Spring Forward!

Every girl is a fashionista at heart.
It would be a lie if a girl said she doesn't like dress up on a daily basis. We, all the girls, care what do we wear everyday, and it reflect how we feel as well!

My favourite season of all would be Spring/Summer! As it goes with my personality, I like something that is bright and seems to be happy! You will spot me around with colourful nail polishes, bright coloured shoes, yellow dress and so on. Of course, I do not wear all the brights together and will make me looked insane. Haha!!

I always try to brighten up my daily outfit with at least something with colour, not all black/grey/white. I'm sharing this little blog post (might not be that 'little' afterall) dedicated to part of Spring/Summer 2012 fashion focus.

Spring/Summer 2012.
As usual, when it comes to better weather, with more sun and spring flowers, you would link it to floral prints, brighter colours like pink, yellow, grass green, purple and yellow, etc! I love brights that's why Spring/Summer is always my favourite!

This season, there's lots of yellows in SS12 runway, especially Mulberry! Colour blocks! Colour blocks this year is slightly different from SS11 as there are much more pastel colours. Love 'em! This post is specially dedicated to my favourite colour, yellow!!

Here are some of my favourite picks in-line with SS12!

Mulberry Holiday Bayswater in Lemon Sherbet Spongy Patent, £895

Mulberry Holiday Small Bayswater Satchel in Lemon Sherbet Spongy Patent, £795 (S$1960)

I've been eyeing on this bag when I saw it during Mulberry's SS12 Runway Show! I've waited for months and finally saw it in the Mulberry Store of Marina Bay Sands Shoppe here in Singapore. I had a touch of it, it screamed my name. It's a sling bag, and I just love it!! It's so expensive here in Singapore!! Trust me, I was so tempted to buy it and what more to say I love Mulberry and Yellow is my name!! The sales assisstant at Mulberry was so friendly, allowing me to have a touch on it and once I tried it on, it was like 'OMG!'. What more to say when it's patent leather and easier to maintain as long as I don't place it under heaty area for a long period of time! Should I, should I not?? (maybe not as I have something planned on the horizon that needs money)

Saw it on net-a-porter that Mulberry Mini chain-strap patent-leather shoulder bag, £275. It is exclusively for net-a-porter.com!! So cute but too bad I have quite a few mini bags. I can melt with anything with the colour of yellow!

H&M, imitation leather bag, S$59.90.

I've seen the actual product, the pvc skin is slightly thinner, but the colour is just nice. Mustard yellow. Should I get this to fulfill my lust of having a yellow bag?

In addition to bags and shoes, the other accessories that I think all girls should have a fair bit of collection is HEADBANDS!! I love headbands so much that at some point my friends ararely see me without one on my head.

One of my favourite brand of headband is sereni and shentel! I must admit I have quite a collection of their headband!

In line with Spring/Summer 2012, here are some of my favourites for bright/pastel colour. Even yellow, it comes in bright (daffodil) or pastel (lemon) in hues.

Bunny Ears in Daffodil, Kuching Cat in Lemon (Side Option), Party Hat in Daffodil, Ice Ice Baby Matte in Lemon, Blair in Daffodil &Block Party in Lemon. All by Sereni and Shentel!!

Aren't they lovely! Headbands are the solution to any bad hair day, or whenever you want to colour-up your daily outfit!

And their LATEST addition to the Sereni and Shentel, Lolita in Daffodil!!

Dare to dress this season in brights! I'd say, yellow it is!!! Let's brighten our daily life with yellow and bring out the sunshine in you!

Have a nice summer! x.o.x.o

Self-indulge: Tea and a Book

Tea wasn't my choice of beverage until I went to UK. I adapted to the British life quickly and I started to love anything local. They ranges from tea, scone, sandwich, pizza, pasta, etc. If you ever been to UK, you will realised all the tea time mini bites or desserts are very sweet. Their brownie or cupcakes are the best but they are also very sweet as if you will have ants crawling over you. (FYI, you would not see even shadow of ants in UK, probably because of the cold weather).

