Forever Heat Rub

Best heat lotion... ever!

In addition to the Aloe Vera Gelly, Artic Sea Omega-3 and Aloe Lips with jojoba, we have one other sponsored item from Forever Living in our arsenal.

We had specially requested for this back when we were first planning to do the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Even though our plans changed to a more comfortable means of visiting the Incan ruins, we still had plenty of opportunity to use Forever Living's Aloe Heat Lotion.

The Aloe Heat Lotion is a fast-acting muscle rub, similar (but better!) to Deep Heat or Yoko Yoko. In fact, based on my experience with it, it seems to take effect even faster than any of the other muscle rubs I've used before. And believe me, I've used plenty during my 2.5 years in the Singapore Armed Forces.

During this trip, we have applied Forever Living's Aloe Heat Lotion after our more strenuous excursions, like the 2km hike a mountain in Otavalo, our long, long walk around a lake in Cuenca, the Santa Cruz trek in Huaraz, after pulling my back as we sandboarded in Huacachina, and after even after scaling Wayna Picchu to get a condor's eye view of Machu Picchu!

Impressively, each time we used Forever Living's Aloe Heat Lotion, we were up and ready to go the next day, with no muscle aches at all. I can still remember the times when I applied other heat rubs for days before the aches disappeared. And it's not fun to see others wrinkle their noses at you when they smell what you have on for days and days...

The reason why Forever Living's Aloe Heat Lotion seems to work so well is because of the main ingredient, aloe vera. Aloe vera contains a chemical called lignin, which helps the heat lotion penetrate your skin better to work on the muscles quickly and more effectively.

In the times that we have used it, we have also noticed that the more you ache, the hotter the cream becomes. For example, after the walk round the lake in Cuenca, we had applied the lotion on our thighs and calves. There was a warm tingly feeling, comfortable and soothing. But after I pulled my back falling off the sandboard in Huacachina, the lotion seemed to seep right into my skin and cause a furious burning that really sped up the healing process. It was actually painful for awhile, but it felt so good after that! :)

We strongly recommend using Forever Living's Aloe Heat Lotion if you are engaged in any strenuous physical activity. Use it after your tennis sessions, or after your marathons. Believe us, you will not regret it!

To get your hands on Forever Living's Aloe Heat Lotion, please contact my friend Jasmine by clicking here or emailing her at jasjas.ng@gmail.com today!

Heat relief comes cheap at USD 12.29 per tube. Check with Jasmine for possible discounts!

Sew Special 2

Life on the road has been a little more entertaining ever since our DanYilin action figures by Su-Lin Designs arrived on the continent.

For one, they are great conversation starters. And we get a welcomed break from answering questions about ourselves ("We're from Singapore", "We are on a year-long trip in the Americas", We are going back in March 2010", etc.) all the time. Now if only the dolls could do all the talking for us.

Secondly, I think they also inject a little bit of humour into other people's lives. People who spot us carefully positioning the dolls for a photo can't help but smile at the unexpected scene. It's not everyday that you get a meet some sock dolls having a field day at Machu Picchu or Lake Titicaca, you know. Unfortunately, sometimes the humour is at our expense - like when the customs officer conducting bag checks at the Nasca airport pulled out our dolls and threw us a questioning look. I felt rather sheepish to be caught carrying dolls in my bag. After all, we're a bit old to be toting stuffed toys around. Plus we don't have a kid with us whom we can use as a scapegoat. At least the customs officer was amused.

So, as you can see, there's real joy in owning a sock doll, better still if it's customised to suit your fancy. Be it modeled after your favourite animal or a well-loved personality (like, say, yourself... *ahem*), here's a peek at how much fun you could be having with a bunch of socks!

Mooning unsuspecting passengers from the upper deck of a bus (Lima, Peru)

Getting to know the locals better (Uros Islands, Lake Titicaca, Peru)

Brightening up the desolate desert landscape (Salt Hotel, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia)

Better yet, get a pair of sock dolls and have twice the fun!

