good times, good food .

twas my last Sunday in Melbourne so i made every effort to get up early for Camberwell Market this morning. waking up on time was helped a little by the sun that was shining so hard into the bedroom that the room started to feel like a sauna. and here i was thinking, aww aren't you nice Melbourne, treating me with such wondrous weather before i leave you. BAAHH!

i found it hilariously amusing (and maybe slightly mean) to see my sister holding that expression throughout our whole time there. the heat was getting to her bad and i quote, "my thighs are gonna get an abrasion." she now knows NOT to wear her faux leather skirt on a blimey hot day.

after sticking around till the closing of the market (and getting ourselves some bargains which i'll try to post another entry on), we made our way to Miss Marples @ Mount Dandenong for lunch and scones. of all the scones i've had, Miss Marples has the best and i'll definitely miss it when i'm back in Singapore. but hey, that just means i've more stuff to look forward to when i do visit Melbourne again!

not so grumpy now aye?

with most of my clothes packed away, i've been finding some difficulty putting together a nice outfit whenever i head out. amidst this vanity trap, i've come to realise how lucky i am to have all the material things that i have and it's all thanks to the parents. i often wonder when one day i have a family myself, will i be able to provide for my kids as well as my parents are doing for me and my sister? but i shan't bore you with this self questions so this is what i wore today:

wearing: sister's Topshop cropped top (which i bought for her and wish i could keep for myself!), factorie denim skirt, Havaianas slippers, Sportsgirl bag.


ps. i'm coming home in 6 days' time, girls! (:

pps. and Roger Federer for the Australian Open 2010 win indeed!!! (:

tennis fever: Roger for the Win .

yesterday's match between Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt was, without a doubt, awesome. although my sis and i were seated right at the last row of Rod Laver Arena, our virgin experience of watching a Grand Slam match live was definitely fantastic because of the atmosphere, excitement and of course Roger's presence. it would have been even more fantastic if we had managed to find Roger on the practice courts to get an autograph or even a photograph but no complains now that i've caught the action live.

wearing: Lover Altamont denim dress, Dotti scarf, Wittner pumps, leather bag from eBay, Ray Ban aviators, JKC and Sportsgirl bangles.

go, go GOAT!

now, it's back to being glued to the telly for more tennis.

ps. HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY to my aussie readers (: i hope you're having a jolly good time with yummy barbecue food and great cocktails!

plans hardly ever work for me .

this week has been nothing but packing and moving and then more packing and moving again. it doesn't end today but it was a much needed break for my sis and i to just chill out for the day. the plan was to get up early and head to Queen Victoria Market to get our grocery done, then head to the Arts Centre Sunday Market to get some new pet bowls for my dog, Sushee, and finally to Chapel St to pop into American Apparel.

but did the plan stick through? BIG NO. because instead of waking up at 9am, we only woke up at 1pm. damn that snooze option on my mobile phone! so no fresh food in the fridge and no new AA tees in the wardrobe but at least i managed to get two new hand-painted bowls from the Arts Market for Sushee.

one of the many things to look forward to when i get home is seeing my beautiful dog every single day. i can't wait to be able to hug and squeeze her in my arms again, to bring her on her walks and to enjoy her company all over again. *cue: awww!

wearing: Topshop tee, sister's blazer, MNG cuff pants, Wittner pumps, vintage Chanel jumbo, Ray Ban aviators. 

i recycled an outfit from here today and couldn't resist taking a photo against this huge ass warehouse door. don't you just love the colour? now, more warehouses and factories should follow suit and add colours to their doors too.


ps. i can't wait for tomorrow because i'm off to the Australian Open to watch my favourite player, Roger Federer, live in action! it will be a w e s o m e .

blacked out with Black Milk .

i've been waiting for a printed collection from James Lillis and it finally came together a week ago! i must say he doesn't disappoint. even though i've been trying to cut down on my spending, i succumbed to temptation and purchased "The Anatomist" from the first Black Milk Printed Collection.

background image: "Resurrection" print from Black Milk
leggings: "The Anatomist"
i'm wearing: MyPetSquare dress/top, Black Milk wet look leggings, Tony Bianco ankle boots, Sportsgirl necklace and bangle, JKC bangle, Fossil watch.

i've been photo tagged !

