going vintage .

even though i've been back in Singapore for a week, i'm still posting entries about Melbourne. i promise to move on in the next entry but before i do so, i'd like to share with you my Camberwell Market finds:

Anne Stooke blouse with funny dancing people. $5!



vintage belt with various bag 'studs'. $20 (tad exy for this one but it's just too unique to walk away from.)



Rummage Style playsuit made from vintage fabric. $30 (brand new so decided to go for it.)

i've been drawn !

a while back, a blog friend of mine offered her fellow blog friends to send some photos to her to get their portraits drawn. i love her artworks and when she 'announced' that she would love to draw us, i jumped on the wagon and sent her some photos. here's what the very lovely and superbly talented DollyAsylum (check her blog out if you haven't! she does heaps of cool stuff.) drew for me:

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!!! (:

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!

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 (:

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.

rain rain go away.

after a long day of rain yesterday, i managed to catch a really short glimpse of a rainbow that stretched across the sky.

the view from my room -

it was nice to see sunlight even though it lasted only for about three minutes.

not much of a view from my room but the rainbow definitely made it special for once.

and a few thousand miles away, my very good friend is celebrating her birthday today. it sucks that i can't be there for the third time but i make do with technology for now.

i bet you're having a damn good time! *wink*

MUACKS, SADAGOPS! ;)