Taking in famous sights and sounds together (Machu Picchu, Peru)

Matching jewelery isn't always cheesy, especially when they are cool Andean cross pendants (Salt Hotel, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia)

Every sock doll needs to have its own personal photographer (Huacachina, Peru)

Owning a pair of action figures means you can expect twice the amount of action. Depending on what they get up to, such actions can get a tad embarrassing...

At least it's safe.... (Hotel Bed, Nasca, Peru)

Sock dolls can also be pretty good company. Better than your own spouse at times. Especially when the wife refuses to laugh at any more corny jokes about chilling in chilly Chile with chili. Even worse, she bans you from making such jokes, leaving you to stew painfully in your misery.

At least this other wife still laughs at your jokes (somewhere in the desert, Bolivia)

Because you can no longer offer your wife as a virgin sacrifice (somewhere in the desert, Bolivia)

Plus, sock dolls are pretty good with animals and pets.

Getting cosy with the pet alpacas (hostel in the middle of nowhere, Bolivia)

The parrot really didn't like Darnie's rude bird jokes (Huacachina, Peru)

If you have something to promote, like a business or a blog, the dolls can lend an extra hand or two. Or a head.

Having a head for business (Lima, Peru)

So if you would like to be the proud owner of a uniquely-designed or custom-made sock doll today, be sure to check out Su-Lin Designs for some ideas of what you could own. Either select from the current collections offered online (see website for prices) or get in touch with designer Tracy herself for a personal consultation if you would like something a little more to your liking. Remember, each sock doll can be highly personalised. Prices for bespoke creations depend on the level of customisation required.

Tracy has an eye for details and nimble fingers that create fine handiwork

From now till 1st December, Su-Lin Designs is taking orders from customers in Singapore. All orders made during this period will enjoy free delivery from the UK to Singapore in time for Christmas. Running out of ideas of what to get for your family and friends this holiday season? Tired of shopping for run-of-the-mill presents like photo frames, bath towels and toiletries sets? Resigned to being 'safe' and unexciting by distributing shopping vouchers every year? Why not give your loved ones a gift that you really want to give for a change? Present a Su-Lin Designs sock doll with pride this year!

But why limit yourself to early Christmas shopping? Plan ahead, people, plan ahead! Birthdays, weddings, baby showers, anniversaries, Valentine's Day are all perfect occasions to spoil someone with a special creation from Su-Lin Designs.

Let us avid divers be your stunning example of planning ahead: we have already placed an order for a pair of marine creatures, to add to our current collection of sea critters sitting pretty around our pond at home. It's a secret for now as to what they are, but I don't think you will be able to find them on a store shelf anywhere in the world. Yes, I dare say that they are that unique. You'll meet them on the Su-Lin Designs website soon enough!

Order now and watch the faces of your loved ones light up when they unwrap that special sock gift. Our faces definitely did!

Forever - Taking Care of Us

This is my good friend Jasmine.


She recently tied the knot on 20.09.2009, and the world of bachelors suffers for it.

When we left Singapore for our year-long trip on 28th March, Jasmine met us at the airport because she happened to have a flight to catch a few hours later. As we bade fond farewells to each other, she handed me a red packet with 2 sticks of lip balm and a love note.

It was a note that said that she would miss us. It was a note that said good luck, and enjoy yourselves! It was a note that said "The United States of America - One Hundred Dollars".


Good stuff.

Of course, after the initial wave of shock at such generosity, I had to revert to type and crack a joke about the two sticks of lip balm. "One for the mouth, one for the ass, is it?"

Jasmine surprised us by nodding seriously.
"Look at the note inside."

"I looked at the note already! But if you're telling me that I need to stick this somewhere to earn the USD 100... Oh. Oh... there IS another note.


Jasmine earnestly explained to me,"See, if you get haemorrhoids, you can use the second stick. Don't use the same stick!"

Duh.

