Wanderlust

Hello Friday.

2012-02-11T00:06:00.004+08:00

Love Fridays. It's the anticipation of 2 days of free time even though my Sunday will be spent churning out affidavits for rather undeserving people.

Have some a couple of layouts to share:

A very simple layout. Pic taken at midnight on Christmas eve in our hotel in Hong Kong 2010. Was in a happy mood after dinner at the relatively posh Cafe Gray near Causeway Bay (Admiralty station) with its panoramic view of HK. I just love dressing up and going to nice restaurants overseas. But if you note, I did not really dress up for Christmas in Tokyo partly cos I ran out of clothes haha and partly because I was more concerned about keeping myself warm.

One of my fav pics of the Amalfi Coast. This is actually the town of Atrani, about 15 minutes walk from Amalfi town. It's Amalfi's less famous sister but no less stunning as you can see. I was especially smitten by how the town appears to be elevated. What you can't see is the town square which is actually at sea level and hidden by the ramparts (or whatever you call them). I like how the houses are built outwards from the quaint little town square.

I have another of my fav layout of Cinque Terre. To say that I like the Italian coast is probably an understatement. Short of dreaming about it, I can remember my visits quite vividly, the colours of the sky, buildings, sea, trees and rocks, the weather, the mood, the wind, how I was feeling at a certain time - it is usually a comfort but also a "curse" sometimes when I compare it with my usual boring life. Anyway, will share the layout when I take a pic of it.

An honourary mention of this layout made by my mom. After all her agonizing , it turned out pretty good. I like the pic of my mom and aunt taken and edited by my bro (see the tiny pic of damn smooching haha). Have a soft spot for black and white shots!

Land of pretty fluff

2012-01-15T20:28:00.005+08:00

Where else but Japan!

I had to exercise alot of discretion and restrain when I kept coming across endless, fabulous! collections of Washi tapes in Tokyo. These are probably one of my favourite buys!

And another of my weakness - socks and stockings. The range they have in Japan is mind blowing. But considering every girl there is decked out in stockings / socks - very very few girls wear jeans, I did a count seriously - the domestic market must be roaring. See how one of my drawers is completely crammed full with them (there's an additional row of stockings at the back which you cannot see in the pic and this does not even include my collection of leggings!). I can't believe I didn't even get a pair in the end :(

Starry eyed

2012-01-08T19:12:00.008+08:00

Hello again blog.

I started this blog while vacating for a month in Toronto in 2007 to update everyone back home that I'm alive and fine (and so that I don't have to call/sms home, a habit that I have - no contact when I'm overseas please, give me a break!) Hence Wanderlust. Lately, it's not been living up to its name with the infrequent postings which only indirectly refer to travelling or at all. New year resolution to revive my dormant blog!

It's therefore apt that I start the year with my first encounter with a 3 Michelin starred restaurant (and No. 20 on S.Pellegrino World's Top 50 Best Restaurants in 2011) in the Michelin star capital of Tokyo! The experience was so sublime that you don't really balk when you get the 60,000 yen bill, or maybe it's cos I was not the one picking up the tab haha. And just to show that I am relatively objective of the standard of the restaurant, I didn't know which restaurant I was going to (until we kinda lost our way and KM had no choice but to reveal the name so that I could look out for it haha), least of all the 3-star Michelin accolade.

Service was top notch and unobtrusive. We were half an hour late and no fuss was made even though there was a second seating later. But then you generally get unparalleled service in Japan so I was expecting that. I like that even though it was obviously a fine dining restaurant, the staff were warm and welcoming with no hint of snobbery even though we looked very newb.

RyuGin is located in a nondescript apartment along a small lane in Roppongi. This is as hole in the wall as you can get. You have to slide this screen door to enter, very cool. I would say that we literally stumbled upon it in desperation after much searching in the cold with many bags in hand.

Just like the books, they welcomed us in, took our coats (!) and bags and gently ushered us to our table which was plainly our table since all the tables were filled and everybody had already started on their 11-course omakase journey. I was wondering whether it is appropriate to be taking pics but everybody around me were doing so and seriously, how often does one get to eat at such places?? I like how the waiters will explain each dish to you for eg. where the ingredients are from, and inform you the best way to mix the food or which part to start with. It was with excited anticipation that we waited for each dish (both cold and hot dishes) to be served!

The representative dragon motive floating behind me. Our menu was tucked in the red envelop and placed under a dish for us to uncover when we sat down.

The cosy interior and pretty crystal ornaments on each table.

The menu printed on handmade paper no less!

1st course - creamy tofu with moochi in turtle soup drizzled with green onion oil. the green specks are green onion.

2nd course - simmered abalone with seaweed from some place in Japan, shrimps and roe. all these were placed on top of vinegar jelly. The tartness of the jelly went well with the saltiness of the other ingredients. I'm not fond of abalone but this was so fresh and well braised that you can see the "sinews".

3rd course - Monkfish liver from Hokkaido with ark shell clams and a sprinkling of veggies. I hate liver but Monkfish liver makes me crave for more of it. KM's fav dish haha.

4th course - Crab of the day was from Sanin. It was wrapped in a delicate piece of cabbage and then placed in crab broth with a hint of yuzu. Ignore the bubble in the pic! The tag which came with the crab in the morning was presented to us in a plate. Simply love how the Japs do things!

5th course - a smattering of sashimi. The unseasoned squid and turbot (fish) were to be given a dash of sea salt or wasabe. The semi grilled Spanish mackerel simply melted in my mouth.

6th course - sea perch (fish) grilled on charcoal with the chef's famous roasted rice on top (like rice krispies!). The orange glob is sea urchin which tasted kinda bubbly to me. There were nicely grilled oysters too and some fruity tasting chewy moochi like thing on the side. I'm really bad at identifying food as you can see.

7th course - this dish brought the most appreciative murmurs and camera flashes. it is called "Christmas Chicken!?" on the menu haha. The waiter will carry a Christmas tree with billowing dry ice to your table while ringing a bell. At first you'll think that this is some sort of dessert or surprise present until they whip out a steaming hot fried chicken from within the boughs! A very delicious fried chicken hollowed out inside and stuffed with glutinous rice and truffles.

8th course - Waggyu beef in sukiyaki style with a fried poached egg on top. Fried poached egg?! How on earth do you fry a poached egg?? The pairing was delicious though just as egg and beef will always be.

9th course - Love this dish especially the rice cooked in sakura tea and the crunchy morsels of sakura shrimp which was lightly coated with some sort of batter. The bowl contained miso soup which is totally unlike the miso soup we get here because it was made from shrimps and mini clams. In fact the miso soups we get from restaurants in Tokyo all had mini clams in them so you can imagine how sweet they tasted.

10th course - strawberries for dessert. I was a little resigned when I saw it as I curiously dislike strawberries but again, I cleaned out this dish cos the strawberries were not stinky or sour! This dessert, called the "-196 degrees Celsius candy strawberry and +99 degrees Celsius strawberry jam", is a RyuGin special and showcased Chef Seiji Yamamoto's expertise in molecular gastronomy. We were served with a candy strawberry and told to smash the candy open. What poured out was sorbet frozen into powder form with liquid nitrogen. The waiter will then heap a spoonful of hot strawberry jam over the sorbet so there! you get the dessert as it is called. This was the chef's only display of molecular cooking which was good actually as I don't like the newfangled foam or liquefied food.

11th course - dinner really ended with a bang (and a satisfied sigh) with the homemade egg pudding with honey. Again, I don't particularly like egg custards and pudding but we were told that this was steamed not baked to make it smoother. The creamy and dense texture was a dream! And aren't the origami wrapped lids a nice touch?

Matcha last to cleanse our palate.

When we were all bundled up and reluctantly trudged out of the restaurant into the cold, we were greeted by Chef Yamamoto himself all smiling and waving us goodbye.

Fresh picks for Dec

2011-12-16T10:40:00.003+08:00

For someone who professes to be abit of a greenie, who loves trees and plants and all things green, who is pained and pissed at how they sawed and uprooted all the mature trees in the carpark, who tries to be little more environmentally aware - I am oddly obsessed with paper. Which probably explains the monthly income drain on books, magazines, scrapbook products, notebooks.

Had a couple of interesting reads recently. One is purportedly written for children but I think it is quite readable for someone older as well. I was attracted by the cover, the unique way which the author (who is apparently a travel writer) weaves pictures into the story. It was a very spooky and intriguing start but after the mystery is resolved at an early stage (and the spookiness gets explained away), it descends into a fantasy / adventure story (reminds me very much of the TV series Heroes) which doesn't quite get fleshed out along the way, but still makes a passably gripping read. I can totally see this book being turned into a movie!

The other book I read cannot be more different. It has an eye-catching lime green cover with a simple sketch of a shop house in front and is essentially a non-fiction trivia on Singapore. Though I don't usually buy books on Singapore, the writing in this is short and funny, and I think it makes a perfect gift exchange when you travel.

Can't open my inbox to get a pic of the book, will upload later!

Salzburg & Lantau Island

2011-12-04T20:11:00.007+08:00

Been abit under the weather lately, not physically though. But enough said about that, here's a couple of 2-page layout that I completed some time back. They're more of my travel pics which I can never ever finish scrapping or putting in albums.

This seems like it was from a different time altogether! Our relatively carefree and energetic days of yore (and it was only 3 years back sigh). Though we only spent a day in Salzburg, I can proudly say that we managed to cover all the major sites and maxed out the one-day tourist card! It's a really gorgeous town, albeit a little touristy. Vienna or Salzburg? Give me Salzburg!

Ok here's our more recent trip to Hong Kong last year. The picture of the 3 guys rounding a bend is my favourite! An unforgettable, soul lifting hike along the undulating ridges of Lantau Island covered in golden grass. It's autumn again in December. This really gives meaning to "on top of the world" and I felt closer to the nature, the earth than I have ever been for a long time. We had the mountains (hills) completely to ourselves. Where else can you find perfect solitude?

