Just that kind of happy.

I am glad to announce that some of the new year's enthusiasm has finally rubbed off on me! A little late, considering we are already moving into February in less than an hour, but let's just say 2013 was off to a rough start for me. But now, now I am feeling hopeful and excited for the year. :) In fact, I feel a lot more like my old self, happy, cheery, self-assured, big-on-life. And damn, it's a great feeling.

That, and tomorrow being a Federal Territory holiday doesn't hurt one bit either, hehe.

Anyway, to celebrate my current mood, I thought to post up some pretty pictures we took in Singapore last year-end. :)


At Marina Bay Sands. This area (near the Boat Quay) is one of my favorite places in Singapore. When I used to work in SG, we used to have weekly drink sessions at Boat Quay-- sipping ice-cold beers and looking out to the waterfront was one of the things I looked forward to eagerly.


Singapore, you are so beautiful.

The waterfront will always be something that I miss in Singapore.


Close-up of my pretty dress. Though I apologize for the fact that the flowers looked a little 'wilted'-- a result of being crammed in my luggage bag.


I still have no idea what this lotus-like thing behind me is. :/

Outfit:





Army green crochet lace dress: Korea
Bangles: All from Korea
Nude pointed flats with ankle-straps: Zara
Neon scalloped slingbag: See by Chloe

Funny I chose these pictures to blog about. 'Cause I still remember vividly, I really was very, very happy that day. :)

CNY wardrobe crisis.

I am screwed! *dramatic sigh*

I am talking about what to wear for Chinese New Year. *cue dramatic sigh again*

Typically, I always insist on wearing red (click here to see what I wore for the past years), but I couldn't find anything red that I fancy during our Hong Kong/ Zhuhai holiday recently (I wanted to buy something from overseas 'cause I didn't want to wear what everyone is wearing hehe), so I decided to relax my guidelines a bit, and told myself that I will settle for any bright color.

In the end, I found this gorgeous green crochet lace dress (picture of it coming up in a shopping haul post soon) with a frilly skirt trimmed with ruffled tulle. BEAUTIFUL.

Alas,I saw this color chart that was posted on AZORIAS Facebook recently. It supposedly lists out auspicious/ inauspicious colors for different zodiac signs:



I am an Ox. If you look at the inauspicious colors for Ox, it's GREEN!!!

DRAT!! *kicks stones around wtf*

And my auspicious color is actually red. Go one big circle still come back to red, haih.

I was all angsty, 'cause where am I going to find something nice in red in such a short period of time! T_T And I am quite superstitious in the sense that I must wear something NICE on the first day of CNY, and not just wear red for the sake of wearing red (like god forbid, a red polo shirt or something)-- I feel that wearing something pretty kind of determines the 'luck' for the rest of the year. :D

Anyway, I guess I am quite lucky, 'cause when I went through AZORIAS' launched products recently, I came across this photo of this skirt:



As luck has it, I actually kept one for myself but I forgot all about it! It's perfect for CNY right!
CNY wardrobe crisis averted haha.

If you all are interested, you can find it here, but I think there are not many left. :/

Anyway, if you are still looking for something appropriate to wear for CNY (unlike me who has already settled this headache wahaha), you can have a look at AZORIAS' CNY collection here.

Now I just got to find the right top to go with the skirt....

This is my favorite T-shirt.

 I love long weekends, but I do wish that all the recent public holidays can be spread out instead of squeezed into the same 1.5 weeks! And peppered towards the middle of the year 'cause that's when we would appreciate a little breather/ refresher the most. At the start of a new year, we always feel more motivated and gung-ho, no?

Feel like doing an outfit post 'cause I seemed to haven't done one in awhile.This was taken in Korea last year-end, in one of my favorite places in Korea, Myeongdong.



Isn't my skirt super nice! I got it at an unexpected place-- Bangkok, which I have come to know for selling cheap-ish, run-of-the-mill kind of stuff. But I love Bangkok's independent designers though, their products are so unique and nice, but at a very affordable price point. :)



I get asked this question a lot: Where are the best shopping places in Korea? And Myeongdong is always one of my answers. In fact, I have talked to a few of my young Korean friends, and guess what, their favorite place in the whole of Seoul is... Myeongdong!

 There's something about the hustle and bustle, the energy, the neon lights, that makes you you excited about the endless sights, sounds and smells. Nibbling on a Korean streetfood while surveying which quaint boutique to step into is all part of the charm of Myeongdong. :)



Things that I like buying in Myeongdong: handphone accessories (earcaps and cases), spectacle frames/ sunnies, all kinds of streetfood, socks, hats, and you can find a lot of nice clothes in the boutiques as well!



