I don’t spend more than what I have and I save. Don’t make assumptions like I’m overspending and that hanging out with rich friends is bringing me astray. Have the basic courtesy to talk to me and not make an ass out of you and me. You may not earn a lot and I don’t remember asking for anything big ticketed (except for $3000 to Italy for a school art trip). And I am always careful to make my requests known politely and I never demand that they be granted. I am always thinking of what I jobs I can do to earn my own money and buy things I want instead of asking you for money. Shouldn’t you be pleased with that? No, you had to think that maybe hanging out with a rich friend is leading me astray and making me have a wild fantasy about life and spending money like water. I’m sorry to inform you but just like you, I work and I know how hard it is to earn money and I sure as hell don’t have wild fantasies of life. Other than the taxi fares I pay for to go to work in the morning when I am running late (which is super far away and during peak hour, fml), there is nothing else major and that can be considered a “luxury” that I spend on. Which eye of yours sees me spending and on what items? Maybe the worse part of this whole fiasco is that I only know what you said after hearing about it from my sister’s mouth who ALSO thinks like you do and has no right to lecture me without getting the facts right. And that I am retarded-ly typing these out on my blog to rant without you ever getting to know of it. At least not now cause I am way too upset, too hurt and too sad and sure to flare up and cry like no one’s business if I were to face you in the hall right now. Maybe I’m feeling all these because I just don’t measure up to your other two daughters. One was on scholarship and often refused money you offered. The other is on scholarship and is doing so well that she’s paid generously on internship. I’m sorry I’m not as good as them two. I’m sorry If I am asking for too much sometimes. Sometimes I feel it, that I’m a disappointment and maybe it would have been a wiser choice if you had decided to abort me 21 years back. I know I can be ungrateful and rude and a disappointment. I may not be making a big effort to be a sensible child but you sure aren’t making it any easier for me either.
Travel Post: I <3 Shenzhen!
This is a long overdue post because uploading the massive amount of photos just puts me off. 
I had tonsss of fun in Shenzhen, one of the happiest moments in my life. Traveling is always so much fun, just relaxing and enjoying life. 
It was a very eventful trip and one that God blessed me richly with. Firstly many thanks to Bini for inviting me to Shenzhen, offering to bring me around and just hang with me and play host! Her family was most hospitable in treating me to spa treatment, massage and buffet! Secondly I was very blessed to coincidentally travel towards Shenzhen with American fashion designers for Timo Weiland, Timo and Alan whom I met at Blueprint earlier. It was good to be traveling with them, into a foreign place for the first time! 
And then as you can see from the photo slideshow above, it was really 5 days worth of fun shopping, eating, enjoying. What more can a girl ask for in a holiday?!
We discovered that we make great travel buddies and that we’d like to go to Hainan Island beaches next year! We talked about how if I’ll have a boyfriend by then, we can double date on a travel trip.
xx
Book Recommendation: God Shaped Hole by Tiffanie Debartolo
Trivia before I commence the post: The title was one of the reasons why I picked up the book because I wanted to know what a love story about a God Shaped Hole will unravel.
God Shaped Hole by Tiffanie Debartolo is a mainly a love story about Beatrice “Trixie” Jordan and Jacob Grace, written in Beatrice’s perspective. It seems like a typical romance story at first glance but upon further reading, one will discover it is anything but typical.
The love story starts fast and furious via an interesting encounter when Beatrice responds to an ad that says, “If your Intentions are Pure, I’m seeking a Friend for the End of the World”.
What starts out as a trial for both individuals blossoms quickly into a beautiful and realistically portrayed romance; entailing the quirky, creative couple’s (Beatrice’s a jewellery designer and Jacob’s a writer) idiosyncrasies and behavior at family and friends gatherings.
Readers will discover the irony upon reading that both main leads acknowledges a God shaped hole within them and all men but does not acknowledge the power of the One.
The story is written in a vivid and arresting manner, that perhaps comes with author Debartolo’s screen-writing experiences. I can imagine the story being translated into an indie film (one that I’d definitely watch and cry.)
The very poignant ending left me with tears in my eyes and is likely to leave one reflecting upon certain helpless moments in life when you know that something is about to happen but there is nothing you can do. I cannot specifically remember anything like that in my life but it impacted me and left me feeling pretty emotional.
I’d recommend this book for its realistically written characters that I’ve come to adore and for its ability to make you feel for them as they experience sadness and joy.
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I borrowed the book from the Bedok Public Library Branch. You may check out or purchase the book here (Amazon).
Do comment if this recommendation makes you interested to read the book. Also I’m looking for good books to read, do recommend me if you have any! You may also drop suggestions for my future book reviews.
Book Review: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Hi guys! This is my first book review blog post, hope you’ll like it. I decided to write book reviews because it’s a good way to summarize the story as well as introduce to you books that I read. Do drop me book recommendations under comments!