There's a reason for all the sweetness of desserts! The well-known English Afternoon Tea often comes with a two or three-tier cake tray and tea! Yes, tea! Tea is commonly consumed without addition of sugar or milk, and will balance out the sweetness of all the bite size desserts!

Ever since, I started to enjoy tea, more than I used to in Malaysia. I started with English Breakfast, Darjeeling and Black Tea. I enjoy having tea with a cake, as a way to relax myself. Occasionally, I will read a book with tea. My favourite tea of all is Earl Grey. It has a special fragrant and when you dirnk it, it's very light and drinkable!!

Back to Singapore.
Last Sunday, after church service, I do not have plans, so I decided to go to Marina Bay Sands Shoppe to have a look at some store. I was hungry and I've decided to have my brunch at TWG Tea Salon. I've ordered Eggs Benedict with Salmon, side with salad. The pouched eggs are delicious with the way they cooked it. I ordered my brunch with TWG specialty blended tea, 1897 Black Tea, with the fruity smell, tasted with smooth with less bitterness. I like it. Overall, I'd rate is as 7.5 out of 10! I enjoyed reading my book after meal with cup of tea, and the feeling is just so relaxing and stress-free. It's a posh life but a healthy one!

Till then! x.o.x.o

TWG is one of the oldest Singaporean tea company, selling a wide variety of tea,

Leap Year

29th February 2012, is a special day, a Leap Year Day. 29th of February only comes once in 4 years. It's a special day to remember, but not to mention for those working, you're unfortunately need to work an extra day in 4 years.

In Irish folk tradition, a woman is allowed to proposed to her man on Leap Day and the man is not allowed to reject the proposal. He will be subjected to a fine if he rejects. On the contrary, in Scotland, it used to be unlucky for someone to be born on a Leap Day, just like Friday 13th. Nevertheless, it's just a folktale and depends if you are in it to believe or not.

So, on this February 29th, I wanted to do something 'special' but couldn't come out with a plan. I stayed at home, watching the infamous romcom, 'Leap Year', by Amy Adams and Matthew Goode. I've seen it in 2010 but in relation to this day, I watched it again.

The movie begins with America but settles in Ireland thereafter. I've been to Republic of Ireland during summer of 2010, with my BFF Stella. We visited Dublin and Wicklow. The movie started with the girl, Anna Brady would like to propose to her then boyfriend because he did not pop question. Coincidencely, he was in Ireland for a medical conference so she decided to fly actross the ocean to proposed to him in Ireland. Obstacles came along during her trip and then she met Declan, an Irish man. .... Long story short, they were married in the end.

Below are some shots from the movie and also in comparison with the movie scene I've been to in Ireland.

Parts of the film was shot in Wicklow, Ireland, and believe me, the scenery is magnificient!

They were both taken in Wicklow, near the Upper Lake area. (I can't remember the actual name). Watching the movie brought some flashback of my memories in Ireland, all the sweet ones.

The county of Wicklow is beautiful, just like in the movie, (although it's supposed to be 'Dingle' in the movie but was shot in Wicklow)

Anna Brady was supposed to travel from Dingle to Dublin with the help of Declan, and they finally arrived:

The iconic scene of Dublin.

St Stephen's Green, Dublin

And, they talked. Anna Brady and Declan O'Callaghan


I was there, too!!


The bridge.

Overall, Ireland is a really beautiful place to visit, with considerable nice people, and the Irish accent in Dublin is easy to understand!

And, on this Leap Day in 2012, me and my BFF Stella did the same thing by watching the movie 'Leap Year' without any prior acknowledgement. Great minds think alike although we may be a bit distance away! My Leap Day night continued looking into some of the great memories in the past!