Thing is, when I first received the gift, I really had no idea what to make of it. I don't wear lip balm! But since then, I have had a 180-degree change in attitude.

Forever Living's Aloe Lips with jojoba is probably one of the more versatile gifts that we have received.

As a lip balm, it has been absolutely essential since we set foot in South America. Why? Because the only other alternative to moisturising our lips is by drinking. And there are just times where we would not want to drink more than necessary. Long 8-hour bus rides, for example. Or even long rambles nature parks where we have to conserve what water we have. Alternative? Lip balm, of course.

But why Aloe Lips?

Simply because the first ingredient in Aloe Lips is the highest grade aloe vera suitable for human consumption, and this aloe vera soothes the chapped lips so well, bringing instant relief.

The second ingredient in Aloe Lips is jojoba oil. Now, jojoba oil has properties that allow it to be used as a moisturiser, lip balm and countless other skin products. This is because jojoba oil is the one naturally occurring compound that is the most similar to human skin oil. So what your body is unable to produce, jojoba can be used as a supplement!

Since we are both relatively healthy individuals with no signs of hemorrhoids, we also tested Aloe Lips on insect bites. Now, as far as anti-itching is concerned, it does not seem to work that well. When we suffered insect bites in Florida and the Bahamas, the wife eventually caved in and bought calamine lotion, because she needed some relief from the itchiness.

I was able to use my latent Jedi powers to trick my mind into ignoring the itches, and just applied a bit of Aloe Lips on the bites. And we did observe that the icky little bumps disappeared faster on me! Amazing!

So, get your Forever Aloe Lips if you are planning to travel. Heck, get it even if you are not traveling. As the 2nd note said, this is a great secret weapon in your pocket. Contact Jasmine by clicking here or emailing her at jasjas.ng@gmail.com today!

Dubious Dhobis

While I can be like any other slob at home, I do have some remnants of my army days still programmed in me. I remember those days when we would return from a mission or exercise, and the first thing we would do (despite being up all night, moving swiftly through the jungle brush to our objective, then striking hard and fast) would be to clean our equipment. Rifles, signal sets, all equipment was cleaned up even with camouflage still on our faces. Next would come a hastily cooked packet of instant noodles over a bunsen stove. Then the shower, then finally, blissful rest.

I'm no longer in the army now. Haven't been back for the past few years now (sweet taste of freedom! Yeah!) and the programming seems to have slipped a bit.

Two full days of the Santa Cruz trek saw us stepping on small piles of poop while avoiding the big ones. The skies that opened up on our return journey had us all soaking wet, from head down to muddy shoes. Our ride back to civilisation was in a truck filled with chicken coops, thankfully with no chickens, but I had telltale white stains all over my jacket and backpack, not to mention having to hold the icky cages back to keep them from falling on me whenever the truck went over a bump!

Perhaps it is a sign of having returned back to civilian life, in mind and in body. But when we returned to Huaraz, the first order of business was to shower, then eat, then sleep. Washing of equipment was relegated to "have thought about it, and decided when to do it" status!

The next day was nice and sunny, and after a quick breakfast, we proceeded to the rooftop of our hostel for some serious cleaning. The rooftop was a nice location because:

1) There were a couple of heavy-duty sinks there that could take sediment being washed down.
2) The clotheslines were already strung up by the hostel owners.
3) It was relatively secluded, and Ching Ching can make all the noise her petite frame could conjure up

Ching doing the underwear while I did the footwear

And what a washup we had! The staff of the hostel lent us some basins which we made full use of. Rinsed off the muddy stuff. Soaked the sweat-stained stuff. Removed insect legs and the remainder of clingy plants from our socks and gloves. Scrubbed the shoes till they looked almost brand new. Even the alpaca sweater/jackets we bought from Otavalo got a good washing!