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is a story written in the male protagonist, Toru’s perspective in post war Japan about how he deals with loss and love.
Norwegian Wood is definitely not just another predictable romance story. Written in the perspective of the male protaganist, it’s likely a book that boys can appreciate better than girls. I find the male perspective to be interesting, to see the world through a male’s eyes. Girls might appreciate the book as it provides a peek into the minds of boys.
The story is sensual and provocative. Many times I find myself reading through salacious scenes on the train, looking up to check that people are not reading what I’m reading. The sensual scenes are not written like those run-of-the-mill B-grade novels that is filled with tawdry descriptions but rather it is written with literary flair, in an innocent and beautiful light.
I like that the book touches on issues on death, sickness, mental illness as the main themes of the story. Issues that are very intimate, personal and real and rarely the core themes of a romance story. Perhaps that is why this book creates an impact all around the world from decades ago till today.
The story is very much anchored in post modern mentality where there is no judgement on the characters, no matter what actions they take. No matter the severity of the action, it is treated in a matter-of-fact manner, like just a phase of life. The story doesn’t delve into the reasons for Toru’s best friend, Kizuki’s death. In fact the reason is unknown. Perhaps it’s due to Kizuki’s girlfriend, Naoko’s illness but perhaps Naoko’s illness is perpetuated by Kizuki’s death. Neither does the story justify or makes judgement on Toru and his friend, Nagasawa’s philandering ways.
The story is believable in all points except for Naoko’s “retreat” somewhere far out in the countryside. Perhaps the physical retreat, an “asylum” of sorts for the people is meant to be a metaphor of mental escapism for burdened and worn out city-dwellers. Maybe it’s something that really exists in the Japanese culture but it definitely comes across as queer and fantastical, which does not fit well with the story.
Set in a post-war Japan, the entangled romance and friendships between characters are intertwined with patriotic or pseudo-patriotic protests in Toru’s college. The story conveys the very sense of loss, helplessness and acceptance of tragedies experienced by Japanese in the post-war era.
The book is not a favourite for me but it’s definitely a good book for anyone looking for something light to read. It would definitely appeal to anyone who has interest in the Japanese culture.
ClubCouture’s Summer Sale! :)
If you’ve been following me on twitter, you’d know by now that Club Couture recently sponsored me a few dresses to feature on my blog! Unfortunately with internship and my mother’s recent admission to hospital, I haven’t had time to schedule a photo shoot! But no worries, I’m on it and I can’t wait to post pictures of them soon!
So, Club Couture is having this AWESOME Summer Sale going right on their website that’s hard to miss and I’d like YOU to enjoy it!!! They are also offering free registered delivery on all orders – no minimum spend required! Anddd they ship worldwide! How awesome is that! Btw they did not ask me to write this post, I just wanted to share with ya’ll a selection of lovely dresses absolutely fitting to have fun, date and fall in love with this summer!
Floral Chiffon Maxi Original $68, Special Price $39.99
I loveee maxi dresses but unfortunately for me, I am not blessed in the height department and so I very much prefer to keep to short, knee length and above dresses. But you know, we always want what we can’t have so I picked out quite a bit of maxi dresses in this post.
It’s summer and you have this necklace to prove it! With a rose crafted in ribbons and leaves signifying blooms in summer, what’s not to love? You could pair it with the Floral Chiffon Maxi as above.
Khaki Tank Dress Original Price $36, Special Price $29.99
I am totally digging this khaki green coloured tank dress! Doesn’t it give off such a sense of adventure? I can totally imagine visiting the pyramids of Giza in Egypt, or riding an open top jeep into a Safari in this dress! Yet when you pair this lovely dress with pearl necklace and black heels as seen above, it channels an urban-girl-with-an-adventurous-spirit vibe!
For a solution to looking cool and feeling warm in the summer rain, bring on the parka! Don’t be afraid to pair it with a girly dress underneath it, the quirky mix is in trend right now!
Floral Maxi Dress Original Price $68, Special Price $29.99
In my opinion, this dress with its blue, red and yellow florals gives off a mexican vibe which is always good for a colourful summer! Ideal for a day at the beach or a walk in the garden! Remember to bring that lomo to capture all the memories of the day!
Strapless Chiffon Dress in red $68
For a date you’d like to impress, consider this red hot dress that’s sure to blow the mind of any guy who sees you in it.
Anddd if you’re reading this AFTER 13 June, no fear! Just quote offer code CCBLOG15 upon checkout and you’d receive a 15% discount for being my awesome reader!
Xx
Thank God for good health! :)
My mother is not having a case of a tumour re-growth but rather a hormonal imbalance that’s been causing her lethargy and headaches! So thank God! 
It’s really a case of doctor’s mis-communication because the hormonal doctor wanted to wait and consult the brain tumour doctor before administering medicine but the brain tumour doctor was like, no it’s ok, the hormonal doc can go ahead it’s got nothing to do with brain tumour and in the end no medicine was given for my mother’s condition and hence she experienced headaches, vomiting and admission to A&E… Stupid doctors.