Cheers y'all!! Have a great March ahead!

x.o.x.o

Good Read: THE HUNGER GAMES

Remember the time when I was a teenager, I love to read novels. From ghost stories, to witch stories, to romance, and all other sorts. When I get attached to one, I hardly get my hands off the book, even when I'm eating. However when other things kick in like Internet etc, the hobby seems to fade out.

My book reading habit came back briefly in 2009, when I made a resolution to make Tuesdays my Reading Day (read my previous blog here & here). A good thing about reading a book is, you let the author brings you to an imaginary world of your own, and you design your own story picture. That's something I truly enjoy when reading a book.

The last book I love was ONE DAY by David Nicholls, and I'd say the book is so much better than the movie, and I must say it took me a while to finish the book, from Glasgow, to Malaysia, to Singapore! It was a good book to read with somewhat sad ending if you love romance. Read the book, not the movie!

Recently, I thought I tried not to stay in front of a computer for a long time as I may have been starring at the screen for 5 hours at work. I picked up a few books from the bookstore, trying to kill my time much more productively and healthily. And, my friend, Stella, recommended me this book, called 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins, said it's a good book to read. Without hesitation and without any clue of what it's about, I decided to buy the book.

It took me just over a week to finish this book. I even read it during my lunch break at work. Yes, it just makes you read and want to read more about it.

It is a book, about a group of 12 teenage boys and 12 teenage girl from 12 different districts in a futuristic world. They were randomly chosen to join the reality TV show, 'The Hunger Games'. Their task is simple; the last one who survived the game is the victor. This means they need survival skills and have to kill each other to win the game, which will win them a life of wealth for them and their family.

The main character of the story, Katniss Everdeen, volunteered to join the game on behalf of her younger sister. And the story begins on how she survived with some twist of romance between her and another participant, Peeta, and her long time bestie, Gale, who she used to hunt together. I'd not elaborate more in here and I'd highly recommend you to read the book.

The author gives you sudden suspense when you think of a predictable outcome. And it is very readable! I give it a score of 4.5/5.0!!! Love!

FYI, there will be a movie made based on the book coming out in mid March. I did not watch the trailer until I've finished with the book! I just don't want any section of the trailer, including the look of the character be influenced my any part of the trailer. Nevertheless, I can't wait to watch the film!

The Hunger Games is a trilogy by Suzanne Collins, so to continue with the story of Katniss after the Game, I bought the second book of the trilogy, 'Catching Fire'.

Can't wait to finish the book!!! Let me know what do you think about the book?? Read the book before the movie!!

OUTDOOR: Cycling

Cycling:

SINGAPORE vs SCOTLAND

I often let people disbelief that I was an outdoor person who loves sport. That only applies to people who know me later in my life as I may look like a person who love to read, quiet and anti-social. It all started out me being an active girl in primary school who happened to be a runner (sprinter) but cannot do long jump. I can't do long runs actually, but I can do short quick runs. Fast forward to secondary school, I was in the netball team. And, also being actively involved in extra-curriculum activities, especially St John Ambulance.

Fast forward again.
Last Sunday, my A-Level college clan, the A-B-C who are now working in Singapore, went for a wee outing to cycle in East Coast Park, here in Singapore. It sounds like a long stretch beach but the sandy area is only a few steps walk from the shore to the sea. Singapore is a petite island that I remembered a tourist guide once said, "when God created the earth, he finished it with a fullstop. And, the fullstop is now known as Singapore". Yes, Singapore is really THAT tiny.

I'm staying near east coast so it's convenient for me to go there. It took B and C about an hour to reach the east side as they stay in the west. As B said, there's a time zone difference of about 10minutes! Haha!!

The weather that day was really sunny, that I had to put on sunscreen lotion before I head. The sky was blue and when we go there, the sea breeze was just relaxing. As usual, Singapore being a high population density country, East Coast Park was filled with people, although the picture above doesn't show that much.

Sitting on top of a rocky hill off the shore, we were trying to enjoy the scene, seabreeze, and the sun. As you may have already noticed, there's no such thing as 'no boundaries' of seaview in Singapore. You will definitely see some boat laying outreach of you but within your view. It actually kind of ruin the beauty of sea.