Funny and fab shots

2011-11-20T21:40:00.005+08:00

Looking through TY's Cinque Terre pics and saw that she snapped many impromptu and funny shots of TR and me! What the heck was I doing in those pics seriously??!

And she took many gorgeous ones too like the ones below! A tip: set your camera to the vivid colour mode in natural surroundings to make your colours pop like what TY did.

Distracted

2011-11-06T10:53:00.002+08:00

Arrghh, I'm supposed to be working on a striking out affidavit now but keep getting distracted by youtube's "How do you make.....".

So far, have learned how,

1. Paint
2. Peanut butter
3. Oreo cookies
4. Potato chips
5. Orange juice
6. Waffle cones

are made. Catching a glimpse of the processes involved, they all don't seem all that unhealthy. I mean a potato chip is only fried for 3 s, how bad can that be right?!

Hello Saturday!

2011-10-29T13:36:00.006+08:00

Hi again. Thought I'll blog abit more since I'm in the mood and I have abit of time before rushing off for more packing.

My bro's pitcher plant looks absolutely monstrous now. See the new pitcher that sprouted in the pic; it's almost 20cm???

Received a delightful surprise from Yivon through the mail! Love :) She sent it before jetting off to Turkey (jealous!) and probably cos she thought her friend here needed some cheering up for abandoning her grand plans to hold a full blown Martha Steward fashion Halloween party.

Here are a couple of layouts I did with group pics. The one with my whole family took forever to complete and is definitely more "handmade" - I misted, painted, embossed and sewed. Not very skillful with thread and needles as you can see.

Love Saturdays for its endless possibilities :)

travel + food

2011-10-23T19:06:00.005+08:00

Hello again blog.

We're having a spate of good (= cool) weather and today was just perfect. Sunny and cloudy and windy if you can imagine all three happening at the same time.

But what roused me from my blog hiatus was not the weather, but October's Nat Geo Traveller! I simply CANNOT resist picking up a new issue even though I'm lagging behind SEVERAL issues and this month's is one of the best. Special issue featuring travel + food. Perfecto! Just whet your appetite and satisfy your wanderlust by getting a copy.

Travel + food is probably one of my biggest indulgence. I don't mind splurging on food when I travel (within a reasonable limit of cos but don't ask me what's reasonable - it depends) cos good food + nice place = seventh heaven (and makes me less grumpy).

Singapore has a yawn mention in this issue - the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel where the first Singapore Sling was created. Aside from that, this issue is packed with yummylicious photos, a pure visual feast that makes me wanna book a ticket up north now!

Anyway, I was excited to discover that out of the 4 "Europe's age-old food bazaars" featured, I visited 3 and probably walked by 1!

Naschmarkt in Vienna. Large pasar malam-ish open air market. Think I tasted my first Italian proscuitto there when Gill bought a few slices. Visited during grad trip 2008. Need Gill to verify this is the place, don't think TR remembers hahaha. We looked like total newbs!

Cours Saleya in Nice. Definitely remember hurrying through this place in 2005 with my family on our Italy-France tour. One major reason why I'll not join tour groups again if possible. Very quaint little bazaar selling alot of vintage and antiques. I bought a few little figurines of saints erm, for fun. Oh gosh, it's hilarious looking through old UNGLAM pics!!!

Rialto Markets in Venice. We didn't visit the markets near the Rialto Bridge but they definitely have to be somewhere nearby. Venice really stood out for me - one day freezing, the next day scorching. And look at that super boy-band looking photo of TR we took on the vaporetta! Hahahaha. Don't kill me!

Boqueria Mercat in Barcelona. This place is good, good enough for us to go back 3 days in a row and for me to dedicate one whole blog post to it. Apparently the famous stuff are the salt cod croquettes and espresso with steam milk. We didn't try the cod croquettes there, but we had some of the freshest prawns ever and kept going back everyday for the xuxos! KM had the espresso thingy in a cute little glass and I had hot chocolate milk right out of the bottle!

Arrgh back to work tmr but at least I had a blissful hour reminiscing.

Almost 26

2011-09-16T23:37:00.003+08:00

It is mid-September and I have not even done my yearly "September is fantastic" post. I hate how time slips by uncontrollably and my favourite month is half over before I can even feel the Septemberness of it. Sadly enough, the lantern festival also whizzed by despite my promise to myself last year that I will carry a lantern and wander around in a silly state of nothing.

I think while my peers are heading in the direction of settledness, my life is in a flux, unraveling a little at its seams, unrestful and eye-baggy. Live it or lump it I guess. My bday wish is to find a "circle of quiet" which seems impossibly difficult here. I like this description by Madeleine L'Engle "My special place is a small brook in a green glade, a circle of quiet from which there is no visible sign of human beings". I think the Isle of Sark (and it's Dark SkyAward) fits the bill!

Sunday again

2011-09-11T20:26:00.007+08:00

Crazy past work week and it's Sunday night again sigh. Was quite productive (at the shops) today though - bought alot of Pull & Bear stuff though I have doubts that it's age appropriate - I'm old and some of the pieces are labelled "for teens"! Abit irritated with myself too cos Pull & Bears and Zaras and Bershkas are dime a dozen in Spain and I bought only 2 pieces in all??? Somehow I have no mood to shop when I'm overseas. Partly more interested in walking around and partly deterred by the weight of my backpack haha.

Sharing a layout I did with my grad pic. Finished it sometime back but was waiting to buy a new heat gun after my new one blew due to my stupidity in forgetting to check the voltage. Here's it! I looked young and glowing :(

Embossing the phrase with my heat gun. Super fun! Stamp, Zing and blast it with heat!

Adorable owl stamp from Kikki K! Expanding my owl collection with each trip to Italy :)

Gelato somehow taste better along the Amalfi coast! Ok not very true cos Giolitti in Rome is simply OUT OF THIS WORLD (especially the Nutella flavour).

My fav part - the DIY flags.

A farewell gift for Charm. Taken with iPhone using a Korean app not Instagram. The only reason why I might consider buying an iPhone is Instagram haha.

scrappy sunday

2011-08-14T13:12:00.005+08:00

Or smokey sunday. The burning of paper incense is aggravating my blocked nose and sore throat :( Anyway, I've been scrapping my eyeballs out (and buying bags load of materials) to de-stress and here are the happy results. The pictures are mostly from my Europe vacays this and last year.

Rainy weather plus wintry temperatures in Seville was a bit of a bummer but the misty rain glow which enveloped the whole town was worth the sodden shoes and frozen fingers.

An imposing hilltop Tuscan town with narrow streets. After an uphill trek and several wrong turns, we finally reached the town square where... they filmed New Moon! (Contrary to what people may think, I did not choose to visit Montepulciano because of this)

Scrapping this and the next layout was a breeze cos I specially bought the blue and gray papers to match the hues of this gorgeous place along the Amalfi Coast.

Another Amalfi town with the classic striped brollies along the beach! We were fortunate to have some Spring sunshine that day.

Sunset in Bintan. I love the surprising pop of pink! I somehow seldom associate the colour pink with sunsets.

Was very happy to clear some of my supplies while doing this layout. It was one of the many interesting stalls we saw while roaming the weekend bazaar in Paris.

When I think of Assisi, I remember the brown and pastel shades of the cathedral and the quaint houses and haystacks. One of my favouritest Umbrian town though I was running a most unpleasant fever that day.

happy summer!

2011-08-06T12:08:00.002+08:00

of sky and sea

2011-07-31T20:05:00.008+08:00

My friend and I were discussing whether it's nicer to take wedding shots overseas or here. The downside of pictures taken locally is that most of them look the same cos there are only so many places you can go to get decent photos (like the extremely overshot Cavenagh Bridge near my office!). Admittedly I've seen some photoshoots which are taken locally but don't look local if you know what I mean. The downside of taking photos overseas is the hassel, $$$$ and tragic! if your pics don't look like they're taken overseas!

Was looking through my library of old pics and retrieved a few sea, sky and landscape shots taken through my trusty S90 in a foreign but not too foreign land. I think if you're the sort who fancies beach/resort photoshoots, Asia is a good bet!

I need a powernap too!

2011-07-24T00:47:00.001+08:00

Choose the type of nap you wanna take. Is this the most brilliant idea or what??

Somebody please bring this to Singapore!

red sky in the evening

2011-07-10T20:07:00.004+08:00

The sky was aflamed an eerie ethereal red for several seconds this evening. A sign?

right brain speaking.

2011-06-20T21:40:00.008+08:00

Was made to go for this "know your brain" or whatever it's called course at work. Apparently I'm more off a right brain person - all red (sociable) and yellow (creative, messy). Quite surprised in a way cos I was thinking about that semester in TK where I aced Physics and A Maths but failed Lit. Not saying that my colour codes are inaccurate. I like to think I'm at least a little artsy and creative!

Going to share a few of my layouts and an idea on how to sort out all the memorabilia (or junk as my parents call it!) you collect on holidays. Believe me, I have bags of bits and pieces salvaged from each trip and am always looking for ways to store them.

Diaso is simply unbeatable when it comes to variety and price. I always find myself cooking up some excuse to buy something when I'm there. These B5 size plastic files which students tote around are perfect to file away the odds and ends from each trip. Just fill it and snap it close - easy peasy! Makes for easy retrieval of this or that ticket stub when the need arises. In case I forget the places visited (very unlikely haha), I also stuck on this cute airmail sticker label (from Haji Lane) with the countries and year of visit. Voila!

Do I like Spain or Italy better? I can unabashedly say that I have a love affair with Italy but that does not mean that I don't like Spain! It's incredibly beautiful and have enough small towns and quaint streets to satisfy my wanderlust.