But we’re superrr glad she’s ok now after having the right dosage of hormonal medicine as well as sodium (which she was lacking but to reasons unknown) she’s recovering well!
THANK GOD for His providence!!!
My mum is currently in a C-class, 7 beds ward. On her right is an Indian lady who recently had her foot or a part of her foot amputated due to gangrene caused by diabetes. She was mostly half asleep during my hour plus long visit and was moaning in pain. I felt really bad for her to be suffering so much physically.
On my mum’s left is a Malay lady whom I’m not sure what illness she’s suffering but she seemed quite bored as she was playing with a gadget that seemed like an I-touch and was playing oldies like “Sunshine in the rain” and “All by myself”. She didn’t have any visitors while we were there during visiting hours and she even had a plastic bowl of chips which I found quite amusing.
Opposite to the Malay lady was a Chinese lady whom I overhead the nurse telling her son to advise and motivate the mother to stand and walk around as lying in bed all day does not improve the condition and in fact causes a whole lot of other problems like constipation and lack of blood circulation.
A trip to the hospital is always a sobering one. After my mum’s two brain tumour operations and my sister’s several also brain tumour and shunt operations, my family is quite familiar to hospital visits. But seeing people suffering physically is always a good reminder to be thankful for our abled bodies and good health that God blesses us with.
Hopefully third time’s the charm
It seems that my mum’s brain tumour has acted up once again. 4 years back she had her 1st operation to remove the tumour, another one 2 years back and now it seems the never-ending tumour is back to haunt her and my family once again.
When her headaches came back about 3 weeks ago (maybe even more I didn’t keep a close record) with a renewed intensity, my first reaction was for her to visit her brain tumour specialist doctor for an update on her situation.
Her appointment came on the Thursday that just passed and the doctor was reluctant to give her immediate attention and operation because he didn’t want to expose her to another operation at her age unless absolutely necessary. He slotted her another MRI this Saturday willing to put my Mother through her prolonged misery.
Alas, my mother’s brain acted up and she started to vomit this morning at 6am and my dad and my sister accompanied her to the hospital at 9.30am (while I was soundly asleep). I woke at 11am thinking my family went about their Saturday rountine as usual, my parents out checking wet markets and hawker centres while my sister at her church music rehearsal. Only to receive a call by my mum at 12.45pm that she’s in hospital.
We’re not alarmed. I can only say that a situation like this, a third time round mostly just makes us jaded. Like, you know, the re-growth of the tumour, a trip to the hospital, another operation is just a part of life. But of course it disturbs us, it causes anxiety and worry. I go to sleep praying to God for my mother’s good health and worrying that I’d lose my mother before I turn 21.
Fortunately, led by my father’s example, we entrust our mum into God’s hand and trust that He’ll bring her through again. When I asked my dad over lunch if he was worried about mum’s situation, he calmly said no because he entrusted her to God’s hand and that although her tumour’s re-growth is not something he can control, he told God to do what us humans and doctors cannot do, to stop it from re-growing.
I pity my mother for a situation like hers, it makes her suffer for weeks but the doctor won’t operation and relieve her of her misery because it’s not serious enough. Are we suppose to wait till it becomes serious then we solve the problem? Sigh. Hopefully third time’s the charm, after a third successful operation and the tumour never grows again.
Sponsored Review: Ginvera Green Tea Aqua Whitening Cream (with Oil Control) and Nude Cover BB Cream SPF30/PA++!
About 1 week ago, The Sample Store emailed me asking if I was interested to take up an invitation to feature Ginvera‘s products. I readily agreed and I received two beautiful products in my mail yesterday!
Ladies & Gentlemen, my cute teddy bear presents to you Ginvera’s Green Tea Aqua Whitening Cream (with Oil Control) & Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream in their pretty packaging!
I am quite excited as it’s my first beauty product review on my blog. I am not an expert but here are the product information followed by my views!
Starting off with Ginvera’s Green Tea Aqua Whitening Cream (with Oil Control):
Enriched with Green Tea Essence, Thanaka Extracts and Biogel, Ginvera Green Tea Aqua Whitening Cream provides the benefits of skin whitening, UV protection, oil control, lightening of spots and acne scars and prevents the formation of pimples. Its deep moisturizing and oil control effects help to effectively hydrate and clarify the skin for natural and radiant glow!
The Ginvera’s Green Tea Aqua Whitening Cream (with Oil Control)‘s cream may seem to be quite thick but it is light and definitely not sticky to the touch. When applied evenly on the skin, it leaves the skin moisturized and fairer than before.
The photo above shows my face with only Ginvera’s Green Tea Aqua Whitening Cream (with Oil Control) and nothing else. The cream works well in covering minor pimple and acne scars as it whitens and hydrates the skin to give a healthy glow. On days when you want to let your skin breath and skip the foundation powder, this is a cream you can apply and still look and feel confident in.
