Freezing Christmas, maybe not so, but definitely a GREAT christmas! And, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

I think Christmas was really fulfilling this year, not in the sense of materialistic presents, but of learning to give and share and help. I think it really means sharing your happiness and joy with others, and at the same time keeping close to faith and learn to forgive and forget. This year brought new purpose for Ennen's family, as they've decided to adopt a child from Bethany's Orphanage. The child is a 9-year-old blonde. She was sent to the orphanage when her mother died while giving birth, while her father simply went missing. Originally, she was taken care of by her only kin, her grandmother, but she had died of old age just a year ago. Mr McGowan had decided to change her name from Sherra to Elise McGowan. Ennen had told me that Elise was elated to have her new name, as Sherra was simply a name given by the nuns from the orphanage as she reminded them of the actress of the same name. Such great act of love is simply rare and hard to find nowadays. I am really inspired by Mr and Mrs McGowan for being so compassionate and caring.

Therefore, following the adoption, Dallia and i had decided to visit the orphanage to help out today. We reached in the morning, only to see the adorable children learning to sing christmas carols with the caretakers. Glimpsing through the window, a surge of emotions passed by me. In this fast-paced, competitive and harsh society, it is almost impossible to find the busy slowing down their footsteps to experience love and faith. People have been too caught up with their lives, caring only about monetary matters, even christmas seems to have been downplayed. Money seems to be the only thing holding our society now. The visit to the orphanage really left me in deep thought. As the orphanage is Ireland-based, many of the children hail from the war-torn Northern Ireland. Differences between different religions have caused plenty to flee, and childrens to lose their parents in the war. Thus, some of the homeless children would be sent here to seek refuge and to have a chance of being with a family again. Many children in the orphanage had only one simple wish. For those who were separated from their family as it was simply unsafe for them to remain in the country, wished that their family would be safe and to be reunited again. For those who have lost their parents in the war, had hoped for a family to take them in. Some instead prayed for strength to go through this ordeal and to eventually take down the army which had brought violence to their country. While many of us here enjoy a hearty dinner with our families on this day, these kids have to suffer something so heart-wrenching and painful at a young age. Count your blessings, people.

After that, we headed to Ennen's terrace for a visit. Rebe was already there when Dallia and i arrived. Our first impression of Elise was that she looked nothing like an orphan. Dressed in a pink flower dress, she jumped around and laughed and did all the normal stuff that a kid her age would have done. It was heart-warming to know that she was fitting in well, and leading a happy life. However, we soon found out that Elise had required lots of persuading and nudging to open up. The first day with the family was spent rather gloomily with the McGowans trying very hard to communicate with the shy and quiet Elise. She had a rather bad recollection of her grandmother passing away in her sleep, when she only had her all her life. Nonetheless, a few days later and some adjusting to the new family did the trick, and the family began to see more smiles and laughter from her. After a sumptous lunch of fish and chips, Rebe, Dallia, Ennen and i decided to rent a dvd to watch in my house. We ended up watching old films, White Chicks and Material Girls. We also had The Devil Wears Prada, but the disc didn't fit, so we skipped that one and went on with our gift-exchanging!

This Christmas, lovely gifts for all the lovelies! For Rebe, i got her a pair of Guess silver stilettos, perfect with the glittering little straps and shiny silver hue. For Ennen, i think i got her something she had always wished for, the limited edition teal pashmina shawl! I had saw it online, left with only piece, and didn't even think twice before i clicked the 'Buy' button. In addition to that, i also got her a new pair of yellow headphones from gAGa. And Dallia! I had saw this really cool and slouchy beanie and knew immediately that it would be a perfect addition to your extensive headgear collection. Plus, the beanie always looks good on her and her bob ;) That's not the end, i also added in a vintage charms bracelet that i had handpicked the charms myself!

And the gifts from the lovelies! From Rebe, i had received this furry pink fairy 2011 planner, complete with a pink ball-point pen adorned with a pink fluffly ball. In it, there were 10 pages of decoration stickers, each sticker different from the other! I just love all these fancy and gorgeous stuff, thank you Rebe! And to my amazement and excitement, Ennen had got me this totally fantastic, wonderful and brand new polaroid camera!!! I had wanted something like this for a long time, but didn't really express my thoughts to others before. Hence, it was such a surprise to receive it, and in the orange and yellow shade i desired for! Thank you, ENNEN! And lastly, i received this super cool silver ribbon necklace, complete with ribbon earstuds, that i know i must wear it out one day! Thank you, Dallia! I love all you, lovelies ;) and Merry Christmas again!

A month isn't that long, i'm getting better at this ;)

Remember i mentioned that Eleste was due for auditions on 1 December? Before i spill the beans, let me describe the entire day. It was quite a big thing and the last few days of november were spent rather in a frenzy. My mum managed to help her get this dude who does awesome facials, and make your skin look radiant and glowing using some herbal home-made formula. It did wonders for her skin. The day before the audition, we had all spent the afternoon at Ennen's housing choosing her outfit for the next day. In the end, we settled for something simple- a sleeveless olive green polly frock ;)