Casa Batllo - the first Gaudi masterpiece that we visited in Barca and probably my favourite. Was captivated to the extent that I half lost my senses and wanted to write something cheesy in the guest book like "I'm glad Gaudi existed or I won't get to see such an amazing house". Yikes right. Audio guides are a must and do set aside at least 2 or more hours to get a feel of the place. I really don't recommend going on a tour in places like Barca where you have to be prepared to put in some time to fully appreciate the beauty of a certain place. When I saw the BasicGrey mosaic paper below, knew that I had to scrap a Gaudi layout!

Barcelonata - also one of my favourite spots in Barca. We had good weather that day after a cloudy spell. It was pure sunshine, wind and blue skies. Love how the Spaniards enjoy their Sundays along the coast.

Cinque Terre - I can't stop scrapbooking Cinque Terre cos it's probably one of the most sublime places on earth. These were the pics we took at this little hilltop town of Volastra after hiking for a couple of hours before we lost our way trying to find the path down to Corniglia

Ok back to earth with some homely layouts. Pic of my dad and mom taken during new year. Backdrop: our moldy Chinese painting. Notice that this layout does not have any journaling? Designed it this way cos couldn't I think of a caption haha. But I added lots of journaling cards with printed words to make up for my erm, lack of words!

Finally, a layout on the female folks in my family. Not very glam pics so had to shrink them haha. I keep buying pink papers but don't know what to do with them!

The Girls

2011-05-22T21:26:00.003+08:00

Took these pics at our new year gathering this year at my aunt's house. Working on a layout for this. Just wish I had a less retarded pic of myself arrgh!

Barca and food

2011-05-02T22:01:00.012+08:00

Would you think of food when you think of Barca? Maybe not, but that's what running through my mind now in my usual post-hol stupor. I'm thinking of the La Boqueria market along La Rambla and the explosion of colours and scents assaulting us when we stepped into the cavernous place. I'll say that we had one of our best brekkies there - seafood for breakfast anyone?

Juanito's Pinotxo Bar - this legendary bar-style eatery certainly lives up to all the recommendations and awards. The prawns and lobster (or crayfish??) were astonishingly fresh (to my unaccustomed taste buds) and I really enjoyed the pared down style of cooking - grilled with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of coarse sea salt to be mopped up by the crusty bread! But nothing beats the Xuxos (pronounced chu-chos - we bumbled our way through the Cataluyan language) which was melt-in-the mouth goodness, a mix of feather light flaky pastry and airy custard cream.

Xuxos and Juanito in his cute waistcoat tending the bar.

Pan con tomate - bread rubbed with fresh tomatoes and drizzled with olive oil

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

2011-04-10T16:46:00.004+08:00

Some books leave you feeling a little light-headed and breathless after the tour de force ending, and unable to grasp reality as your thoughts are clearly still with the story, which at this point, you are unable to convince yourself that all that happened are simply part of the writer's imagination. This book is one of them. I will give it 4.5 stars, the 0.5 stars short of perfect for my inability to understand every idea and thought canvassed in the book.

In the mood for colours

2011-04-04T23:26:00.006+08:00

Just a short update on my scrapping endeavours! Noticed that my layouts are all rather colourful lately - it's the spring bug! The explosion of colours everywhere simply lifts my heart. I've got a sinking suspicion that the spring trends (for clothes and scrapbooking!) has busted my erm, half-yearly budget (if I have one)! Scrapbooking is one confusing and contradictory word really. While it professes to use scrap, it's definitely not cheap nor dingy. While it's suppose to be a book, it's more of a collection of individual layouts.

Here's a layout I gave TR for his birthday (just so you know, I scraplifted most of the layouts but tweaked it a little here and there). I finished it surprisingly quickly cos I happened to have the matching colours and embellishment. Once you have the photos in mind, it flows quite easily from there. It's true that I make nicer layouts for others than those I make for my album! Took forever to think of a caption but thought the photos showed how nice his eyes are so...

One of my favourite layouts cos it's so bright and cheery and simple. Had alot of fun punching the "ice cream". Look at the sparkly crystalline icy mint green words - looks yummy enough to eat!

Trying my hand at the shabby chic trend which is so popular nowadays. Had alot of fun again splattering white acrylic paint, distressing paper and layering every possible embellishment in my stash!

Ok finally a layout on myself. The first thing I had to do was explain why I said that I am 25 this year hahaha. Arggh, I'm 26, almost! The most tricky part in this layout was the adhesive fabric strip which I pleated into a flower. It was so sticky that my fingers kept gumming together ick.

By the way, all the pics were taken in Italy. Not very obvious right!

White Day

2011-03-14T22:48:00.005+08:00

Guess what's White Day? All I can think of is Shiseido's White Day where they give out White Lucent freebies haha. Apparently, it's a celebration in Japan/S. Korea where the guys reciprocate the gifts they received from girls on V-Day. I think it's just a convenient excuse cooked up by guys who are guilty for forgetting/neglecting/ignoring V-Day.

Anyway, was excitedly surprised to receive a call from recep saying that I have some flowers for me! Not that I can't guess who they were from haha but still, have I mentioned that I'm a sucker for presents and surprises?? Even though I don't think I really deserve flowers and dinner at Pierside cos all I got for TR for V-day was a Malcolm Gladwell book and dinner at The Black Sheep Cafe (and that wasn't even on V-day itself).

I asked him, why White Day? He said that he's very "ha-re" (I take it to mean that he likes Jap stuff). That said, at least he remembers that I only like red roses (none of the pink stuff!).

Very nice alfresco dining

I really like the fresh take on maguro sashimi - with a seaweed tampura skin

Braised beef cheeks with buttery risotto

Definitely my fav dish for tonight - sauteed potatoes in duck fat. SINFUL!

Juicy king prawns with rosti

Why I wanna go to Toronto again

2011-03-13T22:23:00.007+08:00

Nutella filled donut balls from http://creampuffsinvenice.ca/. Where else can you find donut balls on every street!

Last year's family vacation

2011-03-12T00:23:00.006+08:00

Since I'm in the mood (and partly to delay going to bed cos it brings work the next day closer sigh), I shall put up some pictures of our family vacation to the relatively fuss-free Bintan Lagoon last year. It's really all thanks to my aunt's meticulous planning that everything goes so smoothly each year that we head there. The only unexpected incident this year was the (fatal) visit of a disgustingly enormous centipede.

Artsy Sunday

2011-03-06T21:16:00.001+08:00

A Girl's Dream

2011-02-27T22:09:00.007+08:00

I'll vote Eleta's wedding as my fav wedding of 2010/2011 (I've attended 12 or 13 so far) purely for the ambiance and decorations. It's a 100% Martha Stewart style wedding complete with frou frou poms poms, vintage flower tins, wicker baskets, bird cages and the most amazing photoshoot! The whole wedding is so her and it's also so her to want to teach us how to make the pom-pom flowers even though she'll be literally an ocean away in a few weeks.

To top it off, they held their wedding at Chijmes! I can't think of a more fitting venue for this whimsical celebration. There's just something magical about the soaring vaulted ceilings in a cathedral, the chandeliers (a touch of modernity) and the Corinthian pillars.

What I really like about the wedding was that everyone was very chill and the couple took the time to mingle with their guests. I've attended some weddings where the only pictures I returned home with were of ourselves, minus the couple.

Happiness and love

2011-02-21T23:52:00.006+08:00

My recent reading list consists of a strange pairing of topics - happiness and love, polygamy and adultery. They are pretty good reads though.

On happiness and women - Women, by and large, are slightly happier than men. But they are also more susceptible to depression... which suggests either that women are more likely to experience more extreme emotions, or that a few women are more miserable than men, while most are more cheerful (The Economist, Dec 2010). Quite true.

Neurotic people - those who are prone to guilt, anger and anxiety - tend to be unhappy. Neurotic people are not just prone to negative feelings: they also tend to have low emotional intelligence, which makes them bad at forming or managing relationships, and that in turn makes them unhappy (The Economist, Dec 2010). It's scary to see how the characterization of neuroticism is not all that remote.

2 peas in a pod

2011-02-20T18:18:00.003+08:00

Randomly looking through my electronic vault of pictures and saw these two pics - circa 2009 - of TR looking very like T (totoro)!

Successful advertising

2011-01-29T11:52:00.002+08:00

I've noticed that my (infrequent) blog posts have mainly been about scrapbooking. Can't help it cos it's probably the only thing keeping me sane now with heaps of work I have to complete. I can't say that it helps me to de-stress cos I'm pretty anal about my layouts but it's a nice kind of stress if you get what I mean.

And I just love looking at pretty papers and stickers and ribbons and flowers... Basic Grey should stop coming out with all these gorgeous adverts for their new releases!!

Winter in Hong Kong

2011-01-16T14:25:00.004+08:00

A little bit of sunshine

2010-12-11T11:05:00.003+08:00

We've been having classic December weather so far - lots of cool wind and rain but thankfully, have not been caught in any downpour so please keep it that way!

Been appalled at how much I've been spending lately and I usually feel zilch guilt for acting out my material impulses. This time is just too much! The discounts everywhere are really not helping. Let's see, I have Papermarket's 40% off coupons and each time I buy more scrapbooking stuff, they chuck me with more of these fantastic coupons and it gets kind of addictive after awhile arrgh.

With all the paper I bought, managed to scrap a little in the few moments I have everyday after work. The Wander series of paper is perfect for my Italy pics. I think Italy is possibly the most sun-drenched place you can think of! All the sunshine, Tuscan villas, vineyards, rolling hills and coasts in the movies are really quite accurate!

Decemberness

2010-11-30T18:39:00.003+08:00

I don't know why but it startled me to realise that tomorrow is December (and I only realised it when I dated my letter to my opponent) yet I don't feel any Decemberness.

