until then .

saying goodbye to Sydney/New South Wales wasn't hard; but only because i slept through most of the coastal drive that my dad took to get us back to Melbourne. now that i'm looking at photos of my time there, i wish i had stayed awake during the drive so that i could have (properly) bid farewell to the beautiful state. i don't know when will i ever visit Sydney again but i'm glad i had the opportunity to explore the city and state on three different occasions within a timespan of six months.

***

markets are a must-see for me whenever i travel to a city so it was with great pleasure to finally tick "The Rocks" market off my Sydney to-do-and-see list on my very last day there. there were plenty of cool and weird stuff to see but the best part of the afternoon was having scones at one of the tea shops.

three words: I MISS SYDNEY.

overrated Boxing Day sales .

having never been to any Boxing Day sales before, i decided to brave the crowd with my family today. the crowd numbers definitely lived up to its reputation - there were heaps of people everywhere and i've never had to queue up to get onto escalators until today!

everyone wants a bargain. Myer, Sydney City.

there were plenty of sales but i came home only with a blue tank top, maxi dress and skirt from Supre - all for under $50. can't say i'm not happy with my purchases today but just quite underwhelmed by the sales. maybe i wasn't looking around enough but one thing's for sure - i don't shop well amongst crowds.

anyhoos, hope everyone's been enjoying their holidays and counting down to 2010!

nature's colours.

twas an intensive work out for the bums and thighs at the Blue Mountains yesterday. we walked from one side of the mountain (starting from Scenic World) to the other side (Echo Point where the Three Sisters are at) and then back to the where we started from. after a whole afternoon of continuous walking and climbing of steep stairs, my calves are aching insanely at the moment. it's no surprise that the sight of stairs have become a major turn off to me now because with every step i have to take down a flight of stairs, i can feel my calves burning up and screaming out "stop torturing me already!" boy is this a clear sign of my lack of regular exercise. but at least i got some good out of the mini hike at the very gorgeous Blue Mountains: indulging in and photographing the beautiful sights.

do you like my Scrabble tiles rings? ("SZE" is the last part to my Chinese name) i think they're the coolest and it's thanks to the sis for getting them for me!

green sunny day in the Southern Highlands .

one of the biggest difficulties i find in travelling is packing the right outfits; it's even harder when i'm not entirely sure what's on my travel itinerary. thus almost every single time i go away for a trip, i tend to look rather draggy. the good thing about trips though is finding interesting spots/backdrops to snap away while using them as a distraction from my blah outfits.

here's a couple of shots from this afternoon: we took a drive to Bowral and Berrimo in the Southern Highlands of NSW and it was the greenest drive we've ever had in Australia. there was so much greenery everywhere; it was just amazing. and of course, quirky shops in little towns always make my day.

this florist-and-antique shop in Bowral had so many interesting and gorgeous stuff.


check out my sister's coolass leggings!






we decided to leave our mark at this beautiful winery in Berrima by taking ridiculously cliched jump shots. but who cares when you can have a good laugh after that?


i would have loved to step out of this quirky shop with that red hat but the price tag held me back from doing so.

... more photos soon!

why hello there, graduate.

i'm alive and kicking again. since the whole family got here, i've been so busy with activities that i've neglected this blog for a wee bit too long. i will admit that i've also been pretty slack with the photographing-outfits-or-wearing-interesting-outfits department; thus the excuses for my lack of updates and i truly apologise to you for that!

***

with the explanation of absence aside, a fair bit of exciting stuff has been going on; in particular my graduation ceremony on the 15th of December. it feels so strange yet wonderful to officially be a Monash University alumni/graduate now. i knew i would graduate from University one day but i never expected myself to undertake an Honours year because i'm not one who enjoys studying; to have done humbly well for my university education is something i feel really proud of.

i'm immensely grateful to my parents and sister for all their support and love. without them, i don't think i can be where i am today and i wouldn't ask for any other persons to be my parents and sibling. i'm also thankful each day that i have gaoster in my life: you're my rock and soul mate babe. alas, my closest and dearest friends (you know who you are) who've grown up with me, who've shared so much memories with and who've been there for me, i love you all.

goodbye, Menzies. you'll be missed.

ps. sorry if this entry was tad too sentimental for your liking! if there's one thing that has happened so far, this is the one that i have to 'record' down here.

pps. i'm back in Sydney again with the family so i'll try to update with some holiday peektures soon!

Sweet Welcome to Mooroolbark.

Clayton. Boxhill. Mooroolbark. Doncaster. we covered quite a bit of distance on the road this afternoon and our stomachs did a lot of work too. from having a late English lunch, filled with meat pies, baked potatoes with cream and quite a few cups of soy latte at my mom's old friend's little cafe at Mooroolbark to an early Hong Kong-nese dinner, stuffed with fried fish, stir-fried long beans, fried tofu and more unhealthy yummy food. it almost seemed like 'getting stuffed' was the day's agenda.

wearing: Nique harem pants, factorie plain tee, Sportsgirl beaded vest, Topshop ship necklace, random silver rings, Sportsgirl gladiators, Mimco Glider Muse mini.

i heart Mink Pink.

one of the Australian labels that i'm gonna miss terribly when i return home for good to Singapore next February is Mink Pink. i remember the first time i noticed this label, i was immediately drawn to its excitingly colourful prints and edgy yet feminine style. i love how Mink Pink infuses a little bit of grunge, skater and rock chick-ness into a world of feminine florals, ruffles, laces and flirty skirts.

as Mink Pink seems to be growing and entering the international market steadily, i can only hope that it will one day land in Singapore. but for now, i'll just have to 'stock' up on their stuff and probably rely on the internet and the sister once i'm back in the little sunny island i call home.

sky high, green lights.

my mom arrived in Melbourne two days ago and only today did we finally bring her somewhere. as bad as that sounds, mom actually didn't mind that she had two full days to stay in and rest. so we brought her to Miss Marple's at Mount Dandenong this afternoon and had lunch and tea there. we had such a lovely time that i suspect we'll be going back up there again some time soon.

wearing: Bardot blouse, Ralph Lauren pants, scarf from Camberwell Market, Wittner pumps, Espirit watch, Tiff & Co. lock necklace, Chanel canvas jumbo.