That's the three of us! We never fail to have laughter when we unite. We blend well together as we have different thoughts but share the same kind of laughter! The weather was just nice for cycling and a little bit of walking to burn off some calories. *Ahem*

We rented our bicycles, at S$7 for an hour, and you'll get another hour for free! It's quite a good deal! I have not cycle for a long time, and believe me the last time was in 2008 when me and my bestie in class went to Millport for a day trip (more details to come).

We cycled for more than 1.5 hours, we enjoy some scene, joke each other, competing with speed, and even bump into each other's bike! We ended up riding 'Skyline', my 'Honda', and a 'kancil-turned-into-pimp-my-ride-Fairlady'!! Of course some bypassers would have Ferrari for its speed! We should do this cycling more often as there isn't much activities we can do in this congested Singapore.

Me in 2012. My messy hair can't be fixed during pictures due to strong seabreeze!

Me in 2008! I went cycling @ Millport, Isle of Cumbrae.

2008, after finishing all our semester exams, me and my classmates decided to go for a day trip, away from city centre. We decided to go to Millport at Isle of Cumbrae, near the west of Scotland.

We need to use a ferry from Largs to cross over to Isle of Cumbrae. It was my first ferry experience and it was really nothing less than fun!

We rented bicycles to cycle around the island. We were actually cycling round the island around its perimeter, not within the island. It took us a few hours to finish, of course with some 'pit stop' in between.

The weather was gloomy, and it's nothing less the expect from the moody weather of Scotland. Although it was supposed to be summer, the most you get is two weeks of real sunshine! We were already quite lucky that it wasn't raining.

And was us taking a break from our cycles to look around, and of course to mention the photographer who's not in this picture is Alan.

Although 2008 may seems to be too long ago, and I may have become older-but-wiser, the sweet and nice memory still stay very well in my mind. Memories are the best thing to look back, to keep, and to treasure! Scotland was a transition of my life. Not just the idyllic places, university, friends but also the people!! Scotland is uniquely amazing!

Either Singapore or Scotland, both cycling trip were nothing but fun-filled! I will not forget about it, and hopefully, I will continue to cycle in Singapore (as Scotland is not so possible now).

2011

I've been really busy lately, not just with work but also having fun! (That's why I do not blog that much)

It's towards the very end of 2011, which has been amazing, with me staying in different side of the globe on the first half and the last half of my life! Two cities of which are so far apart from each other.

2011 is also a turning point of my life, that I transformed from a student, graduated and now a working profession. And, I am officially an optometrist!

A lot of things has happened and changed in 2011, and I look forward to a fantabulous 2012!


xoxo

Precious 50 hours in Kuching

11/11/11 was a special day, which will only occur in another thousand year. I chose to be in two lands on this day, half of it in Singapore and the other half in my loveable hometown, Kuching!

From the moment I landed on Borneo, I only have 50 hours to spend (including sleeps) before I step my feet back to reality a.k.a work life!

After putting down my oh-so-light baggage, I quickly took charge of my car, and went out for lunch with my mum. I was so happy to be back on my wheels, at least for a while.

We drove all the way to town, hoping to eat one of my favourite dish, Belacan BeeHoon near Song Kheng Hai Hawker Centre. Unfortunately it's closed. So we went back to a place near my house for our long-awaited glorious lunch.

We had Sotong Kangkong, Belacan BeeHoon, Rojak, Prawn Crackers. In addition to that, we had Ais Kachang and carrot juice with milk! Imagine, me and my mum finished them ALL! We could hardly walk properly as if someone bumped towards our stomach, things would spilled out. Nyeh!