December used to be marked by school holidays and now that that has been permanently removed from my life, and since the weather in Singapore is not very helpful in reminding you of the seasons, I suppose December has lost most of its significance (Christmas aside, but it's not as if my family is very big on Christmas anyway. Strange since my dad loves Christmas songs and my mom loves to bake log cakes and we just love to receive presents).

On a more cheerful note, I just witnessed a splendid stormy sunset from the 31st floor of my office and I'm looking forward to peeling off Day 1 of my advent calender tomorrow!

Here's to December and of course, Christmas :)

Ember @ 1929

2010-11-28T22:48:00.006+08:00

Warning: this post is going to be photos galore cos I thought that my pictures at Ember turned out especially nice that night because of the lighting and the projector-like partitioning which effectively acted as the backdrop.

We celebrated KM's bday there. While I'm sure everyone passably enjoyed themselves and the food, I was feeling a little grumpy that night for no particular reason. I guess it's not easy to organise dinner and have people complain (even in jest) about the place, time, price etc etc. Maybe I was just tired. But anyway, here are some of my favourite pics:

Birthday Bear!

Birthday Boy

Prince Nord

Someone in a pensive mood... again

I don't know why Cyn is frowning when I was trying to suppress her hysterical laughter the whole night

the happiest person (thing) around

the nicest roasted pork belly I tasted, fat and all

foie gras with shitake

yummy crabcake which makes me feel like going to Boston rightaway to try the real stuff

scallops wrapped with prosciutto

sticky!

sticky too!

our cosy corner - for rowdy customers

wish and blow!

are you really 27???

50mm of happiness

2010-11-09T23:30:00.004+08:00

Eeeeks! Am thrilled with the belated bday prezzie I'm gonna get my bro. I've always subscribed to the buy-people-things-you-like theory and it works like a dream this time!

The object of all this lusting is a second-hand 50mm fixed lens which is just perfect for portrait shots. Grateful for the diversity of cameras at home cos this lens only works with my dad's D90.

Some candid (read: unglam) sneak peaks taken with our new fixation:

Bintan 2010

2010-11-07T22:32:00.004+08:00

Everyday randoms

2010-11-06T01:29:00.005+08:00

Separation anxiety. My parents are hilarious sometimes!

Very belated prezzie from bro. Good conversation starter if I bring it overseas. Think Cui will like it.

Attack of the ferns - I'm very fond of these weeds.

Pitchers keep growing to replace the shrivelled ones.

Baby ferns sharing a pot with the cactus.

More thanks

2010-10-10T19:41:00.003+08:00

The sweet thing about having a slightly cheena bf is that he remembers strange Chinese dates - like today (10-10-10) - and I find a pretty kikki k card in my mailbox (with no postmark) even though he's miles away in GZ :) I wonder whether he bribed his mom/sisters to deliver it!

To round off my thanks to all my friends who have been so kind to me:

Thanks LKM, my soon-to-be ex-roomie for his pretty silver necklace. I guess it was a more appropriate gift than my request for a bikini from Bali!

I've thanked TJS and R previously but only managed to take a pic with them last Friday at Table 66. My smiley look belies how lightbulb-ish I was feeling when the pic was taken hahaha.

Thanks KM for the superb Truffs cake (the fudge covering was so gooey liquidy that I can see the reflection of the card in it!), the card and postcards, and ALL the presents you got me. I still can't decide which is my favourtiest! :)

Belated Thanks!

2010-09-26T21:39:00.011+08:00

Thanks everyone for your well-wishes for my birthday! :)

I think my scrapbook obsession is apparent to all. Thanks QF for the fabulously sweet scrapbooking kit!

Thanks Yiwei, Jiaying, TY and TY for adding to my stash (oh joy!).

Thanks Yivon for the bag and our MBS staycation!

Thanks Wendy for the treasure chest of materials and my very own card!

Thanks SX for the very writable journal!

Thanks Des for the supermarket vouchers!

Thanks TJS and R for the necklace, charms and all!

Thanks KM for the 00:00 phone call and postcard (I'm sure your 5pm at Florence was a sunnier one than mine!)

Thanks XX and Yilynn for organising our PS Cafe lunch!

Thanks TR for the surprise cake and Gnomes books (how many more to go?)!

Thanks A. Sandy for the watch!

Thanks to my parents for the Kate Spade bag (en route) and cake (my retarded bro owes me a prezzie)!

Thanks to my grans for their ang bao and Yosemite Sam!

Thanks YY and Ivy for the super cute romper/dress!

baby installation

2010-09-24T00:17:00.004+08:00

A new-age Anne Geddes!

Have not seen something so creative, uber cute, and original, all in one picture!

Check out more of Adele's creations at Mila's Daydeams. Quoting her "While my baby is taking her nap, I try to imagine her dream and capture it".

Hmmmm, I wonder do babies really have such fanciful daydreams? Maybe they have even weirder ones in their little minds.

Observation: Mila has tons of adorable rompers, dresses etc!

Plasticine People

2010-09-15T22:36:00.007+08:00

I spend a disproportionate amount of my time surfing blogs and only 15 mins each morning flipping through yesterday's papers! Not a good habit I realised when people in the office start referring to the hottest news and all I can do is nod politely.

Read an interesting article on Monday where the author described "plasticine" young adults as "mostly white collared workers who are somewhat numb to life, have no dreams, interests or ideals, and do not feel much pain - or joy... Typically they work alone and for more than 50 hours a week. They feel as if they have expanded all their energy and all they get in return is a sense of emptiness".

The author cites doctors, bank employees, teachers, journalists, traffic policemen, civil servants, actors, taxi drivers as examples. No lawyers mentioned. Basically anybody can be a Plasticine, with people in solitary jobs more prone to being one. I understand what TR means when he mused about the importance of having peers in your job.

Thankfully, I don't think I'm qualified to be a Plasticine yet, not when I am capable of feeling pain and joy (sometimes I want to be numb!) or when all I want to do is travel, take photos, read and scrapbook. But I can think of a couple of people around me who seem to be in danger of being plasticined (I think it's a more negative than neutral phenomenon), hmmm maybe I should highlight this to them.

Snapshots of Europe

2010-09-12T22:50:00.004+08:00

I understand why they say that September is the best time to travel - the crowd of summer has dispersed, the weather is still warm but you can feel the autumn winds sneaking in occasionally. How nice is that sigh.

The only travel I did this month was our annual family getaway at our favourite villa in Bintan (which was a very timely retreat), more of that later. However, was still dreaming of my trip to Italy/France a few months back (it seems so long ago!) so I tried to recapture some of the memories on paper, what else.

Florence - It rained almost non-stop the 3 days we were there but you know how the rule of inverse proportion works in such instances - the wettier it is, the less crowded it gets. Piazzale Michelangelo looks dreamily surreal that day, I appreciated it much more than the last time I visited it in sunny weather. But, the romp in the rain was probably the reason why TR had to cold sponge me that whole night.

Cinque Terre - a slice of heaven on earth. I can't say anything more, you have to visit it to know what I mean.

Paris on a too hot day. We did the obligatory Eiffel shots. Not saying that I did not enjoy it, finding a nice spot and sprawling on the grass is probably one of my fav things to do overseas. Nothing much has changed on the Left Bank (except us arrgh) as you can see in the picture below which was taken 2 years ago at around the same time.

this close to nature

2010-09-06T23:30:00.005+08:00

Highly amused by these pictures of TR and the worm (millipede??). I suspect he's usually quite squeamish around insects but he looks like a kid transfixed by a new discovery in these pics. I'll say the hilly air of Cinque Terre does wonders to your mood and sense of being...

Here it comes

2010-09-01T23:02:00.005+08:00

My favouritest golden month September has arrived but I can't seem to muster enough spirit to wish everyone a Happy September Day. The only thing that's taking my mind off other things (I need to keep things vague) is scrapbooking. Seriously it's one of those rare indulgences that gives me sustained gratification. It makes me happy, which is not quite so easy to come by nowadays.

Scrapbook/scraplifts I did for the twins' birthday:

Too adorable not to do a layout on these pics TR dug out from his attic.

Snapshots of July

2010-08-19T22:20:00.004+08:00

Andy and Cui dropped by for a visit - it really feels like NYC is more their home now - and off to The Dunearn we went for a "posh dinner with a dress code", another of Cui's strange requests. Enjoyed dinner but enjoyed sneaking into BTC more. Quadrangle B at night, how nostalgic! Until we were politely chased off by security, my ex-student status did not impress them.

NAPS gathering, we're maintaining the numbers! At least for now. But Mal's returning to London and Wee just jetted off to Aust. Now that Eleta's migrating for good, don't know when we can pack a round table again.

Singapore River in the evening through a condensing lens. No, I was not at work at 6.00am.

Lunch time at Far East Square. We usually won't walk that far but wanted to help my mom take some pics for a ridiculous contest organised by her company. The only people in action I managed to capture were the Quiznos staff working the coffee machine and KM using a fork to eat his sandwich.

Food For Thought - nice location, lousy service and overpriced food. Was very grumpy cos they took my order for choc pancakes (recommended by Nic and Jia) and told me much much later that they didn't serve pancakes at 4pm.

The giant inflatable bunny that has been travelling around Singapore, heartlands and all.

The corner coffee shop at the intersection of Joo Chiat Road and East Coast Road is where I indulge in sinful hawker food. The best fried mee sua and tau kwa pau!

book hunt

2010-07-11T22:27:00.004+08:00

The annual NLB book sale at Expo must be one of the largest crowd puller. I dropped by today, the last day and a few hours before closing, yet it was still very crowded. Didn't expect to find any good books at this late hour but was pleasantly surprised to spot a few. Noticed that non-fiction and children books out numbered adult fiction books by 70%!

