Coconut Oil- I Put That Sh*t on Everything.

Coconut oil seems to be something I find myself rambling on and on about with friends, co-workers, perfect strangers on the subway..and poor Tyler. Much to the annoyance of my local friends (who have known about the not-so-secret benefits of coconut oil since they were tots), I talk about the 'innovation' of coconut oil and all its magical properties and uses way too much. So in an attempt to get it off my chest once and for all, I've put together a list of my most common uses for coconut oil (also crediting friends who share the same love for the all natural, all encompassing product).

SO to start off, we buy cold-pressed coconut oil by the gallon. We use the same bottle for all our purposes- nothing scented, nothing added, nothing fancy. It all comes out of the same bottle we keep above the stove. In warmer climates it comes in a clear liquid form, however when home over the holidays, I saw it in its solid white form...it's like ice, it will melt and is the same product. As well, if it isn't painfully obvious, I am not a nutritionist, scientist, beautician or any sort of 'ist'. I can only claim to love coconut oil because of what it gives me at face value. Our relationship is pretty transparent. To delve deeper, ask Google.  So what do I most commonly use coconut oil for? Here we go;

Cooking: We almost exclusively use coconut oil for our cooking. It's lighter, smells amazing while you are cooking, and adds an extra flavour dimension. I know you might think that you don't want the vague flavour of coconut in everything you eat...but it pairs well with everything (Pairs? Who do I think I am?) We (Tyler) use it for chicken, curries, stir fry, soups, brownies, cakes... seriously, it's our cooking oil of choice (except when serving an aglio olio- stick to the olive oil.)

Hair Conditioning: Before coming to KL I always had healthy hair- not dry, not greasy. I didn't use any products on my hair including conditioner and maintained a glossy, thick mane. However, after baking on the equator for a year and a half, my hair has become dry, bland and straw-like. Solution: Coconut oil. I rub coconut oil through the length of my hair and on my scalp at least once a week, then tie and wrap it up for several hours (or I usually just sleep with it in). Note, rinsing the oil out can take a couple of tries, but the results are fantastic and totally worth it. Ever ask yourself why those Indian girls have the most amazingly healthy hair? It's coconut oil. Works for brunettes, blondes, black, dyed, curly, straight hair...ask my friends!

Teeth Brushing: So I've seen a few things about 'oil pulling' posted on other blogs....read those articles for the whole explanation. But the long and short of it is, you take a tablespoon of coconut oil and swish it around your mouth for about 20 minutes. Yes, I know it sounds gross, but remember, coconut oil tastes like COCONUTS. When finished, spit and brush with the ol' Crest. Why you ask? Well to start, it is a natural teeth whitener. As well, it removes all kinds of toxins and bacteria from your mouth, and in turn your body. Trust me when you spit it out, you will see. Remember it turns back into a solid when cooled, so careful with the pipes!

Body Moisturizer (From Ellie): How many of us have a coconut scented body moisturizer....with a bunch of other added ingredients? Coconut oil is the real deal...just rub on and smell like a vacation all day. Our friend Ellie freezes hers into a solid so it's a bit more manageable/less messy to rub on.

Removing Make-up (From Danielle): Sweet Dee can get into some pretty creative make-up, not to mention the need for waterproof everything in the constant humidity, and if she swears by a makeup remover, you can trust it will work. Just like any make-up remover...it removes make-up. BUT it doesn't dry out your skin :)

Anti-aging and Digestion (From Magesh): I haven't tried this one personally, but my Indian coworker who has beautiful skin, nails, hair, and teeth AND not-so-coincidentally is a lover of all things coconut oil (she even renders it herself from the milk...ahhhmazing!) claims that for years, her grandmother has been taking a teaspoon of coconut oil each morning before she eats, and that she looks shockingly young for her age. Although I have no photographic evidence of this woman who has been drinking from Aphrodite's teaspoon for decades, when the time comes, I will gladly consider coconut oil over botox, and honestly, I have yet to find a reason to doubt coconut oil...or Magesh for that matter.

I will be the first one to scoff at trendy health crazes....the words gluten-free, almond milk, chia seed, kale, and quinoa make my eyes roll involuntarily. (I'm sorry, but being raised by a Mother who was sneaking flax seed into everything and tried to pass 'BRANies' off on me as a teenager...it's part of my rebellion- Sorry Ma ❤️). Although coconut oil could easily be added to the list, I urge you to buy it, use it, and use it often. 