Up next, we have Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream:
Enriched with premium Green Tea, Ginseng, Chinese Angelica and Hyaluronic Acid, Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream provides the benefits of blemish free concealing, sun block effects, whitening, moisturizing and reduction of lines, providing a long lasting smooth and ultra light feel to nourish and perfect your skin.
Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream is just the right mix, neither too thick which impedes the application process nor too thin that it does not conceal blemishes. However the colour of the cream is too dark for my skin and liking.
This photo shows the effect and coverage that both Ginvera Green Tea Aqua Whitening Cream (with Oil Control) and Nude Cover BB Cream provides. I only applied a thin layer of BB cream as I usually do and it marginally conceals my pimple scars and blemishes. With another coat it will show better coverage however I find that it will be too dark for my skin tone.
This photo includes a extra coat of my usual powder foundation, eye, cheeks and lips make-up.
In conclusion, Ginvera Green Tea Aqua Whitening Cream (with Oil Control) is definitely worth a buy and try at only $16.90 for a 40g tube. After a full day’s use, I found that the cream did control my usually oily T-zone and my skin was still looking hydrated when it usually doesn’t. I am likely to replace my current moisturizing cream with this as it is more effective.
However I won’t say the same for the Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB cream as I have tried and used other brands’ BB cream which provides equal coverage and at a more suitable colour. However with ingredients like premium Green Tea, Ginseng, Chinese Angelica and Hyaluronic Acid, the BB cream sounds a lot more natural and likely to maintain the original balance of the skin than the slew of man-made chemicals and ingredients found in the other brands. So if Ginvera were to introduce the same cream with a lighter tone I may reconsider to pick it up for long term usage. However if you have a skin tone that suits the Green Tea BB Cream just right, you can give it a shot!
How to know if the products will suit you?! Ginvera is giving free samples for both Ginvera Green Tea Aqua Whitening Cream (with Oil Control) and Nude Cover BB Cream so grab yours before 8th June, which is when the offer runs out!
Redeem your FREE Ginvera Aqua Whitening Cream (with Oil Control) & GREEN TEA NUDE COVER BB CREAM SPF30/PA++ samples here: http://www.facebook.com/ginvera.sg?sk=app_213564948660624 or http://www.facebook.com/ginvera.sg!
Do spread the news too!
2NE1’s Lonely MTV; emo song, awesome biker jackets
I would love to have the whole collection of jackets featured in this mv. ♥-♥
May Visual Inspirations!
Hello! It’s time again for another month’s visual inspiration updates! Haven had time to really venture/read online this month so I find that the depth and breath of this month’s update is quite lacking but I do really like the bright colours in this collection.
I have tried to credit as many images as possible but have left those that I am unsure off blank. They should be credited to either NY The Cut, Nylon or Refinery29. Oops. I need a better way of keeping track where I get my images.
Uploading and crediting these images is really quite time consuming but I really like doing this so I hope you enjoyed the fruits of my labour!
Post #Blueprint Reflections
Now that Blueprint is finally over, I am glad that I can take a breather and soon leave Singapore for Hong Kong and meet up with my best friend, Bini in Shenzhen! But before I leave, I want to note down my thoughts of my Blueprint trade and emporium experience.
Joining Blueprint as a project intern is a valuable experience which I am grateful for as I have made many new friends through it. Although the monetary reward is abysmal, I feel that I would still do it all over again given a chance because of the exposure I gained.
As a project intern, my tasks were mainly mundane and unglamorous. Prior to the events, it mainly consisted of compiling and/or editing lists of names, brand profiles, images, liaising with the designers to remind them of their show fittings, rehearsals etc. When the event took place it was mainly ensuring the designers outfits came in backstage on time for preparation and ensuring the soles of the shoes on loan were properly masked with tape so that they are returned in good condition.
The last week has been tiring as it required a lot of time on my feet (particularly tiring if I chose to wear heels that day). The first few days of the events were more eventful as the event just started and several on the spot actions had to be taken. Like how the VIP guest list for the designers we collated were not received by the events company taking charge of the registration booth so we had to rush to print for them about 1-2 hours before the event. And less than 15 minutes before the preview party started we were still deciding how to best arrange the accessory table that accompanied the show. It was hectic and exhausting but quite fun I must say.
Through this internship I saw first hand how a major event like this comes together and it is no mean feat!!!
The most rewarding part of the internship is meeting people in the industry. Especially friendly people! Dedicated people from Mercury like Jo, Denise, Cat, Michelle, Tjin, Jasmine, Dorothy and Charmaine. Designers like Jackie of J JS Lee, Timo Weiland and Alan Eckstein, Jose Duran are all real lovely people. And meeting media friends like Sarah of Wottoncool, Mian Han of 360 Degree, Viona and Chuck of Fash Forward as well as fellow interns/volunteers like Mythili, Nidya, Victoria, Sherrilyn, Rita, Alexis, Elizabeth, Nicholas.