Ebony and Ivory

We spent about three whole hours scrubbing and cleaning everything with detergent that we bought earlier. And frankly, it was really quite fun because our spirits were high from the good rest we had. It was great basking in the warmth of the sun, and sniggering at the thought of the other poor angmohs up in the snowy mountains with wet socks and underwear from the previous day. Nya nya nya nya nya!

Lending a few sets of helping fingers

What really struck me was also how well the three of us worked together. Other than stopping to wow at the scenery from the roof, none of us slacked for the entire time we were up there. When the two sinks were being used, the 3rd person would be scrubbing at another basin, or helping hang up the clothes, or even just getting drinking water. We reveled in being totally Singaporean after being among foreigners for so long. Even a bad case of finger cramps couldn't dampen our spirits!

Proud of their handiwork!

By the time we were done, almost all the clotheslines were taken up by our clothes and gear. But the potent combination of the sun and breeze meant that some of the clothes could already be kept. Which caused me to ponder - in conditions like this, is it better to wash the thicker clothes that are harder to dry so that they get more exposure to the sun before dusk, or is it better to wash the quick-dry clothes so that you can keep them first?

A bond that's hard to sunder

Little did I know that I should have pondered more deeply on another question. In the event where most of my clean clothes were still with the donkeys accompanying the rest of the group, and I had only one clean t-shirt with me, is it really wise to take it off while washing in the hot sun for three hours?

Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch!

Seriously, it's such a good thing we have a sponsor for aloe vera products! Thank goodness for good friends like Ching Ching (who came to South America to join us) and Jasmine (who mailed the lifesaving aloe vera gelly to us. It was too late to prevent the peeling, but it sure soothed the raging heat in my back!

How To Not Eat Your Heart Out When Eating Your Heart Out

As mentioned before, for the first 3 months of our trip, we ate our way through all the fast food chains (MacD's, KFC, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Arby's, Domino's), IHOPs and Ben & Jerry freezers throughout the United States. The good thing is - fast food is the cheapest meal option The bad (very very bad) thing? All those burgers, pizzas, fries and ice-cream flooded our bodies with fat, thousands of calories and icky bad cholesterol.

Our health situation isn't much better here in Colombia. Alot of the food we eat is deep fried - roadside snacks, fried plantains (similar to goreng pisang) and grilled meats.

Shaping Up

"You guys should try getting some exercise!" I hear you say. Except for the daily exertion on our lungs from plodding uphill back to our hostel at this high altitude, and short of signing up for a membership at a home gym (no big California Fitness and Fitness First chains here), going for a jog in Bogota is simply not an option. The air is severely polluted and blackened from the toxic fumes spewed out from collectivos and buses, and ever-rampant cigarette smoke. I fear for my lungs every time we step out onto the street. The pavements are crowded with mime artists (yes, irritating clowns who insist on trailing you and imitating your every action, and expect you to pay them for it), vendors spreading their wares on the ground, spray-paint artists, touts shoving everything from thumb drives to menus in your face and the alluring combo of potholes, spittle and pigeon poop. We are looking forward very much to moving into the countryside once our Spanish lessons end.

Looking Inwards

That said, regular exercise can only target one of the problems brought upon by an unhealthy diet - it only burns excess calories. What about all the bad cholesterol that's trapped inside your body? How do you get that damned evil stuff out?

To recap, how is bad cholesterol harmful to our health? While moving through your body via your bloodstream, the cholesterol decides that it likes the snug environment of your arteries and happily makes itself a permanent home on your artery walls. With the intake of more fatty foods, this spot of prime real estate attracts more fat neighbours. Unlike the traffic situation in Singapore, there's no equivalent of Electronic Road Pricing strategies in your body to regulate the speed at which the fatty deposits are building up. As a result, your arteries start to get dangerously narrow. This is what increases your risk of getting a heart attack.

So, just like how you take care of your car - by giving it a good scrub on the outside and cleaning out the interior (all those errant chips and cookie crumbs) - you not only need to care for your body by showering everyday (even if it means freezing your toes off in chilly Bogota), you also need to flush out those toxic residents that are throwing a weekly neighbourhood party in your arteries.