" T A G :
All you have to do is go into your 1st photo folder,
scroll to the 10th photo,
post it and the story behind it,
then tag 5 bloggers! "

i was photo tagged by the lovely Kirryn from Teacup Grunge. here it is -

18th December 2008.

this was back in Singapore when my best friend came down from Kuala Lumpur to visit me and her other best friend who has, over the past few years, become one of my closest friends too. we were in the bus and on our way to Sentosa for some beach and awesome jelly cocktail loving. and yup that's me when i get tired of smiling for cameras.

this photo tag thingy got me going through that whole photo album and reminiscing on those times. since there ain't no rules to the photo tag, i decided to share with you a bit more on that fabulous day i had with my favourite girls - Bongla and Hart Bart.

oh and i didn't forget about tagging so i tag:
- Bongla
- Dolly Asylum
- KittyCate Hart Bart
- aelie Amie
- bowsnhearts Death Wears Diamond Jewellery

// edit //
struck through the last three cos i just realised they've already been tagged. d'oh! it's been great looking at everyone's photo tag. this is actually quite fun!

it's not about world peace people .

// warning: incoherent rant about to begin. //

location: shopping mall

scenario: sister and i are walking then we slow down while trying to decide whether to go left or right. i turn left, sister turns right; we aren't sure so we stammer for quite a while. after a couple of seconds of taking slow, uncertain steps, we decide to go left. then i see two girls, who were behind us all this while, stomp pass us and one makes a really loud "TSK" while the other one doesn't hold back with a "F*CK".

problem: really? is that necessary? i'll admit that i get irritated at times with people who walk really slowly, who can't decide which direction to go and who stand in my way. i'll even admit that i do let out a "tsk" once in a while when i'm really irritated under such circumstances. i'll also admit that i swear when i'm pissed off - i know it's a bad habit.

BUT to swear at someone who was walking slowly is, in my opinion, very uncalled for, rude and plain crude. it's not like it's a narrow corridor and there just isn't any space left for one to take a slight 'detour'. it's like driving - if you're in a hurry, then go ahead and overtake, but do it nicely. i suppose those girls were like some drivers who would flash their high beam lights or honk just cos they felt like they should.

i know it might have been slightly inconsiderate for my sister and i to have been walking slowly and uncertainly but is it wrong to not have eyes on the back of our heads and not have seen those girls behind us? was it wrong to take a slow walk so as to idle time? is it wrong to not wanna be in a rat race at all times?

it infuriates me to know that there are such rude and unreasonable people out there. people always advocate world peace and all that jazz. call me crazy but whatever happened to being c o u r t e o u s first people?

my last month in Melbourne .

time flies; it's unbelievable. just a few days back, i was celebrating new year's eve with the sis and boy and then today, i was sending the boy off at the airport. it's still very strange without gaoster around but i'll just have to get used to it, at least for now.

so here i am, with only a month left in Melbourne, wondering where else i would want to go and what else i would want to eat and shop for. indulging in pleasures aside, it's also going to be a busy month of packing two and a half years of accumulated personal belongings while getting rid of furniture in the apartment. it'll also be a tiring month helping the sis to look for an apartment and then move into it. guess that'll be my month in a nutshell.

anyhoos, these photos were taken sometime early this week at Docklands with my lousy but much more sleek Canon Ixus camera (as compared to my sister's Canon EOS D40 but boy do i love that cam). feel free to judge but i'm gonna admit that i've been re-wearing this outfit for almost three days because 1. half of my wardrobe is already back at home 2. so i'm too lazy to work with minimal choices of apparel 3. my outfit's super comfy.

wearing: MNG cuff pants, Dotti singlet under grey top from Singapore, sister's blazer from Singapore, Chanel jumbo bag, Wittner pumps, Casio Data Bank watch, Ray Bans Aviator.

was it you who spoke the words .