Mostly I just want thank God for blessing me with such an enriching experience although I complained quite a fair bit when meeting hiccups and even when I have not been waking up for Sunday morning service and also I overslept a lot…
I will follow up this internship reflections with two more posts of 1. Intern perspective: What to expect from an internship 2. Employer’s perspective: what you can offer and expect from your intern
xx
Post Elections Personal Thoughts
Hi!!!
As promised, here’s my post regarding the recent General Elections in Singapore.
I shall start with a disclaimer that I am not an expert in politics and that I am not very well-read about the many political issues and the details inherent. However I still wish to share my personal and humble thoughts about the recent and pretty exciting GE.
I would like to start by saying that I am thankful for the current ruling party, People’s Action Party’s (PAP) excellent track record. They have indeed done much for this little country of ours, aka the tiny red dot for the past 45 years and counting. We have come a long way and it’s been incredible how we’ve transformed from a third world country to a first world nation. Under the helm of Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Chok Tong and current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, our past and present leaders have shown intelligence and great foresight in governing our nation.
The second thing I’d like to say is that I am also thankful for the six opposition members that have been fielded into our Parliament from the recent GE. We now have four more (up from two from the last GE) alternate voices to speak up for the people in Parliament debates. I applaud them for their courage to have braved and to continue to brave a difficult political path. The nation thanks them for being the “co-driver” that will watch the “driver” when he dozes off or goes off track.
Through the GE, there has been great political education and awareness on new social media such as on my Facebook and Twitter page. Friends, Straits Times, Online Citizen will post news article, personal views and on-the-ground happenings at rallies which have educated me on Singapore’s politics like never before.
Prior to elections, I actually did not know who my area Minister of Parliament was and I was embarrassed. Was it because I am politically apathetic? I then I realize that many, like me also did no know theirs. I think partly the reason is because my area was not contested for the last elections in 2006 and so the PAP did not require to actively campaign in my area. Another reason could also be my area’s boundary was redrawn and PAP was confident of winning my area without a tough fight. Lastly it could also be because I am not active in grassroots activity and neither do I need to meet my MP in the meet the people’s meeting so I simply didn’t know who my MP was for the last five years.
But then came the elections, I suddenly knew that my area MP is Tan Chuan Jin, that he is new and he came to my house’s doorstep on an early Thursday morning to shake my Dad’s hand and to win our votes.
The elections has revealed the change in Singapore’s political climate. Gone are the days of “apathetic” citizens and youths. Many have spoken via Facebook, Twitter and even cried out in response to the speakers during the rallies due to dis-satisfaction over a gamut of issues such as housing, transport, immigrants and the ruling party governing Singapore like a corporation. Another hot topic was about the minister’s high pay that results in them living lives that are detached from the common man’s and therefore they simply cannot understand what we are going through and not really listening to our cries.
However, with the GE 2011 results revealing that overall 60% of the people’s votes went to the PAP and 40% to the opposition parties collectively, I hope that there will be positive changes with regards to the approach that the PAP takes in implementing policies and governing our nation.
Looking forward, we now have more alternative voices to speak up for the people’s interest. Hopefully the PAP will also take a stronger interest in listening to the people’s cries and not place economical growth as the all important and only defining success of a nation.
I don’t expect housing, transport and migrant issues to be resolved overnight. But I truly hope that Singapore as a nation will be able to find solutions to these problems. I truly hope that the leaders can see that no doubt progress is good, but it should not be forced at the expense of the people’s comfort and ability to cope with these changes. I fear that Singapore is transforming too quickly and that problems arise far faster than we can solve them.
I also believe that the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system should be capped at 5 maximum since there are only 4 major races in Singapore and that new MPs should prove their worth and fight their own fight in a Single Representation Constituency. This will no doubt be extremely unlikely because then the ruling party’s possibility of winnings may be highly diminished.
After this GE 2011, citizens will no doubt be keenly watching the PAP’s next steps and hold them accountable for their promises to listen to our views and opinions, especially the younger ones like myself. I do hope that the PAP’s manifesto of including EVERYONE in nation building is something I can believe in and not just a nice sounding slogan.
Lastly, perhaps the most important lesson on leadership I take away from GE 2011 is that to be a leader, you must have a heart for your people, listen to their plight, seek to understand them and ultimately it requires sacrifice to help them. I believe many times it may be a thankless job especially those who serve humbly and quietly every week. But when you prove your sincerity, the people can feel it and you will no doubt have the sweetest rewards.
Xx
(Belated) April Visual Inspirations! :)
Hi!!!
It’s been more than a week since I last updated! And almost a month since I had my last visual inspirations update! So here’s a huge chunk of visual inspirations I’ve yet to upload from April!
