Life Hacks during Covid-19

  Staying at home for a couple of weeks or longer can cause a lot of anxiety, fear, and worst is depression. For some of us who were not mentally prepared for this situation, try checking out my tips to help you cope with the "New Normal" life this 2020.

Green House advocate

   Since we are all saving money, why not regrow some herbs or veggies at home? Save your time and effort in going to supermarkets if you just need a few leaves to spice up your home-cooked dishes. At the same time, give your house a relaxing outdoor feel with these cute little pots.

Hobby Hour

  Bored at home? Pick up your old guitar/keyboard, books, or art materials. Use your boring time for these hobbies to improve yourself. You can also explore your hidden talent by trying out some apps like TikTok for dancing and acting skills or do some karaoke on YouTube/Smule. These will turn your boring days into fun and entertaining one!

Family Time

  The most important aspect of your life, your pillar - is your Family. Try to spend more time with them by watching tv together, playing games or just talking with one another personally or over the phone. The feeling of having somebody who loves and cares for you is what we need right now. Try to hug them more or if they are far, give them a call and say you love them. Be connected.

Memory Lane

  This is what I called “ME” time. Mental health is important in our current situation. Try to open your old photo books or Facebook albums and remember those happy memories when you were on a vacation or with your friends and family. I assure you will smile while checking out some throwback photos.

Chef at home

   I know not everyone is blessed with some cooking skills. But I tell you, this really comes in handy when the time comes. Why not try checking out master Chef Google for some recipes that you crave for dinner? It won't be that perfect but it's like achievement unlocked for yourself. You can also try with a simple dessert recipe for snacks. Yums!

Strengthening our Faith

   It doesn't matter what belief you have but faith is essential for all us currently. Seek more wisdom, pray, or reflect on your faith. Let the universe shower you with blessings. Have Faith, belief, and don’t lose hope. We can all overcome this difficult season.

Level UP

   Now is your time to shine in learning new skills at work or for your self-improvement. Pick up a subject/project/concept that you are lacking skills with and try to develop, learn, and be an expert on it. Now is your time to shine!

Self-Love

   People who love themselves are glowing with happiness, beauty, and admiration. Want to know the secret to be a better you? Praise yourself and always say positive words all the time. Try eating fresh foods every day. Change to a healthy lifestyle. Put on a skincare routine before you sleep. Do a simple stretching exercise, yoga, or listen to your favorite song while doing something. Smile and be happy!

Virtual Reunion

   Do you have some high school reunion or friends get together that was planned and didn't happen? Why not use some FREE online platforms like Zoom or Google to meet and greet? This sounds fun and EXCITING! No excuses and everybody can attend!

Relationships

Married/ Single with Partner

   Take this opportunity to praise and embrace your better half! You don't always see him/her on a 24/7 basis so stop nagging and complaining about each other. Why not watch your favorite NetFlix series together? Whether it’s a k-drama or an American series whichever you both feel like watching. Or try to do a routine exercise together, binge eat together, play games together or if you have kids, get them involved to play a game too. Don't let this virus ruin your marriage and relationships, fight to survive it!

Single with no commitment

   Develop a deeper relationship with your family. Reach out to old friends and have a chat online. They might be worried about you. Interact with other people in Social Media whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or even WhatsApp, it doesn’t matter if you leave a comment or send some likes or just chat with others is a good start to socialize virtually. If you are sharing a place with others, get to know your housemates and have a potluck party!

This pandemic might have brought us a series of unfortunate events, but it teaches us a lot of life lessons equivalent to a decade of living.  And With these challenges that we are facing now, I believe we can become stronger, better, and wiser in the future. Let’s all beat this virus and stay alive together!

Best Baseball Gift Ideas for Your Groomsmen

Are you planning a theme wedding? Or do you just have a lot of Sports fans invited?  While sometimes having a specific focus on your wedding can be incredibly expensive, it’s also possible to save money while keeping on your theme and giving lasting, unique and memorable gifts to your whole wedding party!