NLB book sale is certainly not the place to pick up the newest titles but it's a good bet if you want to find those obscure, discontinued books. I think my best buy ever must be Madeleine L'Engle's "Dragons in the Water". I'm sure you can only find second hand copies on Amazon.

Speaking of which I bought a simplified biography of Madeleine L'Engle today. Am extremely delighted to read that her favourite author is... LM Montgomery! I mean they are BOTH my favouritest writers!

Bought a New England travel guide (all books at $2). Since the travel books are all dated (2006!), chose a series where the published date doesn't matter that much - a pictorial guide to the best driving trips in the region.

The last book I plucked from the bin is Imogen Edward Jones' "Tuscany for Beginners". It's chick lit mixed with a dash of Frances Mayes "Under the Tuscan Sun". Perfect for easy breezy reading on the MRT. Anyway I have high expectations from the author of the excellent Babylon series.

Scrapping memories

2010-07-04T12:47:00.009+08:00

Everybody knows how I go ga-ga over scrapbooking materials, magazines and all that paper stuff. The truth is, I hardly get my hands down to actually scrapping my photos. I think it's equally enjoyable just flipping through the magazine pages, scrolling through blogs and dreaming of all the possible pages I can create.

Here's the HK pages which I did on a sudden whim shortly after we returned. I guess Dragon's Back on a drizzly, blustery winter day was an unforgettably un-Hongkong-ish experience. Some people think we're crazy to hike in HK, I mean why HK of all places right? But I always make it a point to do/see something less common in each place I visit and to have a varied trip - shopping, scenery, culture, outdoor activity - to prevent sightseeing fatigue. The piping hot and cheap egg tarts at Shau Kei Wan at the end just topped it.

Got this idea for a "memory file" from KP, one of my fav scrappers. What attracted me to this project was how easy and quick it was to put everything together and how ingenious it is to collate all your loose souvenir neatly into one file. Anything that can go under the puncher can be thrown in. While each piece of paper may look rather insignificant on its own, the whole stack nicely sums up what we did for our US trip.

Daiso is the best place to get all sorts of strange but extremely useful stationery supplies like the postcard folders above and the punched sticker extension below when you don't want to punch holes through a particular document.

Snapshots around town - Kallang River

2010-06-20T23:28:00.007+08:00

It's true that when your friends get married, you barely see them, with or without their other halves. Which is probably one reason why I agreed, albeit rather reluctantly, to SX's demanding request. Please remember to photoshop my head off thanks.

Headed down to Brewerkz thinking that it will be relatively more empty cos of the location but a phone call reminded us that it was world cup season and there were large screens indoors and outdoors. Took a gamble and secured an outdoor seat which was pretty nice on a breezy evening. Was told by the football fan among us that it was Holland vs Japan that night hence the many Japs around us. Didn't stay long enough to hear the cheers.

Love the mirrored surface of the calm river and the darkening clouds at twilight. Imagined that I was staying in one of those riverside condos. Swoon. Remembered that the bridge holds significant memories for SX and WQ and the long stakeout we had to do on the night he decided to propose to her. Probably one of the most romantic places in Singapore, especially at sunset.

Ms Tan still doesn't have eyebags after screaming at all those kids!

Something to look forward to

2010-06-18T23:01:00.006+08:00

Nothing but a Martha Stewart magazine could incite me to start blogging again on my lagging laptop. Nobody but the Americans will, and can successfully, devote a whole issue to their country's national day. Never have I felt more envious of the Americans who can have something to look forward to, summer that is.

Summer is when "the whole country starts living outdoors", where people kick off their shoes and sprawl on their lawns, when there's more sunshine (true), more laughter (maybe) and more time to spend with family and friends (really?). Summer means barbecues, kayaking at the lakes, campfires, Sunday socials, inflatable pools, sea shores, picnics, popsicles and walking barefooted in the garden. I like that the Americans have a shared mentality that summer is the time to relax and refresh and reconnect with your family and friends. Who can blame you for throwing your pen down to get some sunshine outside when the person next to you probably feels the same way?

It's not really the same here when "summer" just means more humid days, quicker tempers and drowsy afternoons in a freezing office. I can't even take enough leave to go for a real "summer vacation" (which to me means a one month or longer holiday). Do Singaporeans have the habit of delegating one part of the year to more leisurely pursuits? I cannot think of a particular time of the year where there is a collective change in our attitudes. Well at least students get to look forward to their June and December holidays or the 3-month university summer holidays (which I'm still deeply missing), but not for us working adults.

Rome Revisited

2010-05-26T22:53:00.008+08:00

Cool and wet. Never thought I'll enjoy Rome and its chilliness; it sure beats the heat and the steamy city stench. While we had our robbery scare the previous time, Rome seems a little less hostile now and it felt safer to stay out till dark. It rained but was too stingy to buy a brolly (I had one back in the hostel!). But thank goodness it merely rained, not poured.

Piazza di Spagna - still like the hustle and bustle of this place, tourists and all.

On Spagna and the surrounding shopping area. Love the girlish frocks!

Trevi Fountain - Throw a coin behind your back and you will visit Rome again. It works!

Piazza Chigi - encounter with another of the magnificent palazzos in the city

Piazza Navona - lovely at sunset with all the artists sans the crowd

One of the random buildings which caught my eye

Outside the Pantheon - love the plant covered ancient brick walls!

True blue homely Italian pizzeria recommended by our Roman hostel owner.

The yummy fried mozzarella balls!

Florence

2010-05-15T04:47:00.003+08:00

Update: we're at Florence now. We are staying in this perfect 3 person hostel room with a computer and internet connection! The coolest part of our room is the window that opens up to be a door leading to the courtyard.

The weather the past few days have been really bad, cold and wet. Did not bring enough warm clothes. As usual. Caught a cold in Orvieto 2 days ago and have been popping panadol ever since :(

Tuscany is totally not the sun drenched place that we all know. Probably a cold spell cos I've never felt so cold. Brrrrr.

Gimme a break!

2010-05-10T23:00:00.002+08:00

Finished packing so I'll leave some last words before I end up having "limited access to my emails or any internet connection" (my-out-of-office message).

I'm seriously considering if it's even worth it to take 2 weeks off for a "summer holiday jaunt" in the Mediterranean coast of Italy. Maybe it's better to dream about endless blue skies and balmy weather than to actually expose myself to the extra hassle, stress and fatigue of going on leave.

I wonder if it's the nature of my job that demands my 24/7 attention such that I can never seem to be free of it - people just expect me to stay connected and reply to their email queries. Though TR obviously hates this, I foresee that I'll be checking my BB umpteen times a day and hopefully, I won't be too conspicuous doing so in the middle of some piazza.

I swear that 70-litres backpacks are built for strapping ang mohs and not for Asian women (and I'm hardly considered petite!) My backpack is extremely ergonomically unfriendly, I bought it cos it could "convert" into a duffel bag and, it's red. Now I end up doubling under it in the most unglamorous fashion. Sigh. Hoping it'll wear and tear by the time I reach home (only when I reach home) so I can get a new one. Yivon thanks I'm craazzyyy to be breaking my back when I can afford to travel in a more comfortable manner. True, but when I think of the years ahead where I'll be age-barred from hostels and when I might really break my back, or a bone, I've decided to backpack for as long as I can endure, and enjoy of course.

LA DOLCE VITA!

what we did last last summer

2010-04-11T18:39:00.014+08:00

I'm always prone to some Sunday evening nostalgic musings, quite unhealthy actually cos it makes me all the more depressed that tomorrow's Monday again. Was clicking through our Europe pics and felt a stab of regret (don't know about what), longing (want to enjoy those good times again) and sudden fatigue (reminds me of what I have to face tomorrow). The thing that struck me the most? We all looked so carefree and YOUNG! Geeeee :(

Outside the Vatican walls. We queued forever and had to avoid the dubious bunch of gypsies hanging around the area.

The gorgeous weather calls for a picnic at Museumplein. And partly cos Gill has a fetish for buying fresh food from the local supermarkets and we both happen to adore picnics!

Maroon blanket 'borrowed' from a certain airline comes in handy as a picnic ground sheet!

One of our most memorable moments, 'cycling' around Amsterdam's canals in a Canal Bike.

Whipping good fun

2010-03-28T12:12:00.004+08:00

Caught Whip It with Y yesterday which was part funny, part heartwarming, part romantic, part kickass (no surprises, Drew Barrymore's debut movie which she directed) - all the successful elements for a inspiring chick flick set in the small Texan town of Bodeen.

The cast was unfamiliar other than Ellen Page (she rocks! spunky and totally adorable), Drew herself and the Home Alone robber - the thin guy who is now not so thin - who relinquishes his role as a baddie and is now the supportive dad.

It was only when the credits rolled that I saw Juliette Lewis' name and got a shock. Is this middle age ah lian the same sweet girl in Johnny Depp's and Leo DiCaprio's What's Eating Glibert's Grape?? Aging is scarrrry.

Juliette 17 years later...

* Want to see Johnny and Leo in action before they got famous? What's Eating Glibert's Grape is one of my fav Leo movies. He should have won the Oscar!

Slim pickings

2010-03-23T23:57:00.006+08:00

Totally in love with my slim Franny & Zooey paperback which fits snugly into my handbag and hardly weighs a mite! After all the Stephenie Meyers and Jodi Picoults, it's refreshing to read some JD Salinger, prose that makes you wanna savour every single word.

It's a bit like my craving for potato chips after too much chocolate.

size v. bokeh

2010-03-14T22:28:00.005+08:00

After days of agonizing over what model to get and burning late nights to read online reviews, I finally set my foot down for the Canon S90. Can't say I have completely no regrets giving the EOS 500 a miss but size, portability and inconspicuousness weighed heavily in the S90's favour.

Still. Look at the pics we took with M's EOS 450 last Saturday at PS Cafe and Barracks. Fiddled around with the dials and knobs and voila! bokeh pictures appear effortlessly!