You’ll find a lot of images regarding the Royal Wedding, Noel Caleb, Style Bubble – Susie’s outfit posts and a bit more of home decor inspirations too!
It’s nice to keep a visual inspirations log. From it, I can start to see that my favoured aesthetics skew a lot toward key word(non-exhaustive list) such as feminine, colours, sophisticated and tastefully dramatic. Keeping a visual log helps me to find out what tickles my fancy and what I appreciate. It’s also really an exercise to open my eyes to new and different visual approach as well as keeping myself up to date to trends.
Sorry I didn’t caption where I took them from because it’s just too many to cover! I will try to be more conscientious in future and update more regularly with proper crediting. But if you really want to know what is from where, let me know and I will try to source out the original and let you know!
A short update on how life’s been:
It’s been a great 1 week plus so far, interning with Blueprint/Mercury MC is turning out real fine, working alongside friendly colleagues – having good meals from nearby food places and knowing of like 100 over new/upcoming local and regional brands- is quite like summer school for me.
Royal wedding was all the buzz when it happened end April (the last post on my blog) and then the next was all about Singapore Elections. My batch turns 21 this year so it was a slight wet blanket when we found out only those who turn 21 on 1st of Jan gets to vote. (Why is the school intake not like this huh? :P)
I will reserve my thoughts on elections in a separate blog post titled “Post #Sgelections Thoughts” which I’ve already thought of the points but just finding the time to blog it down.
Will start to get real busy for Blueprint as the event, next weekend draws nearer! I might even be staying over at MBS if they need me to stay! Follow me on twitter (see side bar for my latest tweets)—> if you haven’t and you can read more about my daily “happenings” and cool news I read online.
Twitter is like micro-blogging so I think that’s partly why I have not updated the blog for so long! Go read my tweets to see what you’ve missed out for the past 1 week plus ok!
Lastly I fell sick *again* due to a flu I caught from the office… but I’m on the way to recovery so Thank God for that! I’m also very thankful for my Blueprint internship and another one coming up in June/July.
Been slacking off spiritually lately, need to be disciplined and take time for God!
Shall head to bed naooo
Xx
Royal Wedding 2011!
It’s the Royal Wedding for Prince William and Princess Catherine!
I followed the wedding except for the church procession (because I was on the way home from work). And it’s so amazing and breath-taking. Everything was so pretty, lovely! The couple, the guests, the bridesmaid and paige-boys, the horse-carriages, the crowd, the confetti! It was and probably is better than scenes from a movie! I tweeted, it deserves a photobook on it’s own and in this age, a Blu-ray disc of it’s own!
If you missed the “Live”show… No worries, I bring you the climax!:
The first public kiss of the Royal couple! Hahaha! Credits to my sister’s friend who captured this picture on the live streaming! They actually kissed twice, the second time was upon the crowd’s enthusiastic chanting “Kiss again!”.
Alright~ If you want to know more, go check out BBC’s site here as well as The Royal Channel on Youtube here.
Ciaos~ (Bye in Italian, learning a bit right now.)
Noël Caleb; On-stage glamour, Off-stage grace.
A new local designer label, Noël Caleb means Christmas and Devotion combined. With the spirit of thanksgiving, here’s a label sewn with every fashion designer’s heart and love.
For their debutante 2011 collection, Noël Caleb is inspired by the archetypal Parisian ballerina. The collection is a juxtaposition of gentle float with structural strength. A collage of the feminine from boardroom to ballet. Drapes and weaves bind in a spirt of unconventional chic. From fresh-cut cyan to candyfloss pink, Noël Caleb carry the modern Lilith through the days, and holidays.
For the Noël Caleb’s Blogger Styling Competition 2011, I collected 3 pieces from their debutante collection, styled two looks and engaged my sister, Jia Hui’s assistance for some fun photo-taking!
Please vote for me by LIKING www.facebook.com/ilovenoelcaleb and then LIKE my pic from tomorrow onwards!
For the first style, I paired the Noël Caleb outfit with a Topshop Cyan bag and Rubi Hot Pink shoes, matching the colours of the Tatiana top. The look gives a youthful and funky vibe. Perfect for a lunch date at a restaurant or a girl’s day out!
Take a look at the contrasting cyan with pink polka dot fabric on the reverse side of the skirt!
I really like the outer sleeveless jacket Paloma. Makes me look and feel like a modern warrior. ^^
For the second look, I styled the outfit with a vintage Rose Bertin bag and D&C red and white stripped shoes. It channels an old-school charm, fitting for teachers and office executives.
This look is really ideal for a tea-time break where you skip off to an alfresco cafe and dive into your favourite read while sipping coffee.
Dressed in a vintage style, I couldn’t resist posing with the bamboos and looking all old-school in it!
Close up photo showing the details of the Noël Caleb attire.