A really nice thing about having a sports-themed gift for your groomsmen is that it can be appropriate for the 7-year-old Junior Groomsman up to the oldest member of your wedding party.

Sports fanships cannot be underrated! I still remember at my wedding when the DJ played the fight song of my husband’s favorite college team and his mother came dancing across the floor waving her hands in the air!

So--Let’s talk BASEBALL

All About the Bat
It’s not hard to find a site that sells personalized bats. In fact, there are dozens to choose from.  This special gift is awesome because it is practical, lasts virtually forever, can be passed down to children, and is pretty easily stored. 
Bats are especially great for the Junior Groomsman or even Ring Bearer whom you can make feel extra special on the big day. These bats below, found on Etsy, can be made in 7 different styles and 3 different colors, so you can really go individual for style.  





 
Personalized Bat

There are many accounts and reviews online of a personalized baseball bat bringing a young groomsman to tears.

They are full-size bats, 34 inches long, and carry a very affordable price tag at around $40. Learn more at Etsy.com. 

The Pen is Mightier than the Bat

Personalized Game-Used Wood Baseball Bat Pen with Case

This adorable gift has a cool idea behind it and is so easy to carry home (from, say, a destination wedding). Each beautiful pen is “hand-turned and finished” and great for office decor or real-life use. Even better, they’re made out of a real game-used wooden bat!  You can include up to 12 characters engraved on both the pen and the box.

This gift provides an automatic story for your groomsmen--not only can they tell of their relationship with you, but every time it’s asked they can describe the way their pen came to life from their favorite sport.

The pen is 5 inches long, with a standard Parker refill, and is made from gunmetal hardware.  Not only is the gift a tribute to baseball, but it is also a repurposed item, showing your commitment to not wasting these beautiful ash wood bats. They are delivered in a lovely synthetic-leather storage case. You can buy them at EverythingBaseballCatalog.com.

For the Baseball Fan Who Has Everything

Personalized Baseball Beer Cap Map

A very unique idea for the baseball-loving guy who already has his fill of personalized bats and balls is this beer cap map! Made of thick wood, which is directly printed (“No stickers here” as their website states), this holds 64 beer caps and is a fun piece of decor for any man cave! 

If your sports fan is anything like mine, their home city needs to be featured on any sports gift (and pretty much anything else they wear, use, eat or display). The nice thing about this beer cap map is that it can feature the city in script with the name of your sports fan just below it--fitting in with a room full of Team Loyalty!

Great for college buds who are returning to a dorm room or the more established groomsmen with his own home bar space, you can find out more about these at  https://www.groomsmengiftsource.com/

For sports fans, your sport doesn’t just remind you of something you love to do, or love to watch, but also, the loved ones in your life who cheer on right beside you.

How perfect to say that with a gift on your big day! 

Warm and Cozy- Summer Love

Have you ever seen a couple that looks perfectly cute together? These absolutely lovely and dreamy photos from our summer couple will definitely leave you breathless!

Similar in Korean dramas where doctors marry each other. Wendy and Gary are both great looking doctors who loves to travel, chill out in cafes and watch movies. I've known Wendy in one of my husband's friend wedding where we were both beautiful bridesmaids. This bubbly and gorgeous bride,decided to have a vintage inspired pre-wedding theme with her sweet husband at a village in Batu Pahat. 

Nothing beats the sweetness of a fairytale story especially if you get to live it for your engagement photography. Sounds nice? Let me give you a glimpse of their picture perfect Korean drama setting taken by Rayson Lo from Monokara Bridal (Sanren Studio).  

This couple really takes an awesomely romantic and charming photos together. I really feel like I’m looking at a new k-drama series. 

I can't help myself but to get awed at their sweet poses!

Pre-Wedding Shoot Details:

Groom: Gary Chia
Bride: Wendy Ter
Photographer: Rayson Lo (Monokara Bridal/Sanren Studio)
Hair and Make up: Ah Yii (Monokara Bridal/Sanren Studio)
Wedding Gowns: (Monokara Bridal/Sanren Studio)
Location: Monokara Bridal (Sanren Studio)

Batu Bahat, Malaysia 

Selecting the Best Diamond Ring

Hello Prince Charming’s! Thinking to propose to your princess very soon? Let me guide you in choosing the right diamond that she deserves.