It's Always Sunny in Singapore

In the spirit of keeping New year's resolutions alive, I'm finishing and posting this blog about a couple different weekends spent in Singapore; First in the 'Fall', and the second this last weekend. Apologies for the wacky timelines and irrelevancy ....

Oct-ish, 2014: With Tyler heading off to Spain for 10 days, a perfect combination of heightened jealousy, and a fabulous friend's school being on term break resulted in a quick trip to Singapore. I boarded the bus at midnight and was off for my first (although relatively minor) solo traveling venture. Having worked all day, I was in dreamland for the majority of the trip, only to be awoken at 4:30am by a Bahasa yelling bus driver telling me to jump off the slowly moving bus (I can only assume that was the message).  As the bus is not allowed to physically take passengers across the international boarder, we were all dumped on one side, herded through immigration and scurried to meet the still-moving bus on the other side (as they are also not allowed to park anywhere along the boarder). As there were about 100 blue buses blaring their horns and slowly creeping through the pickup area, I feel pretty lucky to have found my chariot on the other side! Still pretty dazed and confused, 10 minutes later, we were all told to again get off the bus. Totally disoriented, I tried to play it cool, and just stay on the heels of a woman I recognized from our bus.That strategy seemed to be working until we reached the lines separating Malaysians and 'Others'. I knew I was on my own if I didn't act fast. Tapping her on the shoulder I vaguely asked "What are we doing?" Puzzled, she looked at me and replied, "uhhh immigration...?" After a total Oprah 'Ah-ha' moment, I realized we were IN Singapore. Duh!
So classically, in the MaryTyler duo, I don't do my research. My dear ol' Ty does an amazing job filling in the blanks (quasi-importants such as visas, hotels, currency exchange, etc). After my foyer into 'doing it on my own' I learned two things; A simple Google search can provide a great heads-up, and when in doubt and if things don't make sense, just ask a stranger (or five)...just be wary of any grown-man still rocking the rat-tail.

After catching a few more winks at Amanda's and waking up to a beauty of a breakfast, we were prepped for a day at Universal Studios. So a little tidbit about Tyler and I's relationship; We were never taken by our respective families to Disney World, Universal Studios, etc. in Florida. A tragedy that is not lost on us, although time has continued to heal. Generally speaking, it's pretty common for Canadian families to make the trek down south at some point during the darkness of winter, however our families did not...or they went before our existence. Just one of the many ties that bind us ..until now. I would have felt badly about going without Tyler bbuutttt he was in Europe, so meh! Our day at the park was as expected; long-ish lines, over-the-top themed roller coasters and of course carnival food at its finest. Getting the impression from Amanda that the Singapore Universal Studios, although entertaining, is  perhaps not all a large-scale theme park could be, I'm still looking forward to catching my 'white whale' in terms of theme parks...with Tyler of course ;)

Being the fine host she is, Amanda was happy to accommodate any sight-seeing request after leaving Sentosa. I asked to head to 'The Gardens by the Bay' as Ty and I had not previously ventured that way. To my amusement, Amanda's effortless knack for stumbling upon ideal situations took the cake for an amazing night out! We walked along the river checking out the Chinese lantern festival, crossing over to enjoy the light show in 'The Gardens'. The Gardens are a series of tree-like frames made to look like the Umbrella Acacia tree (or a bunch of alien spaceships coming in for landing). Growing out of each of the frames are plants with awesome amounts of twinkly  lights creating the overall affect of a magical 'Midsummer's Night Dream-esque garden. We walked around for a long time, and headed up to the canopy walk for the light/music show. The cherry on top was the great vantage point we had when the fireworks started popping off! Closing out the night with some great butter chicken, Amanda sure knows how to treat a gal!

Fast forward 3 months: This past weekend I headed back to Singapore to attend a training course. Luckily (for my bank account) Amanda generously offered half of her double bed pro-bono. It was a real bonus to know that I was meeting Amanda each evening, who had great spots in mind for happy hour drinks and tasty food, making the most of the working-weekend. And in true Amanda form, we effortlessly stumbled upon Singapore's 50th birthday party; a giant street party down one of the city's main drags, Orchard Road. As always, I really enjoyed my time spent in Singapore. Although people often comment that Singapore is too organized, lacks culture and comes across as sterile, I can say with confidence that now again, I enjoy a little order, and good clean fun in my life (although the state of my closet would suggest otherwise).

If you find yourself there, check out the butterfly garden in Changi Airport!