Sigh, will master one before I spend on the other.

greening - part I

2010-03-10T23:59:00.002+08:00

Been extra eco-conscious lately all thanks to The Haze and the Nat Geo article I'm reading about the usual suspects of global warming - oil and coal. After reading a a few issues of Nat Geo, you'll realised that the same topics keep cropping up - Hubble telescope, conservation of energy, discovery of ancient artifacts, end of cheap oil, Iran / Serbia / Russia / Iraq... Not complaining. I'm grateful for the updates as I've discovered that the truism - change is the only constant - is, well, quite true.

Enough waffling. My first baby step to saving the earth is to go paperless for my SingTel bills. After a tedious online application, I've finally activated my e-billing account and all my bills now arrive in PDF files for easy viewing. One gripe: I don't see why I have to pay $0.53 should I request for a hard copy of my bill now that I'm under the e-billing system. I suppose it's to prevent those people who feel that they are entitled to both.

The Haze

2010-03-09T23:33:00.004+08:00

The night sky's on fire and it's not the red tinge of comforting rain clouds but The Haze which has trapped the day's heat and our city's lights, creating an impenetrable yet invisible barrier between space and earth. The stars that I've taken for granted every night have been blotted out by The Haze, which seems to be emitting some sort of eerie red glow.

Has it every been this bad? I don't remember constantly inhaling smoke and now I find myself unconsciously holding my breath - must be my body's natural defence mechanism against weird things in the air. Somehow it is no longer such a bad idea to be holed up in the office.

Montmartre!

2010-02-28T20:26:00.007+08:00

When I think of romantic places, I inevitably think of Paris. When I think of Paris, I immediately think of Montmartre. And just when I thought I knew almost everything about Paris' hilliest arrondissement, I read in the papers today it is a "12th century village that is touted as one of Paris' most romantic places". I sure didn't know that my opinion is shared by others!

we laugh

2010-02-07T12:03:00.003+08:00

hysterically as usual.

Andy's random paparazzi shots are really mood lifting on the Sundays-before-Mondays.

Hen's Night

2010-01-31T12:24:00.006+08:00

People who know me will know that I like to plan nice themed Martha Stewart style parties (none of which has materialised btw) so my initial plan for SX's hen party was no different. But the lack of time and money got in the way and we ended up with a super chill sleepover at the family suite of Hotel Re doing all the chick stuff. That would necessarily include watching chick flicks - Sleeping Beauty and The Ugly Truth - having lots of chips, wine and endless girly talks and confessions. Nothing outrageous for the hen (no d*** shaped cake or strippers) but I'm sure she appreciated the treat. Let's do this more often girls, whether anybody's getting hitched or not!

23 ♥ 01 ♥ 10

2010-01-27T00:11:00.006+08:00

To read more

2010-01-22T10:20:00.004+08:00

Hmmm just made a new year reso to read more and maybe more widely. This excludes all legal documents, cases and textbooks for your information. My reso arises from purely practical reasons - I have a stack (maybe even a shelf) of unread books and 2 years of un-opened Nat Geog magazines! Don't think there's a reso that I would love to keep as much.

Gill finally gave me my bday prezzie and it's The Sartorialist picture book! It's one of those books that I would love to have but wouldn't splurge on (cos there's a free website!) so here's an example of what friends are for :) The book was a bit skewed towards man's fashion but the pictures, people and places are gorgeous nonetheless. Felt a little depressed after seeing all the beautifully dressed people though and wondered why it's so so so different here. I really think the weather's a big contributing factor - how do you do stockings and layers here? Or many it's just that nobody cares that much.

Love that Penguin is the publisher!

HMV sells the cheapest books. Strange place to buy books but was very glad that I discovered it. Their selection is nonexistently small but they have some of the latest titles (The Time Traveller's Wife, The Beach) at 2 for $20! Was delighted to find Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction and spent many happy hours with my fav Brit boy. He's older, so am I. The best thing is, the book is part of the Penguin Celebrations collection which is candy-colour coded according to genre! Yum, don't you think they look nice enough to eat??

Tavi Gevinson

2010-01-10T12:34:00.002+08:00

Finally checked out her blog to see what the fuss is about. She is one cool 13 year-old and whether she is becoming mainstream or not is irrelevant.

What was I wearing when I was 13? Matching Mickey tees and shorts. Embarrassing.

Query: where does she get the dough to fund her fabulous wardrobe?

Check our her blog http://tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com/ and pictures at flickr.

Sleepy Saturday

2010-01-09T20:38:00.014+08:00

Can finally relax abit now that trial's over so TR and I decided to visit the Body World exhibition at the Science Centre before it ends in March. I must admit that Cui is right - once is enough. The plastinated bodies all look similar after a while which is not very surprising since humans are pretty much the same inside right?

We caught an Imax documentary too (Under the Sea) and despite Jim Carrey's pleasant voiceover in the background and an upbeat soundtrack, I dozed off for the better part of the show but woke up in time to see the Great White circling above me on the oversized screen. Don't think I'll ever tire of watching Imax shows or any movies for that matter!

In the spirit of more lazing around, TR drove us to the Riders Cafe at Fairways Drive for afternoon tea where we got stuffed on tortillas and guacamole (one of the rare times where I found avocado appealing), scones and fries. We realised a little too late that our meal is not exactly diet friendly =/

Riders Cafe certainly lives up to its reputation as a laid-back, slightly rustic cafe which serves relatively nice food amidst the lush greenery of a riding club. I'm glad they decided to open it to the public (saw a couple of law friends there).

TR was suffering from a bout of surfeit (quite rare haha) so we wandered around the area, soaking in the sunshine and all the green goodness around. Closest we can get to Pandora, I think. Restful :)

inside the colonial style Riders Cafe

iphone addict!

pretty "birdcages" which reminds me of the scene in The Sound of Music where Liesl danced with Rolf...

Hmmm... TR looks rather cute in close-up shots

yes, I'm posing!

man and horse

the first thing that came to mind when I saw this tree was the movie Big Fish!

Random: TR said my hair looks nicer and bouncier in HK. I agree! Totally hate our humid weather which frizzes my hair =(

Is it 2010 already?

2010-01-01T17:13:00.002+08:00

I'm losing track of time, amongst other things (sleep, fun, parties, alone time, friends time).

It is extremely unfortunate that trial has to fall on the first day after this long weekend and how often do we get 2 long weekends in a row?

Too tired to write more. Have to juggle 2 dinners now at 2 different places and head back home for more trial prep.

Disneyland @ Hong Kong

2009-12-19T23:46:00.013+08:00

Somehow I left Disneyland feeling that Tinkerbell's magical dust did not manage to blow this far and there's just something missing in Disneyland HK. Maybe it's cos everything seems to have shrunk (to fit the Asians???) and rides have been reduced to a pathetic few. Can you believe we've managed to finish most of the rides and lots of shopping by evening? I usually can't finish half the rides least of all, visit the shops!

Still, Disney is Disney and I can't help feeling deliriously happy, at least at the start! Here are the pics of a bunch of adults acting like excited kids (hmmm, maybe just YY!).

At the MTR earlier in the morn after a yummy meal of dim sum at Lin Heung Tea House. YY can't take his hands of Ivy, as usual!

The special Mickey train!

The special Mickey station at Disneyland - I love all Mickey related stuff as you can see!

Surfboard Mickey at the entrance

Some flower Mickey ornament which looks like a giant choc cookie!

Astroblasters - the guys' favourite ride. We took it twice cos they wanted to improve on their scores. Typically competitive. See how serious YY looks when shooting aliens!

Orbitron - suitable for ages 5 and up? But for one guy, it was terrifying. Guess who? :D

Seriously, can we ever have a nice pic together?!

Maybe yes, only when Ivy is in between us :D

TR's condescending pat on Pooh's head!

The stunted Cinderella's castle :( Think my toy castle looks prettier

Mickey ice-creams!

Sitting on the fence, literally, for a glimpse of the Let It Snow parade

Ivy looks especially cute in this pic! Or maybe cos she's standing beside YY :D

Our Red Indian yell was a total flop!

Technicolour Disneyland

Christmas light up on Main Street

It's A Small World magically lit up at sunset

Lights seen through some special 3D glasses appear heart-shaped

One of my favourite pics - enjoying the first "snowfall" of the day :)

♥ in the air

2009-11-30T12:18:00.007+08:00

It was a novel experience, at least for me, to attend a solemnization up in the air! I like how swaths of ribbons, fresh flowers, candles and strategic lighting transformed the otherwise stark capsule into a romantic and cosy chamber for the exchange of vows. I like how roses were stuffed into little glass pots dangling from the ceiling, held in place by ribbons. I like how magical it felt to be at the apex at sunset and hear the couple say "I do" (Ian, exhilaratingly; Carol, blushingly).

We were ushered to a special guest lounge upon arrival where we met the busy couple (who were too busy to even take pictures), their relatives and friends. While waiting to board the capsule, we gravitated towards the beautiful weather outside and had fabulous fun posing against the backdrop of Marina Bay. Thanks SW for uploading the pics!

I spy

2009-11-15T11:59:00.005+08:00

Dad saw the Air Force One parked at the Paya Lebar Airbase some distance away. Hence the flurry of activities as we whipped out our binoculars, tripods, cameras and telescope (yes, a telescope!) to catch a glimpse of the famous plane with the US flag on its tail and the "United States of America" inscribed on its body. What a way to spend a Sunday morning!

through a bino.

darling egrets!

I need a Europe fix :(

2009-11-13T00:42:00.005+08:00

Ian ♥ Carol

2009-11-08T22:14:00.011+08:00

Thought I was going to be late for C's solemnization on Sat but TR managed to rush me there in time phew. Vowed to myself that I won't risk being late again for anything but don't know how I long I can keep my promise (probably only till tomorrow since I hardly reach the office on time haha).

