and spicy

What are her biggest likes and dislikes?

Likes: Wonderful delights such as food (e.g. seafood i.e sambal sotong), new experiences, cosy cafes with interesting interiors, animals, nature, thunder storms...

Dislikes: There are many but, food in small portions (my biggest dislike too)!

What has been your biggest obstacle as a couple?

It is always difficult to agree with each other :D

What has been the most special occasions that you shared?

- Our wedding ceremony on a lovely island of Helsinki, best Finnish cuisine, family members, the band...

- A romantic dinner on the beach in Bali (on the menu: seafood and sambal sotong of course)

- As she was recovering from a very bad flu virus; her appreciative gaze for taking care of her is priceless. And the  I got the flu...

- Seafood platter for 4 in Madeira; yet we were snatching food from each other

- Champagne at our two honeymoons in Tallinn and Madeira

What is your funniest memory with her?

What I thought as silent racism in Helsinki: A drunk Finnish man did a squat with a kungfu hand gesture as I walked past him. Pissed, I told her when I got home but she laughed her arse off and almost fell off the chair... Finnish humour.... oh well... the way she laughed was really funny.

What is there about her that blog readers might be surprised about?

How she can eat so bloody much.

What is the most annoying thing about her?

Her voice when she nags.

What have you learned from her?

She made me a man.

What has she learned from you?

Let's not talk about meeting expectations :p

What are you looking forward to the most about your life together?

Our own home, or two each in Singapore and Finland. Able to travel across the globe and have new experiences together, laugh, travel more, laugh, and perhaps a kid or two. A summer cottage would be nice too.

Okay..... This was an interesting read - for me too :D Hope you enjoyed!


X Ang Moh Chick

Chillin' at the Sky Garden

One of the things I like about living in Singapore are the sky high buildings. Having my own house with a chimney and a fireplace, small garden with old apple trees, berry bushes and my favourite flowers, forget-me-nots, is a lifelong dream of mine, but at this stage of my life it's nice to experience a view over the city from the comfort of my own bed ;)

As Singapore is a tropical city with not much access to nature, peace and quiet, I love the idea of sky gardens that many high buildings have. Sky gardens are tiny parks with trees, flowers and benches to sit and relax on. Usually it's also windier high up so it's actually preasurable to spend time in the garden and unwind.

Top: Tezenis   Skirt: Sianeder  Necklace: Mango  Earrings: Anna Gav

X Ang Moh Chick

Outfit - and Thought - of the Day

I get a lot of positive energy from small pretty nice things. Spending most of the time in shorts and a tee without make up, during weekends it's nice to "doll up" like my husband says. Fashion is a way of self expression, a way of showing the emotions of the day, and a way of standing out as you, different from any other person on this planet. 

People tend to go from one extreme to another; be either too much wrapped around themselves, their schedule, their time, their opinion, their mood. Or then they tend to be overly helpful, put everyone else before themselves, forget their own needs serving others. Finding a balance is very hard. I read this article today about the five most common things that people regret on their deadbeds; to have lived their lives true to themselves, not the life others expect of them; not to have work so hard; to have had the courage to express their feelings; to have spend more time with friends; to have let themselves be happier.

The things that have made me feel empowered are the situations where I chose not to take the safe road. Expressing feelings is also very important to me. Some people like to write, some talk, some post in facebook. How we say things, our expressions, and the way we look like, all send messages to people around us. I've been many times approached because of something I wear, or because I look different somehow. In this way, fashion can even make life more sociable, and definitely more fun.

For me, happiness comes from the small things, and by this I don't mean material per se. Happiness comes from the smile on a stranger's face when offering a helping hand. Happiness is a good meal that leaves me satisfied, or a great new recipe to share. Happiness is the knowledge that I have a man by my side who would do, and has done, anything for me. Happiness is the hope that my blog gives something to someone out there, whether it's inspiration, positivity, ideas, creativity, courage, knowledge. And yes - happiness is also a pretty dress, comfortable shoes and some glitter in the ears ;)

Be true to yourself, express, be honest, love, forgive, forget, cherish. Think of something that makes you happy and spend time on it every day.