Statement tee: Korea
Mint lace and organza skirt: Bangkok
Tweed jacket: Korea
Diamante necklaces: Korea
Nude flats with ankle straps: Zara
Bag: Miu Miu

 My T-shirt says: This is my favorite T-shirt. The boyfriend looked at it and asked me with a voice full of doubt, "Is it really your favorite T-shirt?", to which I sheepishly replied, "No." wtf.

Hong Kong 2013 - Day 2

Moving on to Day 2 in Hong Kong! Supposed to blog about this really fab dinner we had on our first night in HK, but I don't really feel like doing so when I am hungry wtf. Onwards!


Walking to the Miramar shopping centre to have dim sum. One thing I have to admit, although our hotel wasn't really luxurious, its location is top-notch-- right at the heart of Tsm Tsa Tsui, and barely 5 minutes away from the nearest train station (Jordan station).

Looking quite tired 'cause I didn't sleep well the night before. :(


Loved Teeny's make-up and hair for the day (braids everywhere wtf)-- went really well with her Ralph Lauren sweater! Which reminds me, I totally want to steal this sweater to match with my mom's new red Jimmy Choo diamante heels bought on the same day-- more on that later.


Ceiling of Tsui Hang Village, where we had dim sum. I can't decide whether this is gaudy or art?


There is a private joke in our family that we three sisters run in sizes S, M, L-- in reverse; i.e. I am the tiniest, Jing is medium-sized, and Teeny is the tallest. So when our char siew pau came in three different sizes, our Mom forced us to pose with them. -__-

All three paus looked the same size in the photo. -_______-


Egg tarts, a must have in Hong Kong! But this one wasn't THAT good (bearing in mind that I have exceptionally high standards of egg tarts). Somehow my best memory of Hong Kong egg tarts is a fresh-out-of-the-oven one that we came across in a dinghy small bakery shop amidst the hustle and bustle of Flower Market (Kowloon) many years ago....


With Dad! I know that he is the happiest one when the whole family gets to reunite for a holiday. :)

There is a temporary lapse for the middle portion of our day 'cause we spent it in the Prada outlet store wtf. Situated in Ap Lei Chau (more directions here), I would consider it a must-go if you are a Prada/ Miu Miu lover and have a bit of money to spare.

Shoes are a steal here, sometimes going for 90% off! I saw a pair of Miu Miu patent bow peeptoes (in my size) going for RM200++. Cheaper than Nine West or Aldo shoes okay. -___- Would have totally snapped it up in a heartbeat if I was still working in corporate, but I gave it some thought, and decided that it isn't really my style, so while it was an absolute bargain, I gave it a pass. Clothes are reasonably-priced too (in terms of the brand that you are getting), both Jing and Teeny got Miu Miu skirts for RM400++ each.

If Prada is not your thing, there is another outlet mall nearby which can make your trip to Ap Lei Chau (about half an hour from Tsim Tsa Tsui) worth your while. Horizon Plaza, which is about a 5 minute cab ride away, boasts of outlet stores like Moschino, Ralph Lauren, Vivienne Westwood, Lane Crawford (one of the biggest luxury department stores in HK), Armani, and basically any brand you can imagine. I would recommend to just hop into a cab than walking because it would be quite a far walk, and not to mention, you may get lost. Alternatively, you can take a shuttle bus (from one of the bus stands outside South Horizons Plaza, where the Prada outlet is) to Horizon Plaza.

We went to have a look-see since we were so near. There was only one flaw in our plan-- we haven't had a proper lunch! Sure, we had dim sum earlier on, but that was more of a brunch, and everyone knows that dim sum gets digested really quickly right!!

We thought we were really smart to go to Horizon Plaza and grab a meal there-- but alas, there are no proper eateries in the mall, as opposed to what the travel guides/ brochures may tell you. The only place we found was a ginormous fancy furniture shop which happened to have a cafe inside. So we dropped in to have a quick bite (we were actually really itching to just start shopping, to be honest).


RM2700 for a bookshelf? Yep, you better believe it. That being said, I really liked the decorations/ furniture in the shop though! Can't resist anything quaint/ old-school/ charming! *cries*


Found these really elaborate lock and keys in the shop, omg I LOVE. There were all kinds of designs, and check out the intricate keys that came along!


We were joking that we should buy the Buddha lock and put it on our house door. And if a robber comes to our house (not entire impossible, considering the current crime rates -_-), the Buddha will be looking at the robber, judging him, and hopefully will unsettle the robber a little wtf.


With my favorite lock of all-- the lion head one! Wanted to buy for my luggage bag WTF.