SW is supposed to send me the pics we took with her Canon prosumer cam but unlikely I will get it anytime soon sigh. I've never seen such an ardent Canon fan! Here are some sneaks:

Ian looking positively delighted...he was beaming like the proud hubby the whole night :)

forever grateful to the man who rushed me there in time :P

an excited cousin!

When October Ends

2009-11-05T20:32:00.006+08:00

The egrets are back! And hence begins my yearly obsession with these lovely creatures who grace me with their presence whenever the wet season comes pouring by. So far, I can only see a few white splodges in the green field. But I'm hopefully that more of them will pop by.

While September is all golden, orange and red, November is a deep velvety brown and forest green. I love November, maybe because it appears to me to be the start of autumn.

Weekend $plurge

2009-11-01T21:29:00.004+08:00

Exhausted and feeling a little green with guilt after the massive weekend shopping spree the last couple of days. TR patiently followed me as I scrambled madly from Orchard to Haji Lane and back to Orchard again. But I'm feeling rather pleased cos...

(1) Dutifully fulfilled the gentle requests of the brides (Carol: formal, no white; Julia: cream or champagne; SX: pink or white) and found 3 dresses that satisfy their requirements and my vanity.

(2) Defrayed the costs with vouchers!

(3) Had the chance to taste freshly baked choc wassants.

(4) Got pretty scrapbooking papers at 25% off (kindly sponsored by TR after he saw how much $$$ I've signed away).

(5) Got a Tangs card.

I have to say that I love having an excuse to shop for new clothes :)

Ice cream and me???

2009-10-25T21:14:00.005+08:00

Was looking through my holiday pics and saw 2 very similar and funny pics!

At first glance, 2 conclusions can be drawn:

(1) we like ice cream and milkshakes very very much.

(2) Cui has a not-so-secret crush on me OR she hates me!

Miss NYC, the weather, the company, the milkshakes, the shopping, the afternoons of doing anything I please.

El Carnival

2009-10-22T21:06:00.004+08:00

Hmmm had a sudden whim to look through the few pictures we took some weeks ago at the Law Society D&D. Unfortunately, my camera takes very unflattering photos - time for a new one. (I bet it went haywire when i dropped it in Rome while exchanging it for my ice-cream cone with TR. Anything for an Italian gelato!)

Not a mind-blowing night anyway. There were too many speeches, tedious prize presentations and a cringingly bad stand-up comedienne. It ended unnecessarily late - lucky to have nice people giving me a lift home :)

we only wore our masks for about... a minute?

the grub for the night

cam whoring in my kitchen - good lighting!

I took 5 pictures of Ben simultaneously and he still managed to hold the pose!

A Taxonomy of Barnacles

2009-10-16T23:48:00.004+08:00

Am reading the very quirky and entertaining A Taxonomy of Barnacles by Galt Niederhoffer. I like the charming way this author describes the life of a bunch of eccentric sisters and their dysfunctional family. And it's set in NYC!

There's a bit of Special Topics in Calamity Physics in it, but not as depressing an ending I hope. Nice to chance upon a good book! Bought it from the open air branch of The Strand bookstore outside Central Park in NYC for half its price. Admittedly, the first thing that attracted me was the cover with its vintage drawings. So pretty :)

Paper Value

2009-10-10T23:36:00.003+08:00

Scrapbooking has caught Singapore by storm considering how a new shop - Paper Market - has mushroomed in Raffles City. Perfect location!

Better still, two of Popular's up-market sister shops - Urban Write and Prologue - also carry a small range of scrapbooking products (mostly from S.E.I). The best thing is (1) I can use my Popular card to get 10% off; (2) the stuff there is at least $2 cheaper than the specialized scrapbooking stores and (3) I can get sticker lettering for less than $4! Make that 3 best things!

I COVET: the Photo Box Album from Kikki.K (a new Auzzie stationary store in Ion selling erm, Swedish inspired stationery). It costs a freaking $99! Can somebody convince me that it's worth it? I've made two trips down to evaluate my option and it's embarrassing to make a third. In the meantime, I'm sourcing for materials to construct a similar one. It looks seemingly easy.

Wedding fever

2009-09-26T11:48:00.008+08:00

This year must be a blissful and bountiful year cos so many of my friends are getting hitched! Very excited with all the happenings (so long as I'm not the main star :D). The only difficulty I have now is finding a suitable dress for all the bridesmaid and dinner stuff!

Bing is glowing, as far as I can tell from my occasional glimpses of her along Circular Road. She looks more feminine too and contented :) A pity I had to miss her wedding in June.

Next up is Carol's engagement at the Flyer. Quite cool if you think about the nice backdrop and the intimacy of saying your vows in an airborne capsule with no pesky people swarming around you. Comes at a price though but $$$ doesn't matter the slightest bit when you're talking about your wedding (purely my opinion)!

Then there's Julia & Han's wedding in Indonesia this Dec. Her photoshoot is gorgeous and so special. I love the idea of snowboots!

There's Shuxin & WQ's wedding next Jan. I have not planned anything for her Hen Party arrgh but all in good time. Don't you think they look fabulous in their photoshoot?

And of course Laura will be one of the prettiest brides of 2010 :)

They still rock!

2009-09-07T21:48:00.007+08:00

I'm a bit old to derive such unabashed excitement and joy from a pop group's live concert but the sad fact is that MLTR's concert last Friday is my first live band concert. It was AWESOME and the best part? MLTR is still the same. Comfortably so. No weird new hairstyles, mid-life career outfits. Same love ballads. Same voice that I hear countless times. The only material change is the guitarist who is now a fellow female Dane.

Excited - concert hasn't started

Fort Canning at night

Sweaty and hungry - concert still hasn't started

Jascha Richter, blond as ever!

I feel kinda sad that a few years from now when MLTR plays again in Singapore, it'll be the same fans, albeit older, who will endure the damp grass and humid air to belt out the same old songs. Do the younger folks even know who's MLTR? Do their new songs even come on air nowadays?

Dog days of summer

2009-08-30T11:28:00.003+08:00

It's fascinating how the English language is influenced by astrology and other pagan references but most people are unaware of it. Take the phrase "dog days of summer". I've always known that it refers to the hot weather in summer but why "dog" not "cat" or other animals for that matter.

I did a random Wiki/Google search and unearthed a perfectly satisfying answer - the ancient Greeks labelled summer days as "Dog Days" cos they were days when Sirius (the Dog Star) rises and sets at almost the same time as the sun!

Season 2 - Close

2009-08-23T13:46:00.004+08:00

Here's my spontaneous, emotional and utterly irrational reaction to the last episode of Gossip Girl Season 2 (which I've been saving to watch on a dreamy, rainy day like today). It has a fabulously romantic ending which makes me wanna shout "I love Chuck Bass!"

S'pore on foot

2009-08-17T22:27:00.009+08:00

We thought that National Day was a nice excuse to explore one of the yet to be explored "hidden gems" of Singapore - Pearl Hill Park. It's unbelievable how hundreds of people mill around Chinatown and SGH but never seem to notice this ancient(creepy) park in the middle. Guess what's in the the centre of the park? This walled-up reservoir and I mean walls the height of fortress walls! Kaypoh me was inclined to scout acound a little more but chickened out when I remembered we were going to catch Orphan at midnight.

I've come to appreciate the mini S'pore flags given out in primary school and which we took for granted and chucked the moment we stepped out of school. Not only did we have a hard time finding one but the specimen we bought from Sheng Shiong was badly made from cheap plastic. Glad it's not that obvious from the pics!

The weather was hot and neither TR (who probably owns thousands of them) nor I (who buys hundreds of it) had with us a rubber band for the hair! Oh well, no one can blame me for not being patriotic :)

44!

2009-08-10T22:09:00.003+08:00

I found myself riveted to the screen while NDP 09 played out to a skin-tingling fireworks finale. I found myself singing along to nostalgic national day songs which I never dreamed that I would hear again ("It's The Little Things"). TR turned to me with an incredulous look, "NDP this year is not bad... The music director got it right for once." It's hard not to enjoy a full-blown musical!

is there a moral reason why all "bad" guys ultimately die?!

2009-07-13T22:48:00.004+08:00

Arrgh. I'm still reeling from the last episode of Harper's Island last night. I know I know. Nobody watches the show. But I'm UPSET that my favourite character turned out to be some psychotic killer with a twisted sense of love :( And he died how unfair!

Country Road, Take Me Home

2009-07-08T22:17:00.009+08:00

Road tripping is superb fun! It's the closest I can get to a carefree, hippie life. Speeding down the legendary American highways and interstates, getting lost (yes that's possible even with a map and GPS), choosing which fast food joint to refuel (we were on this insane quest to find a Wendy's) and even mundane things like pumping gas becomes a novelty.

I admit my deliriousness was because I cannot in my wildest dream believe that I'm living a song! A Guides song that I always sing (but honestly, never really liked) but somehow it got wired into my brain so yes, that's the inspiration for this trip!

"Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains
Growing like a breeze..."
- John Denver

Ok, here goes my gazillion of pics! Nature provides the best backdrop!

Very deep in thought...

A car to match its driver (passenger)!

A very pretty highway. Blessed with good weather :)

Wendy looks adorably like Anne of Green Gables with her red hair and freckled cheeks! Maybe that's why I like it so much.

The north entrance to the Skyline Drive - one of the most picturesque routes in the country.

The Blue Ride Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountain Range where its watershed marks the boundaries of the Shenandoah Valley. Confusing huh? Took quite long to match the places to the names.

Dickey Ridge Visitor Centre at Milepost 4.6.

It may not be spring but summer brings with it lots of wildflowers.

The park has several overlooks which allow cars convenient picture stops. I believe there are more than 50 stops so discretion must be exercised! I did some research on which overlooks have the best views but that did not prevent us from stopping at a whim.

