Girard-Perregaux Supports The Andrea Bocelli Foundation

About a month ago, watch manufacture Girard-Perregaux announced its support behind the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, which was launched before the end of the year with a Benefit Gala in Los Angeles on December 9^th. The event featured performances by Andrea Bocelli, David Foster, Heather Headley and Anna Maria Martinez.

Bocelli, who is the best selling classical solo artist in the world, suffers from blindness. He lost his sight when he was 12 years old. That’s why he’s particularly sensitive to people with disabilities. His foundation will raise funds and awareness to fight poverty and work with people who have illness or disabilities to assist them in overcoming barriers.

Produced by Studiomusica and Jo Champa and presented by the Grammy Museum Foundation, a fundraising event will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

What’s the connection between Girard-Perregaux, a watchmaking brand, and Bocelli’s charity? It comes from a personal relationship and heeding the call. As Michele Sofisti, CEO of Sowind Group (owners of GP and Jean Richard) says, “We are very proud and excited to join forces with Andrea Bocelli in the launch of his new foundation. His accomplishments as an artist and philanthropist are an inspiration to all of us and we are happy to support him in this new pursuit”.

Bell & Ross x GIGN

Bell & Ross x GIGN : BR 03-92

Paying tribute to the men and women of the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), a special operations unit of the French Armed Forces, the BR 03-92 features the GIGN logo on its dial.

Formed in 1973, the GIGN consisted of highly trained individuals who are equipped with the skills, knowledge and tools to defuse any kind of situation, violent or not. It was formed after the Munich massacre during the Olympic Games in 1972 and a prison mutiny the following year.

With similar attitudes to quality and precision, Bell & Ross designed the BR 03-92 GIGN watch that bears an easy to read dial, 100m water resistance and heavy duty rubber or canvas strap.

The limited edition watch comes only in 200 pieces, and is exclusively available to members of the GIGN. Here's a watch they can depend on.



Bell & Ross BR03-92 - Limited Edition for GIGN (above) and its back case (bottom)

The honourable batch of GIGN

Potty Training for KY

Over the last long weekend, my big girl - KY made a big leap in her toddler growth development. She was trained to go nappy-less and use potty when she is home.

Like any other mom, I went through tones of tips on how to potty train the little ones but most tips work if only your toddler talks. Now... That is the big challenge for me when my KY hasn't spoken a single word although she is 2yo+ now. (I considered myself lucky too as my MIL have been trying to train her when I was at work)

It was easier than I thought, really! All I did was to keep reminding her that she needs to "tell" me if she wants to pee or poo. At the same time, I will put her on potty (irregardless of any sign from KY) and let her try to "let it go".

It was a great development that she only wet herself once throughout the weekend trial and even that one time, she did it at the porch (outside our house).

Well done, baby KY! We love u. We are so proud of you!


For your benefits, these are some of the innovative tips for your reference. (courtesy of babycenter.co.uk).

Sing her praises
We made up a little song that we sang every time our daughter sat on the potty. She loved it. When she finished, we would sing a different song saying what she had done. It wasn't too long before she used the potty every time! -- Christie, Melton Mowbray

Read together
Lucy and I went to the bookshop and she chose three picture books she really liked. We called these the potty books, and she could read them only when she sat on the potty. -- Amy Watson, Manchester

Use a magical potty
My second child caught on in two weeks. Her potty had a square in the bowl, which turned into a star every time fluid hit it. That was her big challenge, to make a star, and it became a game for her. -- Angela Cooper, Cardiff

... or a musical potty
We found a wonderful potty that played music when my son sat on it. We had a lot of difficulty for several months, but this potty worked like a dream. -- Marion Snow

Try a timer
When my son Ben stopped using nappies, we used a timer to help us both remember to use the potty. We started with every 45 minutes and, as I could see he was needing to go less, gradually increased the time. Eventually, he would tell me he needed to go before the timer went off, or say he didn't need to when it did. Then we'd set the timer for another half an hour and try again. -- Beth, Penrith

Set up target practice
We put a flushable item, such as confetti, in the toilet. (You can also use shaving cream or coloured ice cubes.) The game for our son was to aim and shoot. Rewards were based on accuracy. It was fun and challenging, and did wonders for his precision! With poos, we told him the game was to send in the backup troops (no pun intended) to finish the job with torpedoes. I doubt this would work with girls, but Alex took less than a week to be fully potty-trained. -- Roxanne Adey, Bedfordshire

The coloured water trick
We dyed the toilet water with red or blue food colouring; it changes to orange or green and they love knowing that they did this. -- Anna Rice, Lancaster

Make her feel proud
With my daughter, I tried to give her lots and lots of praise: 'What a big-girl thing to do!', 'You must be very proud of yourself', 'Do you want to call Granny to tell her?', 'Give me a high five!' and so on. -- Kirsten Gunderson, north London