These locks are really really heavy though! And they cost about RM160++ each, in case you are wondering.


Coloring while my mom was munching on her sandwich.

Okay, verdict of the outlet stores in Horizon Plaza-- things are not THAT cheap, so don't expect too much. Again, it's probably a place that you will enjoy if you have some money to spare. And some of the stock can be quite crappy and old (some not all), so some patience is needed to dig through. Here is where my mom scored a pair of Jimmy Choo sandals though!

By the time we reached Tsim Tsa Chui, it was already 5.30pm, and all I had in my mind was FOOOOOOOD. We went to my favorite char chan teng in Hong Kong-- Tsui Wah! Tsui Wah is so successful that it is already listed okay. Imagine, a coffeeshop which got listed! :O


My siblings' favorite food in Tsui Wah-- buttery condensed milk pork buns. There is no actual pork in this dish, but they are called pork buns because it's the same bread that they use for HK's signature pork burgers. I am not a huge fan because I try to avoid carbs if I can help it. T_T


The real pork bun. Not as yummy as I would have liked... Teeny declared that the best pork burger is actually in Kim Gary back in Malaysia, hahaha, FOL.


Jing's cheese-baked pork chop fried rice.


My favorite drink in Hong Kong-- nai cha, or milk tea! I swear to god, milk teas in Hong Kong are so much smoother and nicer and more fragrant. Yums. Could drink them all day long, but I am aware that they are not very healthy. :(

By the way, my mom took one look at the cup and asked me, "Why this cup so miang?", HAHAHA.


And the real reason why we go to Tsui Wah-- chicken rice, I kid you not. Tsui Wah's chicken rice is really famous, and it's the BEST chicken rice I have ever eaten, and it trumps even the supposedly very famous Mandarin Oriental chicken rice in Singapore (which is not very nice at all).

Whenever I see this photo, I get really angry wtf. 'Cause I didn't get to eat this at all!! T___T
My favorite chicken rice... T____T

What happened was this: I needed to go pee badly upon reaching the restaurant, but I didn't want to use the restaurant's squatting toilet with all my layers of winter clothes (I shall not delve into previous bad experiences here wtf). Since there were many shops/ malls nearby, I thought I would be a smart-ass and go find another toilet outside. Hence I told my mom to order some chicken rice to share (didn't want to eat it all by myself, because like I said earlier on, I try to avoid eating too much rice) and soup noodles for myself, while I went out to find a toilet. When I came back, every single morsel of rice was polished off the TWO plates of chicken rice that my mom ordered. -______________-

I couldn't even order another portion of chicken rice 'cause I had my own soup noodles, and everyone else was "too full" to share another plate of chicken rice. RAWRRRR!!!

Okay rant over. Now to the outfit of the day!


Something very comfortable and easy.


Spot my kitty stockings! :D


When Jing packed this fully embellished maxi dress, I thought she was going to wear it for the Michelin-star dinner we went for the night before. Instead, she insisted on wearing it during the day! -_-

Jing was wearing dress from Topshop, Chanel-esque jacket from me (bought in Singapore), shoes from Salvatore Ferragamo, and bag from Fendi.


Better look at my necklace, one of the newest additions into my accessories family.


I daresay this was one of my favorite outfits during our trip! I think it is because there are all my favorite elements in a single outfit, i.e. stripes (love them, they are the most fundamental basics to me), bright colors, a statement necklace, cute shoes, leopard prints, and a quirky touch (kitty stockings hello?).


A sense of humor in my outfits is a must. :)



Oversized striped sweater: Teeny's (bought in Taiwan)
Neon yellow pleated skirt with ruched waist: Topshop
Black beaded statement necklace: Korea
Kitty tattoo stockings: Korea
Black suede studded flats with ankle-straps: Zara
Leopard print ponyhair bag: Alexander Wang

Just another day in Malacca?

The boyfriend called me quite late one night, with an urgent tone in his voice.

"Baby, can you help me with something?"

I immediately perked up at the tone of his voice. I know it's something serious.

"Sure, what is it?"

He needed me to retrieve a photo from his camera (Back story: his camera is with me because I wanted to save some photos that we took on it), and instructed me to a specific photo folder on the camera. Sensing the severity of his tone, I didn't even ask why-- I just immediately got to locating the photo that he was looking for.

"Do you see it? It is the one with a red building in the background."

(Back story: The boyfriend brought one of our Korean friends to Malacca recently while I was away in Singapore, and the photos that he was referring to are the ones taken during this Malacca day trip.)

"Wait ar..." *scroll scroll* "Aha, got it!"