Diamonds comes in different sizes, shapes, colors, carats, cuts and clarity. Although it was really tough to choose which one your princess will like, let me and my new friend Paul from http://beyond4cs.com/ explain to you the guidelines in choosing the best diamond proposal ring.

http://www.dhgate.com/store/product/heart-jewelry-real-diamond-rings-fashion/215758929.html

Have you ever heard of 4C’s in buying diamonds? Paul explained very well in his website that diamonds must be analysed by their cut, clarity, color and carat. In general, the 4C’s can greatly change the price and technical qualities that the stone possesses.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/422071796298693630/

The Diamond 4C's

CUT

The cut determines how well a diamond absorbs and reflects light. The better the cut, the more sparkle the stone will have.

Proportions: the relative sizes and angles of the diamond’s parts and facets
Symmetry: the precision of the cut design, especially the facets
Polish: the smoothness and lustre of the diamond’s surface

http://thediamondreview.com/

The cut grades are referenced on a diamond’s certificate often using the GIA standards of Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. For the most part, the actual measurements are mainly on the laboratory reports.

TIP: Go for a Good or Excellent cut. If you are not sure on her shape preference, I would suggest a round cut will do. It is classic and a safer choice.





CLARITY

The clarity of a diamond refers to the amount/type of inclusions present in it. A diamond with lesser flaws inspected under 10X magnification receives a higher grade.

http://radhikajeweltech.com/

Flawless- No inclusions and no blemishes visible under 10x magnification

Internally Flawless (IF) - No inclusions visible under 10x magnification

Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2) - Inclusions so slight they are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification

Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2)- Inclusions are observed with effort under 10x magnification, but can be characterized as minor

Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2)- Inclusions are noticeable under 10x magnification

Included (I1, I2, and I3) Inclusions are obvious under 10x magnification which may affect transparency and brilliance


TIP: VS1-VS2 are most popular and value for money. They appear to look very clean and flawless in the naked eye.

http://yourdiamondteacher.com/

COLOR

The color of a diamond is rated on a scale of D – Z, with D being totally colorless and Z being a noticeable yellow. In the market, the range of D-F is highly sought after.




If you are on a tight budget, the color is unnoticeable if you buy a lower grade like K or L instead of a D. Your lady won’t even notice it at all. Unless you have enough to invest, I would suggest buying a D or a single colored diamond. Or just invest in a higher cut which is the most important factor in a diamond’s brilliance. The brighter the stone, the better.

TIP: Buy G-J color which appears to look like colorless in the naked eye and a value for money.






CARAT

The carat weight refers to a specific measurement of how heavy the diamond is. Note: By itself, carat weight is not an indication of the stone’s physical dimensions.

TIP: Look for not so popular carat weight like 0.30, 0.50, 0.75 and so on. They are cheaper than the usual whole number carats. You can't barely see the difference if you buy a 0.80 to a 1 carat diamond.

As a beginner, hopefully you were able to learn a lot in this blog post. Just quick tips below:

- If you are aiming for a white Gold Ring setting, you may go for round cut with H-J color, or Princess/Emerald cut with G-I or Oval/Pear/Heart cut with F-H color.

- If you are aiming for a yellow Gold ring Setting, you may go for Round Cut K-M color or Princess/Emerald cut with J-K color or Oval/Pear/Heart cut with I-J color.

As I said earlier, Diamond color doesn't matter much as long as the cutting is excellent. But of course, this will all depend on your budget.



Partner's Profile:

Paul Gian is Singaporean who graduated from GIA’s Diamond Graduate program in Hongkong. His website Beyong4cs.com was created for one sole purpose; to teach everyone everything he knows about diamonds. Unlike other Internet based jewelers or “educational” websites that regurgitate the same old content to market their own products, he don’t sell diamonds. The information on his website is written purely with the objective to help you understand diamonds and make educated purchases.

Website: http://beyond4cs.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyond4Cs/