The Difference between Fashion & Style

By Jo Clary Maughan

Fashion is the accepted day-to-day dressing at any given time.  So if you see everyone wearing the same colour or style when they have not been wearing the trend before, this is “in-fashion”.  Style is how you take fashion and express yourself though it to the world.

The secret to balancing trends and fads with your own unique style is not to take them too seriously or too literally. Designers create sometimes far-fetched or off the wall items for the shows you see in Milan, New York, Tokyo etc. They use these shows as a means to be creative and express themselves. It is only the design lines of these garments that you will see eventually hit the market for the average person to buy. No one buys or wears the clothes from these shows and they never have.

Fashions change because people change and we all want something new to wear. Even though fashion evolves and some styles appear to come back, the way they are combined with other style elements means the look is never completely the same. Holding onto something thinking it will come back in style usually never happens. For example, the rounded toe shoe that was popular in the late 90’s has come back, but  is currently without is the overly thick and chunky platform sole  that accompanied that shape back then.

Knowing what styles and colours work for you is how you can begin to create a wardrobe that works for you.   Call us today to find out more about booking a Colour & Style Consultation and start to enjoy the freedom of purchasing garments and accessories you will wear over and over again!

New Scholarship Programme at CIS

As part of their 25th birthday celebrations, the Canadian International School (CIS) has launched an attractive scholarship programme for students who display outstanding academic ability. The aim of the scholarships are to provide successful candidates with the opportunity to benefit from their world-class educational programme that enables students to thrive, exercise leadership, achieve worthy goals, and make a positive difference in the world.

Who can apply? Students eligible for entry into Grade 4 to 10 in January 2015, and Grade 11 in August 2015.

Eligibility criteria: Applicants should have outstanding academic performance, evidence of personal qualities reflecting CIS’ core values (responsibility, respect, integrity, collaboration, commitment) and leadership skills in academia and sport, the arts or community service.

Scholarship amount: Successful Grade 4-10 candidates will be offered partial remission on tuition fees of up to 50% for a period of two years, with a review after the first year. Successful Grade 11 candidates will be offered a 100% concession on tuition fees for a period of two years i.e. the full IB Diploma Programme.

Application deadline: Applications for Grade 4-10 scholarships must be submitted by midnight on 1 December 2014 for a January 2015 start. Applications for Grade 11 scholarships must be submitted by midnight 31 January 2015 for a August 2015 start.

To learn more about the CIS scholarship programme and submit an application visit www.cis.edu.sg/sholarships

Like Parent, Like Child: Good Oral Practice Starts at Home

According to a Straits Times article dated August 14^th 2014, the number of children who have one or more rotten teeth at the age of seven rose from 47.6 percent in 2003 to 50.6 per cent last year. 

It is important that as parents, you are well-informed about your children’s dental health.

Some misconceptions:

• It is okay not to visit the dentist since their milk teeth will fall out eventually

Although children’s milk teeth will eventually fall out, it is important that young children do not develop tooth decay as the milk teeth are placeholders for permanent teeth. Premature loss of milk teeth can have long-term implications, such as causing the nearby teeth to tip or shift into the space left unoccupied, resulting in the possibility for the new tooth to emerge tilted, crooked or misaligned.

• My child is too young to see a dentist

Your child’s first visit to the dentist should take place as soon as the first tooth erupts or at the very latest by the age of one. The first dental check-up identifies any dental issues with respect to the dental growth and development of the child.

• It’s not too late to let my child learn about good oral habits only when they enter school

Parents should start practicing good oral habits with their child as soon as the first tooth appears. Childhood is the best time to establish good dental habits that will last a lifetime. Children with good oral health since a very young age are more likely to have better health overall.

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Specialist Dental Group® is a corporate sponsor of the Canadian Association of Singapore (CAS). CAS members enjoy a special rate for dental services. For details, send an enquiry via www.specialistdentalgroup.com or call 6733 7883

Manila – Freestyle Divers International The Inner Circle

By Stu King

Photos: Terry Booth & Charlene Kwan

What better way to spend a long weekend than by taking a short trip to the Philippines which includes outstanding food, great diving, drinks a plenty, and of course a volcano!

Flying in Friday evening, we were off the plane, through immigration with bags collected in less than 25 minutes and swiftly met by our driver.  A quick drive to Casa Del Booth-Kwan, we caught up over a drink and turned in early due to a 5am start the following day.

Early the next  morning, rubbing the sleep out of our eyes, we pile into the Bongo van as we head off for our 2 hour drive to the Southern Peninsula dive haven – Anilao.

On arrival, we gear up and head across the bay to a rocky outcrop where we roll out of the boat into the crystal, warm water, which reveals a number of pinnacles that reach just below the surface of the water.   We descend to around 24 meters and start to explore this amazing underwater wonderland!

A great example of the Philippines’ aquatic conservation policies allowed loads of lionfish, moray eels, and a peculiar infestation of small neon yellow sea cucumbers to thrive, giving Charlene a good shot of photographing each one of them.

The afternoon muck dive was a great surprise.  I was expecting poor visibility, and little of interest to see.  But visibility was still around 8 to 10 meters, and we came across a school of bumpheads, tonnes of soft corals and a sleeping octopus.

I decided to sit out the third dive, in favour of beer, so chilling on the banana lounge was my idea of an afternoon.  Some either did a shore dive, where super large giant clams were the highlight, whilst others took a boat to a site further afield.  By all accounts dive number three was also spectacular.

After we cleaned up, packed up and had a few more drinks, we were ready for the return trip to Manila where local fare was on the menu, washed down with the coldest beer in Manila.

Sunday was a not so early start, but found Terry and myself preparing breakfast for the kids, before jumping into the Bongo van and heading for the day’s adventure.

Essentially the goal was to view an island in a crater lake, in a crater, in a crater lake, in a crater. Follow?  No?  See picture below.

 

Anyway we caught a boat across Taal Lake to climb Taal Volcano. All I can say about this trek was it was hot!  Damn Hot!  But the views were spectacular.

After this extremely sweaty event, it was time to pile back into the van, which would take us for a 6 star lunch at Antonio’s! Picture Raffles, then turn up the level of service, the quality of food, whilst simultaneously turning down the prices. A great 5 hour lunch with lots of laughs thus concluded the great Manila weekend!