Before I end off, please take the time to like Noel Caleb on Facebook here to receive updates on their brand and as well as like my photo (when it’s up tomorrow) so that I can win the contest!
To end off this post, here’s a last image of me with a beautiful bamboo backdrop! According to chinese culture, Bamboo symbolizes the Scholar. According to Living Arts Originals website, “The bamboo is considered a gentleman with perfect virtues. It combines upright integrity with accommodating flexibility; it has the perfect balance of grace and strength.”
I hope you enjoyed the post and I would like to wish you & the Noël Caleb label all the best for your future ahead!
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All photo credits to my sister, Jia Hui. You may follow her on her Twitter, here.
If you like, you may purchase Noël Caleb designs online here.
In the above photos, I am wearing:
1. Noël Caleb’s Tatiana Top, Pink with green polka dot, M size. (Although S would have been a better fit for me.)
2. Noël Caleb’s Paloma (Sleeveless), Pink, S size.
3. Noël Caleb’s Nathalie, Red, L size.
My day about the City
Hello! First week of Summer Hol’s is turning out quite fine!
Yesterday I had lunch and movie outing with my sister Jia Hui before attending a cozy sharing session with KIN and Sifr personnels, Faudil and Chris. My sister and I watched Hop and it was quite a ludicrous show. It was quite disappointing to say the least and we felt, a real waste of James Marsden (Cyclops from X-men) and Kaley Cuoco’s (from Big Bang Theory) acting. talent.
So today met up with Martin at Marine Parade to head to East Coast beach to show some scenes for a video contest he’s taking part in. I was acting as a reckless skater who did not take safety measures, fell and knocked my head into a pole. It was quite awkward getting the footages because I have not skated(I call it the heels on wheels) in two years and I was not used to skating on the bumpy pavements at East Coast. :/ Feel quite bad towards Martin for volunteering something I wasn’t good at. But I had fun acting, being by the beach and just having fun. Really hope he gets the top prize for the contest!
Then I headed to Tampines to pick up clothes for Noel Caleb’s styling and blogging contest!
Check out what I passed by at Tampines:
Due to Ng’s distinctive style, I could immediately identify the work as his. was pleasantly surprised to see it at a garden in Tampines and what more, during the week we celebrate Mother’s Day!
Then on the way home, conveniently recee-ed a place near by home to take photos for Noel Caleb’s blog post.
Pretty, right? It’s at Technopark near my home. What a beautiful office area! I think it’s a really ideal place to take photos for Noel Caleb’s blog post.
For dinner, my sister Jia Hui brought my parents and I to Riccioti italian restaurant along Clark Quay. We had awesome pizza, Calzone and Salmon pasta ! *Yums*
Then I followed my sister to meet her friends for a short while at Chijmes. Check out the pretty sight!:
And then I came home and started to work on styling the Noel Caleb pieces with the shoes and bags I have! Came up with 2 styles:
I like both but I prefer Modern as it’s more funky and suitable for my age! Which style do YOU like?
As for makeup… I think I will keep it simple and natural. Just hues of pink for my eyes and that should be it!
Blueprint project intern interview slated on Thursday morning. Excited for it! Will update again soon with photos for Noel Caleb! Please like Noel Caleb on Facebook and my photo when it’s out! (And ask your friends to like it too! :P)
Xx
When we grow, we grow complicated.
Just a thought I had yesterday.
It didn’t use to be like this before.
Maybe I was fortunate, but I had very pleasant classmates from primary school all the way till JC. Maybe I was nice, maybe I was fierce, I was never bullied and neither did I bully. But I had great friends. Classmates = friends and they all still are even today.
But now in Lasalle at college/uni level, classmates may not always = friends.
Or it could be a case where previously friends and then no more.
It happened with me last year in my first class.
It happened with at least 2 other classmates in my current class.
I don’t get it. If we are friends, friends stick till the end, we help one another out. We listen to explanations, we accept differences, weaknesses and even mistakes. HECK, school IS where you MAKE mistakes to learn from, to grow.
But no. Some people just derive a sick pleasure from breaking friendships I guess. The one who makes mistakes, the one who refuses to forgive. The line is blurred and there’s no right or wrong but no one compromises and the friendship is broken.
Then again, maybe as we grow older, we lose our innocence, we become hard and cynical, more demanding (“she/he should know better!”) and ultimately less forgiving. I speak for myself.
If injustice has been done to me, I promise I will try to forgive (at the least spend my life trying). That is what the bible teaches. But why some people will intentionally stir shit and exact injustice/betrayal/anything despicable to friends is just beyond me, unfathomable. To me, you never know what are on the minds of these people. ‘Cause they’re crazy and even they don’t know what they will do next, or even maybe why they do what they do.
Which leads to what I mentioned previously that as we grow older, the more guarded and cautious we become. We don’t trust the “newer” people we meet and we are less forgiving we are towards them precisely because we don’t have the trust in them that takes time to build.