Cleaning On The Go

How do we take care of our insides while on the go, without (1) starving ourselves silly on a self-imposed detox diet (and missing out on all the great local food); and (2) signing up for expensive and time-consuming professional detox treatments?

We take Forever Living Arctic-Sea Omega-3 capsules as a dietary supplement.

Forever Living Arctic-Sea Omega-3 capsules - your Heart's best friend

Omega-3 is a fatty acid present in the layer of oil that lies under the skin of certain types of fish, namely salmon and mackerel. Also known as "good cholesterol", these fatty acids play a part in reducing the risk of contracting heart disease by countering the influx of bad cholesterol. In the case of Forever Living Arctic-Sea Omega-3 capsules, each 1000 mg capsule comprises 75% pure fish oil and 25% olive oil.

Why olive oil too? Olive oil contains Omega-9, which enhances the rate at which Omega-3 works to reduce cholesterol levels. Our friend Jasmine demonstrated this fact to us through an interesting experiment involving some Styrofoam. Styrofoam has a chemical structure similar to that of bad cholesterol. When oil from an Arctic-Sea capsule was added to the Styrofoam, the Styrofoam immediately started to dissolve. The conclusion is quite clear: the rare combination of Omega-3 and Omega-9 in a single capsule helps to dissolve solid fat deposits in the arteries. Liquid toxins are more easily flushed out of the body than chunks of fat. Regular intake of Arctic-Sea thus helps to keep the arteries clear and open, which optimises the flow of blood - and thus oxygen - to the heart.

There's Lots of Fish in the Sea

Exactomento. Omega-3 supplements are a dime a dozen in pharmacies. But where is the fish oil coming from? The polluted sea near you? Or unhealthy farm-reared fish, all packed fin-to-fin in grimy tanks? As you can imagine, the quality of the oil extracted from fishes living in such poor conditions can't be very good.

As clearly stated in the product name, Forever Living's Omega-3 is harvested from fish living in the Arctic Sea, whose remote location and severe icy temperatures work together to keep human activity at bay and its waters unpolluted. The Arctic waters are partially covered in ice throughout the year, and almost completely so in winter. To survive in such harsh conditions, its fishy residents need to store substantial layers of oil under their skin to insulate themselves against the cold. Healthy fish roaming freely in unpolluted waters, all warm and cosy under their thick oily coats? Paints a pretty picture indeed! So, in order to harvest their bounty of plentiful high-quality oil, we... kill them? Uh-huh. No fishes are harmed in the oil extraction process. Forever Living simply extracts the oil from under their skin and releases the fish back into the ocean, unharmed. To avid divers like us (and all you nice, kindhearted people out there!) who believe in the motto "Fish Are Friends, Not Food", that is good news indeed.

The Comparison With Brand X

Yeah, but how do we know for sure that Forever Living Arctic-Sea capsules work better than aaallllll the other brands of Omega-3 dietary supplements out on the market? Well, to be honest, we don't. Simply because we haven't eaten Omega-3 from aaalllll the other brands and we don't know anyone who is crazy enough to do so.

But take my dad's word for it. Prof Tan is The Ultimate Hypochondriac who indulges in an occasional serving of char kway teow, durian pengat, cereal prawns, chendol and buttery goodies that my mum churns out from her oven. He has been taking Omega-3 capsules since ... forever. We gave him a bottle of Artic-Sea capsules to try. After a month, he excitedly reported that he preferred Forever Living's capsules over his Brand X ones because:

(1) Forever Living's soft gel capsules were easier to swallow than Brand X's hard, plasticky rugby balls that stabbed at his throat on their way down;

(2) they helped him poop better (sorry Dad, you were so excited about this - I just had to say it);

(3) as a result of point (2), he felt lighter, cleaner and more energetic; and

(4) ever since he started taking Arctic-Sea, he has not fallen ill (my dad's very prone to the sniffles and sore throats) even though a recent bout of the dreaded Office Flu wiped out his entire department.