// warning: long entry filled with words and photos entails. //

with only four days left in Melbourne with gaoster before he heads back home and then off to Manchester by the end of January - the boy will be in Manchester for a year for his university exchange - i've been trying to spend as much quality time with him as much as i can. while i'm really excited for him, i'm dreading having to say "see you later" - i don't like saying "goodbye" as it comes off as bidding someone farewell for good.

it's gonna be really strange not having gaoster around as i've gotten used to seeing him every day since we moved in together. soon, i'll have to rely on Skype to 'see' him. i think the most taxing thing on our to-be-soon long-distance-relationship will be the time difference but i suppose him being in the UK ain't as bad as the US, so i take comfort in that. it'll be a challenging time for our relationship but we both have faith in each other so... fingers and toes crossed, i say!

***

yesterday, we were suppose to be headed towards Daylesford but only realised that we were driving in the wrong direction when we ended up in Waurn Ponds. it would have been silly to turn back so since we weren't too far from Great Ocean Road, we decided to take the scenic drive. funny thing is, we were just tossing the coin between Daylesford and Great Ocean Road the night before during our planning. i guess we were fated to see the Great Ocean Road (again cos we were there in 2008) yesterday.

i took heaps of photos and am quite pleased with them but i couldn't decide on which ones to upload. so, i decided to go with some photos of gaoster and myself - taken by my sister. with the boy leaving soon, i dedicate this entry to him: babe, have a great one in Manchester. i'll see you there (: enjoy!

you and i both .

it's 2010 alright .

three years ago on new year's eve, i was lying in bed, crying my eyes out so hard that i can still vividly remember that feeling. my ex-boyfriend decided it was cool to blow off his girlfriend at the eleventh hour to spend it at a party smoking weed. yeah, how mature was that? it was painful for not just me, but for my parents too as i remember my dad coming into my room to try to cheer me up, saying, "come on, it's the New Year. come have a drink with your old man." needless to say, 2006 was the worst year ever.

three years on and on 31st December 2009, i was cooking a three-course dinner with my sister as we prepared an intimate countdown party for three - myself, sis and gaoster. we laughed, feasted, jumped around the balcony with sparklers in our hands while watching random fireworks go on display from different locations, and played mahjong till the wee hours. it might have been a very small and quiet affair but it was one of the best new year's eve for me.

salmon and avocado on white bread


baked potatoes stuffed with anchovy fillets, bacon, sage leaves, garlic and lemon zest.



tomato salad with cannellini beans, black olives and tuna flakes



baked blue grenadier fillet with bacon and rosemary



Simmone Logue sticky date pudding (all the way from Sydney!)

happy new year to you! i hope you had a great one and biggest thanks to you for being a reader, be it on a regular or random basis, THANKS! hugs and kisses, with a warped capsicum in hand (:

2009, the last of the notties .

i'm sitting here, trying to think of the highlights of the last year, and i must admit that 2009 was a pretty good year for me. a good year to me is one that sees a gradual change and improvement of myself in certain aspects of my life. in this instance, it's my academic growth and achievement as well as fashion sense and style. besides that, my relationships with my family, boyfriend and friends have also strengthened in each of their own way.

it seems too good to be true innit? i know. nothing's perfect and there were inevitably some obstacles along the way, mainly procrastination and lack of discipline. and i'm normally not one who believes in reflecting on my life ONLY at the end of the year but since i've started this blog as a platform for my random musings and what not, i thought, why not write it all down for memory? so, here it is - my  highlights and downers of 2009:

(:  moving into an apartment with gaoster and adding it with our own homely touch.
(: graduating from Monash University with First Class Honours and having the whole family around.
(: starting this blog which lead me to getting to know so many wonderful people out there.
(: visiting Sydney three times!

): not writing my thesis to the best that i could have.
): hearing from gaoster that he'll be going to Manchester University for a year long exchange (even though i had highly encouraged him to do so)

i hope your 2009 has been a good one too!