Impress the dog
With our son, the best reward was calling in the dog to look at what he'd done in the potty! -- Sharon, Moreton-in-Marsh

Surprise, surprise!
Our daughter wasn't very consistent with potty training until we introduced the surprise bag. We got a load of inexpensive toys and stickers and put them in a colourful gift bag. Every time she used the potty, we would clap and let her pick one surprise out of the bag. We kept it up for about a week and a half, and when the surprises ran out she just kept on using the potty. We kept up the clapping and praise, and she quickly forgot the surprise bag. I can honestly say that potty training was painless and quick, and I plan to use this method again with my next child. -- Lottie, Glasgow

A traditional treat
We kept a container of our daughter Morgan's favourite treat (white chocolate buttons) on her chest of drawers. If she successfully used the potty, she would get five buttons. Within a month she was using the potty regularly, with only a few accidents, and by age two and a half she was trained. -- Lisa Winter

and an untraditional one
My 28-month-old really loved my nail polish. I found some in a toy shop that would come off when she washed her hands, so I let Meriel paint her fingernails every time she weed in her potty. I told her that when she did a poo she could have some of Mummy's polish, which wouldn't wash off. Ten days later, she was completely potty-trained! -- Dawn Lister,

Reading Celebrate with stickers
To encourage our son Alexander to use the potty, we put a drawing of a racetrack on the wall (an approach suggested by his nursery teacher). Every time he used the potty he got to put a sticker on the racetrack. When the racetrack was filled with stickers, he got to pick a small toy as a reward. -- Cheryl Brockton

Put your child in charge
When my 18-month-old started going into the bathroom and closing the door, I knew she was ready to potty train. I would let her go in and use her potty, dump it into the big toilet, and put it up in the sink for me to rinse out. -- Katherine Nuttall, London

Flushing fun
I began potty training my first child at about 20 months and am now in the process of training our second. One excellent incentive is letting them flush away the contents of the potty if they go. You need to establish a rule that this is the only time they get to flush the toilet. This is a simple and easy reward, and develops a good habit. -- Deanne Collins

Sitting solution
We put our son Nick on the toilet backwards. The potty-chair was too hard for him to use and my mother came up with the idea of putting him straight onto the toilet, but backwards (she did it with my brother when he was little). That way he automatically aimed in the right place, and he had the back of the toilet to hold on to. He could also do a poo that way, too. He thought it was such fun he wanted to do it all the time. It took about a month to get the hang of it, and now he's happily standing up to do his wees. -- Melissa, Brighton

Throw out the disposables
As a nursery nurse and mum, one of the best toilet-training tips I can offer is to resist the temptation of using disposable training pants all the time. The children don't get uncomfortable when they are wet, and I've noticed that it prolongs potty training. Of course, every child is different, but this is definitely a trend I've noticed while working with a gaggle of 20 two-and-a-half-year-olds! -- Jenny Spalding, Kettering

The underpants ploy
I let my son choose some pants with his favourite character, Thomas the Tank Engine, on them. Then I told him not to get Thomas wet. It worked really well! -- Maria Galli, Bristol

Boxers, please!
My son was fully potty-trained at three, except he wouldn't do a poo in the toilet. I tried everything, and asked everyone. Finally one day we were shopping and he asked for boxers. I told him that if we got these he would have to use the toilet or it would get all over the place. That seemed to be the magic thing, because ever since then he has had no more accidents. -- Sasha, Hastings

Cover up cloth with plastic pants
I let my daughter wear undies every day until naptime, and I put plastic pants over them to prevent messes. In the beginning she wet several times a day and didn't like the feeling. I also gave her 10p for her piggy bank every time she sat on the potty. She was trained by 20 months. -- Rose Colgan, Chelmsford, Essex

No more nappies
My daughter tortured me for months, using the potty successfully one day, then demanding nappies the next. Finally I told her that the pack of nappies we had just bought was the last, and I wasn't buying any more. I then bought some reusable training pants from the Internet. When we got down to the last few nappies, I again emphasised that they were the last and, when they were gone, there wouldn't be any more. We then went to the training pants (with disposable ones at night). She had a few accidents the first week and has been trained ever since! -- Emily, Berkshire

The right clothes
A little trick with girls: I put my daughter in dresses for about three weeks while we were potty training. It was easier for her to get ready for the potty and allowed for quick decisions when she was in the middle of playing. -- Lisa Beamish, Barnsley

Protect with plastic
Every morning when we were together at home, I put painter's plastic down on the carpets, then took off my 20-month-old's nappy. There were a few accidents, but the clean-ups were quick and easy because of the plastic. She soon caught on and was happy not to be in uncomfortable nappies! -- Tammi, Melbourne, Australia

Give up to get results
Our daughter Rachel was two and a half when we finally got her trained. We tried everything in the book. She wanted to wear knickers, but not go to the potty. Finally we said, "Go ahead and do what you want". Two days later, she started using the potty on her own, with no encouragement from us! -- Nat Benson, Bath