I was triumphant. Relieved, even.

Then I looked at the photo that I was asked to retrieve.



Wait a minute.
 .
.
.
.
.
.
.

I zoomed in closer.



BECAMAN??!!!!! (aka Trishaw Man in English wtfff)
Wtf???

"BABY!" -_____________________-

"HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHHA"


And ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a daily conversation between the boyfriend and I.

Harian Metro feature.

I was featured in a Malay newspaper last month, I am sure everyone has heard of Harian Metro? :D



It was a feature on online-shopping, and they did an interview with me for AZORIAS. I was super nervous to be conducting an interview in Malay, 'cause it's the understatement of the century that my Malay is rusty. -_- But by some stroke of luck, during the interview, some of my SPM Malay knowledge started coming back, and by interweaving some English, I managed to get through the interview!


Right-click for bigger image.

To suit the paper's audience, I went for conservative chic-- wearing AZORIAS diamante pearl cluster shirt (love me a fancy white shirt), black highwaisted tailored harem pants from Bysi, and black suede pumps from Topshop. What do you think of this look? :)

#OOTD.

One of the dratted things about owning an iPhone is that you don't bring out your camera as much. So the result is that you get a lot of low-quality pictures on your phone which only look good with an Instagram filter wtf. Hence, I do endeavor to bring out my camera more to take proper pictures for the blog!

On the flip side though, using a smart phone to snap picture means that I take pictures a lot more often. So I went digging through my phone and found some outfit snapshots that I don't think you guys have seen before!

#1

Waring Topman paisley print shorts with Topshop tiger head patent flats for work.

Posted this picture on my Instagram, and everyone was beyond stunned-- TopMAN?? Where in the world would any boy wear shorts like that?? Trust me, I questioned that too. But all the better for me though, 'cause then they went on sale and became mine, muahaha.

#2

Did a photoshoot in the office for a publication! Will let you guys know when the article is out. :) Eyes looking puffy 'cause I was actually sick on that day but everything was already scheduled. :(

#3

Close-up of my outfit in the picture above. Wearing black pearl-trimmed collar shirt from AZORIAS and a black floral print oversized blazer. Did you notice that my model (in the middle) is wearing the same shirt too? :P

#4

After the boyfriend got his iPhone 5 (he was a Samsung user before this), he went on a rampant quest for apps, and suddenly he became a connaisseur in photography apps. -__-

This is a photo that he designed for me, haha. I was wearing Topshop studded flats in it.

#5

At our product photoshoot. Wearing an old striped peplum top from AZORIAS and studded denim cut-offs from Bershka. Pearl necklace and gold tassel necklace are from Korea.

And this was my previous iPhone case-- pearl-studded case with a cupcake earcap (ingeniously topped off with a pearl 'cherry'). I am very anal about my iPhone cases/ accessories! :D

#6

I remember this! It was taken on the day we moved office end of last year. We were required to wear bright colors for good luck and prosperity, so I went with my AZORIAS apple print peplum top. Worn with Cotton On denim shorts, diamante necklace from Korea, and Miu Miu bag.

#7

This is not an outfit shot per se, but is another one of the boyfriend's artwork. -___- He wanted to use this photo as my display picture on his iPhone when I call him!! Because he likes me best when I am in glasses and with no make-up, pffft.

#8

In a Dior boutique in Singapore end of last year (read more here) in one of my favorite skirts, an origami-fold skirt from AZORIAS. I have better photos of this outfit, but they are stuck in Jing's DSLR (which is stuck in Brisbane FML).

#9

Sucky front shot from the phone. Wore this outfit to have dinner with some girlfriends!

#10

One of my outfits in Korea last year, also one of my favorite looks out of the trip! Maybe I like looking like a boy wtf.

Wearing an AZORIAS shirt, floral print chiffon sweater also from AZORIAS, Wrangler jeans, and my trustworthy Zara flats. Unfortunately this outfit was not warm enough for a walk in the night though. T_T

#11

I bet this is the first time you guys see me in sneakers! I have jumped on the wedged sneakers bandwagon, and I am not going to lie, I quite like it. Worn with Dorothy Perkins bejeweled top and Valleygirl denim shorts.

#12

Just wore this outfit VERY recently! It was my plane outfit to Hong Kong just about a week plus ago (click here for Day 1 post). Wearing AZORIAS houndstooth leggings (just can't get enough of this print!) and reflective loafers. Not shown: a black chiffon long shirt and a thick knit shrug cardian.

After doing this post, I realized... I really own a lot of AZORIAS items wtf. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy a post like this! If you do, then I will dig through my phone more often, haha.