Super ironic but true. Which makes me remember that as children we use to think that there were answers for everything. But it’s only when we grow up we realize we were grossly mis-informed. There is no right formula in relationships. There is no one perfect relationship guru who will or perfect guide book which will teach you how to right all wrongs. No such thing.
As a Christian, I have the privilege of a loving Father who gives me wisdom and love to conquer issues. And I have very thankful for that. But one needs courage even to forgive and forget. One needs to live it, to experience it, to face up to it eventually.
Which leads me to the last point being: I strongly believe it pays to be kind. I know it sounds ludicrous, insane and stupid. But forgive those who did wrong against you. Forget whatever hurt and pain they placed you through. HECK, THANK THEM for it. God for placing them in your life to make you stronger, to teach you patience. BECOME a BETTER person and one day write a card to them saying “Thanks for the hurt, it made me stronger. I am more successful precisely because of what you did.”
WHY? When we forgive, we let go of the hurt and the pain that bugs US, not them.
And because sometimes we also have our loose-screws moments and we become the people that needs forgiveness. When in that place, we need God’s favour and men’s to be forgiven.
This is by no means is an excuse for you to be an ingrate and go around hurting people just ‘cus it’s gonna make people stronger. But I hope that if you have been hurt, you can take heart with what I just shared.
To end off, I just want to share a very real and true story. My friend, Shan Mei’s friend, nicknamed “Cel” passed away yesterday because of a hit and run incident. She was also a student in Lasalle. She lived and breathed in the very school I attend. She was born in 1987. (Which make Facebook very incredible you can know so much about a person.) My friend posted the update on Facebook and her friends expressed disbelief. Life IS vulnerable. I could have been the one (considering if the incident was near school, I’m not sure if it was).
If we see things in this perspective, is it worth it to hold on to grudges and make living a pain? Isn’t it better to let it go, live freely and embrace the world without cares?
And of course, treasure the friends from childhood, they are the ones who will trust you and whom you can trust implicitly.
Xx
IT’S ACTUALLY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU LIVE AND DIE FOR
“MY COUSIN HELEN, WHO IS IN HER 90S NOW, WAS IN THE WARSAW GHETTO DURING WORLD WAR II. SHE AND A BUNCH OF THE GIRLS IN THE GHETTO HAD TO DO SEWING EACH DAY. AND IF YOU WERE FOUND WITH A BOOK, IT WAS AN AUTOMATIC DEATH PENALTY. SHE HAD GOTTEN HOLD OF A COPY OF ‘GONE WITH THE WIND’, AND SHE WOULD TAKE THREE OR FOUR HOURS OUT OF HER SLEEPING TIME EACH NIGHT TO READ. AND THEN, DURING THE HOUR OR SO WHEN THEY WERE SEWING THE NEXT DAY, SHE WOULD TELL THEM ALL THE STORY. THESE GIRLS WERE RISKING CERTAIN DEATH FOR A STORY. AND WHEN SHE TOLD ME THAT STORY HERSELF, IT ACTUALLY MADE WHAT I DO FEEL MORE IMPORTANT. BECAUSE GIVING PEOPLE STORIES IS NOT A LUXURY. IT’S ACTUALLY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU LIVE AND DIE FOR.” – Neil Gaiman
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I guess we often take the little things in life for granted. We only appreciate what we get at a cost. Ytd was a bad day of school. Usual school coordination issues. Gonna go sleep naoooo. Bye!
My Shi Fu Says…
After I told Shi Fu that I realize that the fan was not blowing in my direction after 2 hours…
What I learn from my shi fu:
Tai Wei
AM 12:14
well done
tudi
i tink u’re extremely perceptive of ur environment
tsk tsk
a jedi must know the surroundings
n n ur surroundings must be one
master it
n blend into it
sigh
u’ve much to learn young padawan
hahahaha
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BTW I think cause I was too engrossed with doing work! Hehe. (Or more like distracted from talking to him and online. LOL)
Clocktower. Touching short animation film.
I don’t usually share videos but this one is really touching. My aunt Fonteyn sends me the most interesting links of Facebook (Fashion related competitions, Raoul Lucky Draw among others) and she was also the one that sent me the link of this video.
I was first struck by how beautiful and apt the music was for the animation and wondering if they specially produced the music for it. I was moved to tears because the character reminded me of myself.
I used to be in a tower, all sheltered, cheery and happy. In a world where skies were blue and balloons in the air. But one day when I stepped out into reality I found out that things weren’t always what they seem and I entered a very dark period of my life. I willed for things to pick up, like how the girl in the video wanted the balloon to fly again but nothing I did mattered.
Only on hindsight after watching the video I realize that I play a part in life and only when I fulfill the role, just as the girl does, it makes the world happy again. I know I am reading the video in a very personal way and you might see it differently. But I love the video, it touched me and I want to share it with you.