Dress: Massimo Dutti   Shoes: Fausto Zanetti/Tangs   Earrings: Guess

X Ang Moh Chick

Yoga for beginners

This post is meant for yoga beginners or for people who haven’t tried yoga but whould like to try, or would like to know more about what it’s like. I’m a fresh beginner myself! So the poses may not look perfect, but the idea is to introduce yoga to you so that more people would be interested to try it out!

I believed for long that yoga isn’t for me – it’s slow paced, looked like stretching and I thought I would get bored and certainly would’t be challenged enough. How wrong was I! I went to a beginners class, and even though the poses were not the most demanding ones, later that evening I got back pain and my arms felt like I had done some serious weightlifting! So I got interested. It was obvious that yoga challenged my body in a way that no other exercise had done before.

In addition to the feeling that yoga actually worked on my body, I felt that it had a very positive effect on my flexibility; the poses at the same time stretch and build on body strength. There was something similar to ballet which I have practiced for years when I was younger. Not to mention the calming effect which is great during stressful times in life or work. There are numerous articles online about the benefits of yoga, so if you wish to read more, internet is an endless resource!

The following yoga pose series is a very quick and easy one – it works best as a warm up and as a mind calming exercise. Just focus on your slow, deep breathing. I had a chance to shoot this post in Finland where I’m visiting my family for the summer. Naturally doing yoga outside is wonderful but you might as well do it at home. If you do it in Singapore without a/c, I recommend doing it before you shower ;)…

1. Mountain Pose

Mountain Pose is often the first pose in a yoga class. It is done by standing with your feet together, your weight evenly on both feet, with a good posture. Relax your sholders, tighten your core. With a deep inhale, raise your arms from both sides over your head and place your palms together. Reach towards the sky and try to empty your mind.

2. Standing Forward Bend

With a deep exhale, bend down with your knees straight (not locking) and hands/fingers touching as close to the ground in front or beside your feet as possible. If you are very flexible, you can place your hands to the ground behind your feet. Remember to bend from your hips, not from the waist. Keep your heels on the ground while lifting your sitting bones towards the sky. This pose focuses on your thighs and works specifically as headache and insomnia relief.

3. High Lunge

Bend your knees so that you reach the ground with your hands, and with an inhale step your other foot backwards so far that your other knee forms a 90 degree angle. Keep the knee behind straight. Lengthen your upper body on top of your thigh in front but don’t place your weight on the thigh; your weight should be on your feet and arms. Keep your back straight in line with your back foot. Look forward. High Lunge focuses on you thighs, groins and calves, and it is said to help indigestion, constipation and sciatica.

4. Downward-Facing Dog

With an exhale, step the leg in front backwards next to your other leg. Push your weight towards your thighs so that your back straigthens and your body forms an ”A” shape. Spread your palms for better balance, and push your shoulders away from your hands. This pose is great for upper back stretching and is said to help especially in sinusitis.

5. Plank Pose

Inhaling, draw your body forward until your wrists are straight under your shoulders. Keep your body in a straight line, knees straightened. Keep your sholders away from your spine and neck. Push your tailbone towards the floor.

6. Four-Limbed Staff Pose

Firm your sholders, exhale, and lower your body parallel to the ground bending your elbows. Focus on your body being straight and your tailbone pushed towards the pelvis. Finally your body is on the ground, your legs straight and your elbows bended (as in the photo).

7. Upward-Facing Dog

With a deep inhale, stretch your legs back and push your upper body upwards away from the ground. Straighten your arms and keep your thighs firm. This pose also helps sciatica.

After this pose, you can return to 4. Downward-Facing Dog, followed by 3. High Lunge. From High Lunge you can step your foot behind next to the foot in front and move on to 2. Standing Forward Bend, and again 1. Mountain Pose. For the next round, you can repeat the poses but using the opposite foot as the backward and forward stepping foot.

Yoga is said to energize and strengthen the body, reduce fatigue and anxiety, stimulate the liver and the kidneys, calm the brain and relieve stress and mild depression, improve digestion, help in menopause and have a therapeutic effect on asthma, high blood pressure, infertility, osteoporosis and sinusitis.

For more detailed information you can refer to for example www.yogajournal.com.

Have a relaxing weekend ahead! :) 

X Ang Moh Chick