gifts from halfway around the world .

i'm back from Malaysia! i know, what ever happened to blogging FROM Malaysia?! (this is the part where i start with excuses.) 1. the internet at my cousin's place was shit. 2. i was too caught up with eating that i didn't even bother taking photos. 3. i got lazy.

bad/good excuses? you decide. personally, i think excuses are bad to begin with but that's just gonna work against me now aye?

anyhoos, it's been a while since i got something in the mail so twas really nice to find the postman outside my house today with a package marked for me! i knew right away that it was from the boy in Manchester. even though it didn't reach me on Valentine's Day, the wait was definitely worthwhile.

Topshop Premium Stripe Shorts


Compiled pictures of various dogs with stuff on them

hope y'all had a good week!

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 (:

Sydney with gaoster: DAY 4 & 5

DAY 4: we went on a whale watching cruise in the morning and then hit Bondi Beach to bask in the afternoon sun. we stayed in Bondi till night time and had takeaway fish and chips on the lawn facing the beach. but the camera's battery went flat and i couldn't take any more photos by then.

off we go and out into the ocean!


unfortunately, this is the best photo i've got of the baby humpback whale.


sun, sand, shades.

DAY 5: our last and hottest day in Sydney. we decided to pay Balmain a visit and randomly walked into Cafe Broom Tree on Darling St for lunch. we weren't expecting much but our lunch turned out absolutely delicious. there was also a little park at Balmain East wharf and with such a great view of the harbour, we decided to chill out in the park and snap away.

chicken schnitzel wrap with potato wedges. this was soo good!


vegetarian pizza with heaps of cheese.

wearing: Jayjays maxi dress (i know, Jayjays?! i never expected to find anything i would wanna wear from Jayjays), Mulberry sling bag, Sportsgirl rose gladiator, Jean Chantant wayfarers, Tiff & Co necklace.

ps. if you're wondering why the top of my chest is red, it's a result of basking in the sun at Bondi for too long. part of my legs are sun burnt too thus the choice of wearing a maxi. :( looks like i must pile on even more sun block lotion the next time i hit the beach again.

Sydney with gaoster: DAY 3

wearing: Witchery maxi dress, Mulberry sling bag, Sportsgirl Rose gladiator, Tiff & Co locket necklace, Casio Data Bank watch.

twas suppose to go to Balmain this afternoon but ended up postponing that to Monday to visit Paddington Market. it was quite a disappointing trip. both gaoster and i just didn't/couldn't find anything we fancy and even when we did, the price was a tad too expensive for its worthiness in our eyes.

things picked up for me (only) when we dropped into Wasteland. there was so many pretty clothes! the best part was seeing a Lover leather skirt from the Love Bomb S/S 2008/9 collection. i've been coveting it since i first saw it last year but the price tag was too hefty so when i saw it today in my size and at a very good price, i knew i couldn't walk out of the shop without the skirt.

i never thought i would own this skirt one day!


a better picture of the skirt but i got the brown colour one.


i also got this Alice McCall dress from her Cruise '08 collection.

really really happy with my purchases today. :) just wish the boy had managed to get something for himself too... maybe another day.

Sydney with gaoster: DAY 1 & 2

the trip shas been pretty good so far. we've been doing much more eating than shopping. it started off with Kawa Cafe at Surry Hills for branch BRUNCH on Day 1. because i forgot to charge the camera battery before leaving for Sydney, i had to settle for the wonky camera on my phone.

the foam on the coffee was sooo good! what makes a good coffee to me is a good fluffy foam.


i had the Vegan (roasted tomato, pumpkin, lettuce, hommus) sandwich.


gaoster had the French Toast with maple syrup and bacon.

our dinner was at Longrain Restaurant - fantastic contemporary Thai food. looooved our dinner but my camera wasn't powerful enough for the warm lighting in the restaurant so sadly, i don't have any photos.

Day 2 kicked off with yum cha at Marigold Restaurant in Chinatown. most of the dim sims were really good and it was really nice being served by polite waitresses as compared to the yum cha restaurants in Melbourne. i can never understand why some waitresses have to be so darn rude. no photos once again cos i was too hungry and dug right into our food, leaving only empty plates for show.

dinner was at Umami Restaurant along Bathurst St. it's a pretty small eatery which appears to be catered towards working people looking for a fast, easy and good Japanese meal during lunch time. the food surprised me really; cos for the price, it was a very yummy and enjoyable meal.

the restaurant can probably seat up to a maximum of 20.


Takoyachi aka Octopus balls.


small serve of Sashimi


i had the Unagi Don. the eel was sliced nicely and man was that sauce deelish!


gaoster had the Tofu + Seafood Don. the seafood portion was rather generous and pretty fresh too.

holidays always make me put on weight the most. but hey, at least it's good food all the way!

it's just you and me now .

time flies when you're with someone whom you really care about, who is your soul mate and best friend, your lover and companion. it's been a great two years being in a relationship with gaoster. it surprises us both at times how far we've come and we only hope for the best that this will last for as long as possible.

today was our second year anniversary. the story behind our 'anniversary' is a funny one i reckon. he didn't 'officially' ask me on a specific day to be his girl. things just kinda got on naturally and we became an item. so when it came down to finding a 'day' to celebrate our year long relationship, we kinda just settled on a date that we thought would be 1. a nice date and 2. a date closest to the time things got more serious between us. thus came 11/11 - our anniversary date.

gaoster brought me to Movida at Hosier Lane (off Flinders Lane). the food was awesome, the ambience was terrific and the company was the best. i couldn't have asked for more.

wearing: The Rodeo Show Mirabelle dress, Wittner Venice heels, JKC "Ripped off by Chanel" bracelet, Mimco cigar clutch, Sportsgirl locket necklace.

what better way to continue with our celebration than a holiday to Sydney. so i gotta get packing soon cos we'll be leaving in less than 8 hours. wahee! Sydney, here i come!

sunlight shining on our bottoms.

boy was Melbourne in hot hot heat today! RAAHHH. by the time i woke up and left the house for lunch with gaoster, the scorching sun was out in full force. so after lunch, i decided to head to DFO Spencer St to do more window shopping and enjoy the air-conditioning.

wearing: Check Mate jeans, Bardot chiffon top, Chanel vintage flap bag, Wittner pumps.

ETA: if you can remember, i blogged about the Wittner Sultry just a while back. i've been quite upset that i couldn't buy it because my feet just kept slipping out. but i'm a happy camper now because i've finally gotten my hands on another pair - Aldo Maune. for some reason, my feet doesn't slip out that much in this pair. i did hesitate and had actually left the shop to think about it. but i succumbed after calling gaoster to tell him about the wedges and had gotten a thumbs up from him.

ahhh, i'm deliriously happy now!

***

when i came home, the sun was shining right at the building diagonally across my apartment and was reflecting into my bedroom. so i decided to goof around with gaoster and took some photos of our shadows. this one turned out the best we reckons. it has of course been edited on Photoshop.

we like the symmetry and contrast here.

took this photo of gaoster coupla days back after we'd just came back from the mall. i guess shopping with me must be really tiring.

<3