_______________________________________________________________

12 years ago, on 9th September 1999 (9-9-99), I was still in Primary Six, and we all think it was a special day with all the nines. Us and our form teacher Mdm Chua decided on a reunion on 11th November 2011 (11-11-11). When time comes, we still remember, at least some of us. My cousin, who used to be my classmates for six years, organised this reunion. I flew back on this day and was really looking forward to meet friends whom I've not met for 12 years!!

The boys!


The girls!

And we presented a gift to our form teacher, Mdm Chua, by our ex-class monitor who is also my cousin, Calvin.


All of us on the Reunion Night! We started of with a little bit of shyness, people just talk to people next to them, sticking to their own seats. Girls talked to the girls, and guys to the guys. I must admit, as some of the people came in, I have to quietly ask the person next to me, 'what's his name, again? I remember his face but I couldn't remember his name.', in return I also get 'Erm, I don't know, too!'. Sooner, I heard people calling his name and all the flasback returns! After dinner, people walked about, and keep chatting and chatting, trying to catch up what's missing in the past 12 years. It was filled with laughter that none of us even bother to sing Karaoke as we thought catching up with one another is a lot more important!

If you notice, there's actually a baby boy in the picture. He's son of two of our classmates who fate to tie their knot in the end! Lovely!

The most classic thing I heard thoughout the night was the guy who used to sat next to me in class, Jeremiah (he's the one standing next to me in the above photo), said that I'm now shorter than him, and it sounded pretty unbelieveable to him. FYI, me and a few girls in primary school used to be tallest in class, beating all the guys. He kept mention that how can I be possibly shorter than him, all night! Anyway, I accept the fact that I've not grow any taller since secondary school, but guys are meant to me taller right?

Our form teacher, Mdm Chua, also brought along 'The Book' where we wrote our wishes to her before graduate from primary school. She remembered mine clearly as I put a photo for her, haha, super 'kiasu'! I never remember I did it until I saw it. Xoxo


More photos before we left. On far right, she's Adeline and is my BFF since primary school. And the girl next to her, in electric blue shirt, she, Siaw Yun used to be my best friend in primary class, too! Now we're reunited and we have to keep in touch!


Since 11-11-11 is a special day, I'd take a picture with my long time BFF, Adeline!! Woohoo!! Xox

The night ended with lots of joys and some of them asked me to go for a drink thereafter but too bad I had a wedding to attend to the next morning.

We all should keep in touch, making some effort to get along, and say, we meet up again during Chinese New Year?

_____________________________________________________________

12th November 2011 (Saturday)

Mum dragged me out of bed as early as 5.30am. Yes, it's 5.30am!!! So early that the last time I woke up this early was the time I was still in Glasgow ready to depart for Malaysia. (T.T).

It was all for my cousin, Fiona's wedding. She was looking all pretty, and it's my pleasure to be there to see her tied her knot with her now-husband, Christopher.

FYI, my dad was one of the photographer for the wedding. :D

The lovely bride and groom!

We joy a holy matrimony of Fiona and Christopher in a Methodist church in Kuching. So happy for her and let her marriage long-lived!

__________________________________

For lunch, I caught up with my Aunts for lunch. I've not seen one of my aunt for more than a year now and she's now back in Kuching for good. It's always good to catch up with them!

__________________________________

Wedding dinner reception @ Hilton Kuching!

And that's me and my pretty cousin, Fiona, and her husband, Christopher.
And I looked so big when taking picture with them. Errr, maybe it's time for me to,.... control my too-good-weird-digestive appetite!

And, of course, this whole trip being back home is to be with my beloved family- my mum and dad!! The trip was short but I'm sure for time to come we would have more time to spend together! Love you, mum and dad!! XOXO

__________________________

13th November 2011 (Sunday)

I went for my usual church service in St Thomas Cathedral, Kuching. There I get to catch up with some friends and church members. Even my Revd was shocked to see me back, thought that I'm not used to Singapore and decided to go back to Kuching for good.

At 3-ish pm, I was sent to the airport, and it ended my short trip back to my exquisite-irreplaceable Kuching. It's a place I called home.