Ennen, Rebe and i had all decided to follow Eleste to the audition. When we reached the headquarters for seventeen, we were blown away. Now, this is the real devil. At first, we had expected something more welcoming, probably a friendly-looking receptionist who will show us around patiently and provide some encouragement. But what we saw was a reality check. Heels clucking around, mannequins being pushed from room to room, phones of all sorts of ringing tones buzzing away. None of the people in the place actually gave us a look. And then, we realised that the modelling world is the survival of the fittest. Nonetheless, we managed to find our way to the holding area with the help of a lady. After Eleste registered her name, we took our seats. There had to be at least thirty people in this room, all for the audition, with many of them possessing unbelievable poise and beauty. We broke off our reverie when the person sitting next to us extended her arm and introduced herself as Ariel Turner. After Eleste shook her hand welcomingly, both of them had a light conversation. We found out that Ariel is actually a very fun and bubbly person, who kept on smiling. She is petite and sported a trendy bob. And she had pouty lips that strongly resembled those of Angelina Jolie. Well, well, a second look at the people brought about new fear for the audition. In this place, Eleste isn't the only one who has something wow, it seems that everyone here is here precisely due to the fact that they were as wow or more wow than Eleste. After waiting for quite some time, more sassy individuals turned out, each one not failing the one before. This was going to be tough.

Not long after, a stout guy walked in and the room immediately turned silent. He placed his professional-looking black clipboard on the table and cleared his throat. He introduced himself as Dieder and related some information that we knew beforehand to us. The first to go was Ariel, due to the list being in alphabetical order, she flashed Eleste and the rest of us a nervous smile before she walked in. It was around 10mins before the second person was called out. Eleste was finally called out. We went to the second holding area where those who have finished the audition were to be. After some time, Eleste finally walked in, flashing us a big smile, in which we understood it to be one of confidence. She immediately went on the details. Once she was in the room, she was given 3mins to choose an outfit from the rack and change into it. She had to choose from a large variety and in the end she chose a red halterneck dress, which she thought would suit her best. After she wore the outfit, she was asked to catwalk down a mock red carpet, given different situations based on the outfit she chose. After that, she had to take a set of 6 studio shoots. This time, no instructions was given, but to present your best, and most natural image to the photographer. It seemed like it was a great success, Eleste had did her best.

One by one, more and more people who have went through the audition trickled in. Finally, we recognised the last girl on the list, Vivien, coming in. She closed the door and told us that Dieder will be coming back in 5mins. It was the longest 5mins we have ever waited. Finally, the door swung open and Dieder walked in. He flashed a smile and asked us how was the audition. Many girls whined and commented about what they should and should not have done. He said 'This 8 photos i have in hand are the top 8 studio shoots of this audition and also those who have been selected. However, remember that each person had 6 studio shoots? This means that if more than 1 shoot was selected from a same person, it also means that we will have less than 8 models appearing in our magazine.' Many gasped and gave looks of horror. He continued, 'This is life, girls. But...we don't have such a case happening here this time.' Many girls heaved a sigh of relief, glad that they still had a chance. 'Now, i will explain more, the catwalk you've done is for the three lucky ones to be chosen for a contract. The one for the Christmas season is what you've done for the studio shoot. So, even if you screwed up the catwalk, you might be one of the 8. Or if you've done badly for the studio shoot, it means that you still have a chance for the contract. If you've done badly for both, then goodbye.' He had punched the last word harshly into the air, causing a unusual tension in the air.

The atmosphere became normal when he happily flashed the photos in his hand, signalling that he was going to announce the results. 'First Girl! Long, blonde hair. Sharp nose. In a cute pink tube and jeans. Ruth Grenwen!' The girl shrieked and went up to receive her studio shoot. Four more girls passed by, each one looking as happy as the one before. 'Now, fifth girl! Long, brown hair, such hollow eyes. Wearing a lovely red halterneck dress. Eleste McGowan!' We all screamed when we heard her name. After Eleste went up to receive her studio shoot from Dieder, we planted her with kisses and hugs. And the studio shoot was amazing, the red halterneck dress accentuates her long slender figure, while driving attention away from her slightly slouchy shoulders. Her long, chestnut brown hair flows breezily along with her, landing just before her elbow. In all, she looked natural yet professional. We were all proud at her for her achievements. Following her, a blonde girl went up and the last two places were given to Vivien and Ariel. Many that were not chosen started tearing, while other hopeful ones kept their fingers crossed that they might be one of the three. 'Okay, now we will move on to the three lucky ones to sign a contract with seventeen. I will make this short and sweet. Simply, i will read out the three names.' Everyone went silent again. We soon found out that they were Megan Holister, Faye Pitter and Ariel Turner. Although Eleste didn't get the contract, we were still elated that she was selected for the Christmas photoshoot.

Later, we had more information and found out that the 8 chosen ones will receive an exclusive 2 day training camp. In this camp, they will gain more insight on how to be a model, and learn about styling and make-up. It also featured a sleepover at one of the function rooms in the headquarters to allow the 8 models to bond. The camp started on 3 Dec and Eleste came back in the night of 4 Dec, bubbling with details to share with us. It was not something that could be explained detailedly in words. To sum it all, they learnt everything about being a model, from the hair to the make-up. To make it more exciting, seventeen even invited one of their alumni models, Laura Campbell to have a lesson with them on cat-walking.

The schedule was very tight, and they were due for the Christmas photoshoot on the next day. It went great, and we could only wait to see those wonderful shoots once the magazine is out. After such a frenzy, Eleste shared with us that she was inspired to become a full-time model. We were totally behind her in this. She spilled that she would probably start it off small, bearing the hope that some agency would see her photoshoot and approach her for a contract. We also suggested that she could also take the first step by looking for model agencies that were willing to give her a chance. We were all sure that she would make it big if she worked hard.

I guess that's all right now, i will come back again to talk about christmas!