oh hail food .

you know how sometimes we need a friend or relative visiting then only would we make an effort to go out to dine 'properly'? well if you do, that's what happens ever so often in my family. with my dad and sister now living overseas temporarily, it's quieter around the house. mom and i normally just have simple lunches and dinners and well, that's it.

so, it's been nice to have my aunt in town because today, we made the effort to head out to The Fullerton Hotel to have a nice and relaxing lunch by the river. we were pretty impressed with the food at Town Restaurant so i suspect we might head back there again some day for their buffet lunch. as for today, twas ala carte.

we started with these:

Caramalized apples and Foie Gras.


Mussels in tomato sauce with garlic bread.

my mom, aunt, cousin and i then moved on to our mains respectively:

Soft-shelled crab tempura.


Cracked Pepper Cod with Miso soup and Japanese rice.


Grilled Salmon with prawn-filled mashed potatoes.


Duck's leg and breast with shredded duck wrapped in cabbage.

to wrap up our arvo nicely, we had the restaurant's tasting plate for desserts:

Vanilla ice cream with some kind of sponge cake that tasted really good.


i can't remember what this is.


Puny cheesecake.


Green tea cake that's been weirdly pierced with chocolate flakes.

i wore this dress with one shoulder off at first but decided to pull it up after lunch. i reckon it's nicer when worn as a boat-neck dress instead of a off-shoulder dress so... don't know what i was thinking when i stepped out of the house!

"i like big butts and i cannot lie, you other brothers can't deny." from "Baby Got Back".
but this one ain't such a big butt aye? haha.

wearing: brandless dress, Camberwell Market belt, Ray Ban aviators, JKC bangle, Sportsgirl bangle, Fossil watch, Chanel canvas jumbo, Wittner beige pumps (not pictured).

"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.

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!

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 !

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!

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!