what sisters are for .

you can choose your friends. but you can't choose your family.
for that, i am thankful each and every day for the family that i have.

today, i say my big thanks to my one and only sister who has always been there for me no matter what. i'm sorry i couldn't stay on in Melbourne with you, you know i would have loved to. i know it's been rather lonely but i'm sure it'll get better. hang in there. LOVE YOU AH MEI! (:

for my birthday last year when i was still in Melbourne and she was back home.


and this year, now that we've reversed places.

here's her explanation for the drawing:
"those white balls are hail stones by the way. i'm along the yarra river wearing my nice new navy harem pants from forever new. the similarities are uncanny aren't they. and those are balloons, not sperms. thankew very much."

if you would like to, you can read more here.

"huat ah, huat ah!"

hoo! guess what? i managed to grab some photos of my trip back to Malaysia from my dad. there weren't a lot to begin with cos my dad was lazy to snap away too so here's a little of what my Chinese New Year (CNY) was like:

every CNY, we'd drive from Singapore to Nibong Tebal and it's always a looooonnnngggg drive (at least 10 hours!). so, toilet breaks and random stops are essential.
this was taken from the top of a small little hill. my dad had stopped the car to take some scenic photos (how enthusiastic he was at the beginning! hah. guess he later got sucked in by food too and forgot about taking photos). i can't remember where exactly this was but looking at the time the photo was taken, it's probably somewhere in between Malacca and Kuala Lumpur.

it's a tradition to get everyone together to "lo hei" (the act of tossing this particular dish called "yu shang" which is a Chinese fish salad) during CNY. apparently, the higher you raise your chopsticks, the better luck you'll get for the new year. haha.

we do it the 'kampong' style back in Malaysia. instead of sitting on chairs, we'd rather sit on random spots like this decorative piece (i think that's the purpose of it...) that runs along the back of the garden in my uncle's house.

mom once said, "you aren't a Chinese if you don't know how to use chopsticks." so she made my sister and i learn how to use them when we were kids but somehow, until today, i just can't seem to grasp the technique properly and still hold my chopsticks in the wrong way. shame on me. ):

mosquitoes are ALL OVER the place once night falls. my arms and legs were covered with mosquito bites and sores that i had to apply calamine lotion to all those spots to relieve the itch (thus making it seem like i love drawing white circles on my body).
this thingy (when i don't know what's the name for something, i just call it that) here is suppose to keep the mosquitoes away but it wasn't strong enough or something cos those damn insects just continued to buzz around and sting us every now and then.

Chinese New Year is almost over! ):
and so goes another Year.

double happiness .

this year's 14th February is a little different for the Chinese: 1. it's the first day (chu yi) of the Lunar Calendar which marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year; 2. it's Valentine's Day.

i always spend Chinese New Year with the family as it's tradition and as i'm originally from Malaysia, we always make a point to visit Penang (where i was born and dad's home town), Nibong Tebal (my mom's home town) and Kuala Lumpur (my dad's other home town) to catch up with the relatives and celebrate the occasion over reunion dinners.

on the other hand, i've never 'celebrated' Valentine's Day until the boy came along. even so, we didn't believe in forking out extra money to be part of a collective coupledom (if there's such a term) on one specific day.

with gaoster away in Manchester, this year's 14th February is pretty straight forward for me: family time. it's a pity the boy can't be around his family as well (one could say that Chinese New Year is the equivalent of Christmas where bonding with family is (and should be) of utmost importance).

so anyhoos, i leave you with a photo of my pooch Sushee and will update from Malaysia! 'til then, folks.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR (GONG HAI FAT CHOY) and  HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY PEOPLE !

So long, Farewell Melbourne .

i'm back in sunny, hot and humid Singapore. i'm not enjoying the weather but i'll just have to start getting used to it all over again. (i'm trying not to start the next sentence with an I again) ... the weather is really getting to me that i'm not in the mood to do anything but just sit right in front of the fan 24/7 (we have a try-our-very-best-not-to-switch-on-the-a/c policy at home because we like to go Green when we can) it'd be great if i had a pool in my house but na-ah, no such luxury.

***

twas sad leaving Melbourne and am still kinda sad that i'm not there anymore. the silly sister teared up at the airport when i left which made me even sadder but hey, that's just part of growing up - you gotta go different ways at different times in your life.

you also know that it's time for you to have a change of outfit after your friends see you and ask, "sze, how long have you been wearing this?" so yes, i finally realised i should put away my MNG cuff pants for a while and put on another pair of pants and tee. here i am, with some photos taken at my sister's place -

the draped pockets were the first thing that caught my eyes.

wearing: Supre striped tee, Witchery draped pocket pants, Sportsgirl necklace and bangle, JKC bangle, Fossil watch, Wittner pumps.

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!!! (:

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 .

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.

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 (:

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.

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!