Don't Miss The Boat!

It's never too early to start taking care of your heart and keeping heart disease at bay. If anyone is interested in getting on track to a healthy heart, drop our friend Jasmine a note by clicking here or emailing her at jasjas.ng@gmail.com. Don't just stop at the heart though - Jas knows some professional nutritionists who can help do a thorough check of your insides too!

Celebrities Again!

Our blog got featured in the Straits Times today (Tues, 21 July)! Woot!


- ST Article -

One blogger’s ad income covers her travel expenses and it helps her keep a permanent record. Ms Eunice Khong chronicles her travel experiences on- line. But the 31-year- old’s blog, at Traveler Folio.com, is not just a hobby.

Having won the Best Photography Blog trophy at last year’s Singapore Blog Awards, her readership and online advertising revenue have spiked.

Ms Khong, a professional blogger who left her office job last year, says the income is enough to cover her travel expenses although she declines to reveal how much she earns. She is not the only popular travel blogger in town. Internet search engine results show up at least three other travel blogs authored by Singaporeans.

In the running for this year’s Singapore Blog Awards in the Best Photography Blog category is www.szeping.com, managed by 29-year-old Low Sze Ping. The engineer fills his mostly Chinese language blog with details of his forays in Europe and South-east Asia.

At danyilin.blogspot.com, which attracts a readership of about 2,000 a month from all over the world, Ms Tan Yi Lin, 29, and her husband of four years, Mr Dannie Cho, 33, have been documenting their travel through the Caribbean. The duo is taking a year off work, starting in March this year, to see the Americas. Similarly, freelance travel writer Nellie Huang, 27, has been blogging about her current jaunt through Bolivia at WildJunket.com. The blog attracts a daily readership of about 200 from the United States, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

The bloggers say they write for various reasons. Ms Khong, whose website registers about two million hits a month, started blogging as a way to keep a permanent record: “I kept a little travel journal when I backpacked in Europe with my husband and nearly could not find it when we moved house a few years ago.”

Blogging, she adds, allows her to share her experiences with friends. Besides blogging about foreign destinations, she also writes about Singapore: “Many of my overseas readers love to read about Singapore.”

Having an international readership also has its perks as Mr Low discovered after meeting one of his regular readers, a Shanghainese woman in her early 20s, during a trip there.

He recalls: “She took me to some alleys to try the local cheap delicacies such as spicy crabs and duck organs.”
The accessibility of travel blogs is another attraction. They can be an easy way to update friends and family when on the road.

But the Chos have discovered first-hand how difficult maintaining a blog while on the move can be. Mr Cho says: “In the Bahamas, the wi-fi service could not reach our room, so for a couple of nights we had to endure stinging insects outside a restaurant where the service was available.” They are wary of the wide reach of the Internet and are careful to write about their stay only after leaving. “It helps us avoid stalkers and we are also mindful to never post pictures showing the licence plate of our rental cars,” he says.

For Ms Huang, who has been travelling extensively for the past 10 years, her blog is a useful professional tool: “My blog is a platform to display my work and to draw a larger crowd.”

But everyone has discovered that pictures are an integral part of any travel blog. A typical entry on the Chos’ blog for example will feature several large and colourful photographs of scenery and food. “The pictures not only have to look good but also tell the story of the place and serve to enhance the text,” says Ms Tan.

And travel blogs are not just a detailed recap of the day. Ms Huang says her writing style is “straightforward and personal” but adds that she edits judiciously.

She says: “I do not think readers are interested in my entire itinerary for the day but the specific things I enjoyed.”

For now, she is paying her own way as the revenue she collects from advertising is not substantial, something she hopes will change as her blog attracts more readers.

She says: “I am not too ambitious but I hope that as my blog grows more popular, I can eventually get my travels sponsored.”