Shout. out. LOUD!

Wordel!

2009-06-30T13:39:00.011+08:00

I'm addicted to WORDEL! It's this online tool which helps you to create a word cloud from a text.

For example, when I inserted this paragraph from my previous post:

(1) ascend Rockefeller Centre or the Empire State Building (cloudy skies, bad view);
(2) visit the MET or MOMA or any other museums (museum fatigue after DC);
(3) visit BodyWorks (keep procrastinating on the belief that the exhibition will always be there);
(4) visit Coney Island;
(5) eat pizza at Grimaldi's in Brooklyn;
(6) watch a Broadway musical or play.

I got this customizable word cloud!

Covergirls

2009-06-25T17:43:00.006+08:00

Yivon messaged me last night about some "nice" photos of me she uploaded on her blog. I had my suspicions hahaha. See what they amounted to!

Looking vague? Probably cos of the wind in my face.

Family or friend??

I'm going to send this pic to SIA...

Models who flopped at their first photoshoot.

Best friends pretending to be F4.

Never knew ECP bore any resemblance to the Australian outback!

Theatre Night!

2009-06-24T12:32:00.010+08:00

I'm quite satisfied with this trip to NYC. I've accomplished most of what I planned: explore the different neighbourhoods, visit certain shops and streets, drop by the touristy attractions. My failure to complete everything on my list is largely a result of: (1) my laziness; (2) my penchant for exploring the streets rather than visiting attractions; (3) the weather and (4) lack of $$.

Hence I did not:
(1) ascend Rockefeller Centre or the Empire State Building (cloudy skies, bad view);
(2) visit the MET or MOMA or any other museums (museum fatigue after DC);
(3) visit BodyWorks (keep procrastinating on the belief that the exhibition will always be there);
(4) visit Coney Island;
(5) eat pizza at Grimaldi's in Brooklyn;
(6) watch a Broadway musical or play.

The last "miss" annoys me the most. I refuse to pay US$150++ for a good seat or $70++ for a bad seat. I refuse to queue at TKTS for discounted tix cos I figured that the time spend queuing could be better employed (anyway they don't have discounted Wicked tix). It's kinda ironic cos in the end, we paid US$25.00 to watch Terminator Salvation and Drag Me to Hell (don't remind me) when we could watch them at half the price in S'pore.

I did managed to visit a theatre, albeit not a Broadway theatre, and was part of the audience in an extremely entertaining live show for US$17!

According to Wikipedia, Apollo Theatre is "the most famous club associated with African-American performers". No surprise that it is in Harlem or that we were one of the few Asians that night (inc. a few Jap tourists). Amateur Night is a talent show or, to quote Cui, "American Idol on steroids". The audience (and everybody) were crazily enthusiastic. Thankful that I could hide in the shadows and rest my weary feet!

Harlem comes with its share of horror stories but I'm very sure I'd be less jumpy if Cui did not keep reminding us of them as we walked the streets. It did not help when I saw that the counters at Popeye's Chicken have a solid wall of fibreglass between the servers and the customers. "In case there's a shoot-out", Cui says calmly. !!! With my mind occupied elsewhere, I realise that the area's more dingy than the other parts of Manhattan and the people more shady but otherwise it's fine in daylight and in groups (we're on 125th St. It gets worse as the numbers increase).

While waiting to enter the theater, Cui decided to use the make shift "blue screen" to take some "studio-worthy" shots with her pro/expensive SLR while I fiddled with my expiring point-and-shoot.

Arlington National Cemetery

2009-06-21T13:30:00.010+08:00

Day trips are one of my favourite activities so I made sure to plan for a few hassle-free ones. My decision to visit Arlington National Cemetery arose from a National Geog article that I read some time ago. I couldn't believe how beautiful a cemetery could look or that it is such a popular tourist attraction.

Arlington Cemetery is in the state of Virginia but it's just across the river from DC (I'm still not used to imaginary state boundary thingy.) The train ride took us 30 mins at most. It sounds morbid to visit a cemetery but you can see from the manicured lawns that it looks more like a picturesque national park than a creepy graveyard.

Many famous people are buried there and JF Kennedy is one. See the eternal flame that burns on his tomb?

The symmetrical neat rows of tombstones is mesmerizing. I wonder how they keep the thousands of tombstones sparking white?

I like how TR uses his colour accent function to create two similar yet different shots.

Changing of guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

The Narnia-esque amphitheatre.

Home Alone

2009-06-20T18:18:00.004+08:00

Alas, I'm back. There's a higher chance of me falling sick cos of the (unforgivingly humid) weather than the flu. I know I've been blogging alot about the weather but if you think about it, the weather is the first thing you notice about a place when you step out of the universally air-conditioned airports.

Anyway my whole family has quarantined themselves away from me in hotels. Not a bad idea actually as I'd hate the thought of having to quarantine myself in my baking house if a family member catches the bug (I'm the potential threat in this case). I suppose having less people around the house means less heat and more peace which is good.

Well since I'm "shunned" by family and friends, I've decided to re-live my trip vicariously through photos so look out for them!

Alaska

2009-06-16T09:31:00.011+08:00

Back in NYC for another couple of days before flying back to S'pore. Had a superb time on the Alaskan cruise and suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms now :( As Cui says, it's back to reality.

Cruising was especially enjoyable for several reasons:

1) Nice cool weather. Contrary to popular belief, Alaska is not freezing cold. Temperature ranged from 13-25 degrees. The chilly part was when we stood on the decks when the ship was moving.
2) Freestyle cruising: dress in whatever you want, eat whenever, whatever and however often you want, participate in any activities you want. Totally relaxing and stress-free. We dined in 3-course restaurants almost everyday!
3) Spectacular scenery. Harsh wilderness and rugged snow-capped peaks formed a continuous moving picture outside the window.
4) Spotted deers, bald eagles, seals and whales .Whales are the all-time favourite and most elusive.
5) Andy, Cui and TR. Had enough people to play Blokus with me and take my pics hahaha.

Here's a few pics from my fantastic photographers who snapped with the enthusiasm of the paparazzi (photos and captions courtesy of Cui).

On the deck of the Norwegian Sun at Vancouver.

Blokus mania. Guess who was the only person who was NOT competitive and NOT busy killing others? (Clue: the "horizontally challenged" one :P)

Islands of tree-covered mountains.

Bald eagle sighting. It's really difficult to take a close shot of them considering how far and fast they swoop around.

Our first port stop: Ketchikan. Cui and Andy invaded people's privacy and took pics of their homes. The houses are on stilts to be ready for rising tide levels (global warming!)

Sweet!

More shopping

2009-06-06T07:07:00.007+08:00

Bleecker Street is one of the nicest street to stroll and window shop. It has a mix of big brands and hip independent brands. In fact I like roaming around Greenich Village cos they have the most interesting (gay) shops and little cafes. TR describes the area as "artsy, laid back and uber-cool".

The nearest metro stop: Christopher St-Sheridan Square.

Ralph Lauren Kids. Totally adorable.

Little Marc Jacobs. Every bit as cute!

Of course nothing beats the main Marc Jacobs store!

Cannot resist checking out the books. I have to give it to TR that he is usually very indulgent of my particular habit.

Magnolia Bakery. The cupcakes are as pretty and sweet as the shop itself. TR complains of the sugar rush after sampling one tiny cupcake! I suspect it's cos he chose this unknown flavour (light green frosting) while I chose the yummy choc one.

Love the funky labels they carry in Urban Outfitters!

NYC

2009-06-06T05:12:00.011+08:00

Weather again. It's bloody cold and wet and windy. And the last weather check showed that the temperature here is lower than in Alaska -_- Despite soggy shoes and rain in my face, I had a smidgen of humour left when I saw TR struggling with his overturned cheapo umbrella. Was totally amused that my battered umbrella of 5+ years was still holding strong while his new umbrella kept dancing to its own tune in the wind.

Shopping. Been spending alot of money on food and useful things (suddenly lost interest in souvenirs). Everything is friggin cheap here! Goldfish crackers cost US$1.88 here ($5+ in S'pore). Family size Kettle chips cost US$2.87 a bag ($4+ for a smaller bag in S'pore). Pepperidge Farm Cookies and Ben & Jerry's cost US$2.50 here!!! It's insane. My kiasu S'porean self couldn't stop compulsively comparing prices. Feel that I'm overpaying for EVERYTHING in S'pore cos we import everything from the States. The only expensive thing here is outside food but that's if you convert to S$ and you ignore the large portions.

More shopping. I'm absolutely delighted that I can buy all my magazines here at their normal prices minus freight. Bought all the scrapbooking, Martha Stewart, Cosmo and Vogue mags I can find. The books are relatively cheaper too so half my luggage is filled with all these paper products and the other half is filled with scrapbooking stuff. It cost HALF of what it would have cost back home so I couldn't resist "stocking up".

I bet this bookstore has every kind of book! It's totally no frills and old-school inside.

TR looking super thrilled when he saw the Uniqlo in Soho. It's much much much better than the S'pore store.

One of my fav shop, Kate's Paperie, in Soho.

Like how they strategically arrange the mirror such that you can see your back.

I know it's rather meaningless to visit a Disney Store on 5th Ave but I cannot resist any thing Disney!

A "I love NY" tee for Bearemy!

TR looking super embarrassed when I made him pay at the Built a Bear Workshop hahaha.

Super cool mega toy-store, FAO Schwarz, on 5th Ave.

TR always acts like a deprived 5-year old kid in candy and toy stores. Totally hilarious.

Wish I could have brought this Strawberry Shortcake home!

I bet this is his favourite store cos we visited it twice and spend way too much time there. The Apple Store on 5th Ave has this cool outer glass structure. You enter by climbing down a spiral glass staircase into the store which is basically underground.