-- End Article --

This is really our biggest boost to celebrity status, after being featured on the Pittsburgh Tribune and Escape! magazine. We just need our faces to finally appear on the hoarding around the Marina Bay area to seal our claim to fame. What's taking so long anyway? Hmm...

The number of visitors to our blog also jumped substantially after the ST article appeared. From an average of 70-85 unique visitors, we have so far hit 573 visitors, according to Nuffnang Analytics.

It's certainly nothing compared to the MrBrowns and KennySias of the blogging world, but we still pretty excited. Actually, I don't think excited is an adequate word to describe how we feel. Let's just say it feels damned good. :)

Let's just hope that some of our visitors are here to stay! And while we are at it... sponsorships, anyone?


P.S Thanks to Straits Times for the interview, and my best friend, Roy, for scanning the article for us!

Forever fans of Forever Aloe Gelly

Way back in 2007, the wife and I organised a dive trip to Mabul/Sipadan with our friends (miss you guys and gals!).

A few of the pals who were diving with us. L to R: Sue-Anne, Wifey, Nick, Jasmine, Randy. I'm in front.

After spending days in the very hot sun, you could smell the crispiness of charred flesh whenever you walked past us. Our skins were so inflamed that no amount of soaking in the pool could cool us off. Except for Jasmine, that is.

Sue-Anne, a pained, tortured wreck of the woman she once was, begged Jasmine to let her in on her secret. And within a few hours, Sue-Anne was smiling as serenely as Jasmine.

Clued in to something incredible, the rest of us found that Jasmine was using Forever Aloe Vera Gelly to soothe her skin, and prevent it from burning in the sun. We all shamelessly used it as well, and before you knew it, we were a bunch of happy divers again!

Since then, Forever Aloe Vera Gelly has featured in our cache of items to standby whenever we go swimming, diving, wakeboarding or chilling at Sentosa. It is therefore no surprise that Forever Aloe Vera Gelly now features prominently in our trip. After all, we did spend 4 consecutive days on the beaches of Miami, before going down to Key Largo for another 2 days on another beach! (As I'm writing this post, I've already spent the past week on the beaches of the Bahamas! And we still have no sunburns or peeling skin! Power!)

What makes this Aloe Vera Gelly different from all the rest we've tried before is probably the type and concentration of aloe vera in it. Like coffee, aloe vera comes in many different sub-species and grades. Forever uses Aloe barbadensis Miller, which is the best of the aloe vera that is approved for use by the FDA and USDA.

Forever Aloe Vera Gelly = Forever Lifesaver

You could go around the resorts that you're staying in and chop off the leaves of the aloe vera plants here to get your aloe vera, but then you'd need to lop off new leaves every 48 hours as the nutrients dissipate.

Yilin really chopped this off at our resort in the Bahamas!

Forever has the nutrients of the plant locked down in a stabilising transparent gel using their patented technology.

The value you get in Forever Aloe Vera Gelly is made obvious by looking at the list of ingredients. Under the Fair Packaging and Labelling Act, ingredients have to be listed in order of highest to lowest concentrations. Most other aloe vera products seem to have water or oil as the ingredient with highest concentration, whereas Forever Aloe Vera Gelly has aloe vera as the first product, so you really get what you pay for!


How to use Forever Aloe Vera Gelly

Preparation:
While the Gelly can be used as is, we have found that relief is a dish best served cold. So, chuck it in the fridge!

Instructions:
1) You've just spent a day in the sun. Go take a shower first!
2) Remove tube of Forever Aloe Vera from fridge (if you did not place in fridge, skip to step 3)
3) Apply on parts of body that have had longer exposure to the sun. This probably means your forehead, face, shoulders and forearms.

♪ Metro, metro man... I wanna be, a metro man! ♪

4) Find someone who loves you enough to rubba you.
5) That someone should help you spread and apply the Gelly all over your back, or any other hard-to-reach parts. It's much better when your special someone has a knack for massage. Yes, Yi Lin is a very lucky woman. Sigh. :)

Wei.... spread it properly lahh....

6) Breathe out a contented sigh of relief. Ahhhhhhhhhhh..........
7) Say "Shiok-a-doo-doo"

The Gelly does leave a slightly sticky feeling, but it disappears after awhile. Small price to pay for not shedding little skin-flakes at work over the next few days!

If anyone is interested in getting some Aloe Vera Gelly for yourself, please feel free to contact my friend Jasmine by clicking here or emailing her at jasjas.ng@gmail.com. She's a skincare specialist, and will treat you right if you let her know that Dannie sent you.


p.s: Jasmine assures me that the Gelly is also good for diminishing inflammations, burns, cuts, insect bites, itchiness, rashes, haemorrhoid, eczema, mouth ulcers and pimples/acne. Haven't tried out on these situations yet, but I trust her. :)

Of Sponsorship and Prizes

This thought had actually hit me while I was looking at the colorful electronic billboards in New York.

Colorful electronic billboards scream for your attention at Times Square

Then I forgot about it until two things happened today.

1) We met up with Jon (we call him Jonker). Jonker is studying in Havard University in Boston, while taking a sabbatical from work. He brought us on a tour of Havard and also joined us for lunch. Somewhere in between that, he asked me,"How come you guys don't have any sponsors for yout trip?"

Jonker has no friends in Boston. If you are in Boston, make friends with him!

2) On a semi-related note, I just found out that there's something called the Singapore Blog Awards going on in Singapore. Prizes are alright, but what I would really like is to drive more traffic to our blog; to share our experiences with the many thousands of our compatriots who, for whatever reason, cannot bring themselves to make a similar trip like this. So, win or not, it really seems like a possible platform to get some publicity.

I know billboards (advertising), sponsorship and winning awards are different sets marketing tools, but they just clicked together in my mind, and made me think of what are the possible sponsorships we could really use for this trip.

Here are the top 5:

Hotel/Motel chain(s) across the US and South America - We've been staying in a hodgepodge combination of Econolodges, Super 8s, America's Best Value Inns, Travelodges, as well as the rare Hyatt, Hilton, Doubletree and Best Western. Just make sure you remember the complimentary internet access as well, so that we can blog about our stay!

Car Rentals - So far, we've tried Hertz, Enterprise, Fox, National and Avis. Again, would be nice to be able to stick to just one company. These rentals, combined with the one-way drop off fees are killing us!

Photography - I think most readers have realised that there's a marked difference between the photos Yi Lin takes, and what I take. We have already posted an entry on the gear we are using here. The wife could always use a good telephoto lens and flash unit for her camera in addition to her wide angle and kit lens. I could always upgrade to a DLSR as well. Would-be sponsors should note that there are also plans to go underwater when we hit the Carribean and South America!


Clothes - The wife is usually decked out in Nike, courtesy of Jennifer's never-worn-before-hand-me-downs. I'm usually in Giordano and my trusty Adidas walking shoes. But repeated hand-washing of these clothes mean that they wear out a lot faster than we would like. And frankly, it would be nice to have cold-weather outfits and beachwear too!

Domestic Flights - Have taken United Airlines, Southwest and Jetblue so far. As we move down the East Coast of USA into the islands and South America, we'll probably be flying a bit more.

My response to Jonker's earlier question was that when we first started out doing up this blog, we had totally no idea how well-received it would be. Added to the fact that we are only minor celebrities (upcoming face of Marina Bay, remember?), it was highly unlikely that we could have secured sponsors at that time.

But the time seems right now. We've got a pretty decent blog going. We've also had plenty of experience with all the motels, car rental companies and airlines to make sensible and decent comparisons. I think there's a lot of credibility here now.

So, dear readers, if you know of anyone who might be interested in any forms of sponsorship, please introduce them to our blog. The easiest way to do that is to probably click on the Facebook link below and share it on your profile. Help our trip last!