Photo Diary: Tokyo 2014

So... Japan. Think majestic temples with glorious artwork upon the ceiling if one deigns to crane one's neck toward the sky to peer at the intricate paintings etched above one's head. Think cold metal wrought into the shape of the fabled dragon, through which a stream of steady cold water pours like a never-ending spring of life. Think bustling streets, thick telephone wires (I seem to have an obsession with photographing them, they're such a rarity in Singapore), and theme parks where I danced around like an overgrown child eager to reclaim her childhood in squeezy rides in small trains meant for someone a decade younger than I am. Upon the single boat ride in the entire journey, I was practically bouncing in my seat to spot the various flying creatures soaring across the sky, gliding with their magnificent wings outstretched, diving low across the water, or drying their glorious plumage upon a small island.

And then a three storey-or so boutique, where I picked up my first ever real leather baby, thanks to the wonderful parents who decided to generously indulge my shopaholic fantasies. I am blessed.

xx

Black Beauty

{top, The OOTD / skirt, Younghungryfree / necklace, Talisman's / clutch, Bugis Street / shoes, Rubi / ring, Sasa / bracelets, Forever 21}

(photos by Siu Farn)

I'm back from my holiday to Japan, and I'm still stuck in the post-holiday blues and missing Japan terribly. It was a wonderful place to be in, and I can't wait to edit all the photos in my camera and put up some photo diaries on my blog of my Japan trip. I'm pretty sure the Japan photo diaries are going to take up quite a number of posts, especially since there are approximately 2500 photos in my camera to sort and edit (I'm almost regretting taking on this elephantine task already), but hey, nobody's going to complain about photos of Japan and delicious sushi, right? I thought not. 

This is a rather old outfit (I know, I am way behind on posts already) shot in the sweltering heat near the Singapore River. I feel like I stand out quite a bit against the blues of the background, with the full black outfit. I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again-- I'm still obsessed with black. There's nothing quite as classy as a black midi skirt that reaches just to the knees and flares just the right amount without appearing too girly. I was pretty much over the moon when I realized that my black midi matched perfectly with my black cropped mock turtleneck to give the illusion of a streamlined black midi dress. While the weather in Singapore seems to have taken a turn for the worse (think sweltering heat), my midi skirts are here to stay, and I'm definitely going to be adding more pieces into my wardrobe.

Now if only I can fast forward a few months ahead, so that I can claim that 'I haven't bought any clothes for ages', because the amount of clothes and accessories I bought in Japan is stupendous, and I find myself completely hard-pressed to make any new purchases as of now.

xx 

MAY in pictures

1. Happy Birthday to my dearest friend, who has been with me for 6 years, and hopefully for many more! I'll miss you when we finally go to different schools after 6 years, but I know we will keep in touch.

2. A Sophie chocolate bun from a colleague.

3. DIY sewing project: a new floral kimono! Many thanks to Leen and Jess who spent the afternoon traipsing around Chinatown with me; I literally searched every single shop to get the perfect fabric.

4. Vegan Burg with Siu: Cracked Mayo Burger & Seaweed Fries.

5. By some stroke of luck, Starbucks was giving out free Caramel Ribbon Crunches, and I managed to get one. The 'less sweet' version is much more edible than the original, and this fulfilled my sugar craving for the day.

6. Need I say more? Marshmallow clouds.

7. I'm going to miss the view from my staff canteen when I officially end work at the end of the month.

8. Fridays in casual denim on denim. 

9. New Peanuts shirts from Uniqlo for my mum and I as a Mother's Day gift.

10. Packing my accessories stash was no easy feat, and guess what? They're all messed up again. I guess it's just not in me to be neat, heh. 

11. A mishmash of new items that I acquired, including my Burt's Bees Cuticle Cream and Nyx Butter Lip Gloss in Creme Brulee.

12. A peek of my seafoam green sweater sleeve (outfit post on that up soon!) and a vanilla latte coffee treat from a colleague. (The verdict is that I'm not really too partial to vanilla lattes.)

13. RProject 2014- Down the Rabbit Hole paraphernalia. I have missed Runway more than I thought. 

14. A behind the scenes photo of a mini outfit photoshoot with Minyi before heading for RProj 2014.

15. Beard Papa, a farewell gift from a colleague for his last day. All the best in  your future endeavours!

16. A little beauty I found outside the office building on my way back from lunch! They're everywhere now, and are called the Tropical Swallowtail Moth, or lyssa zampa. They're just gorgeous, and on average they span the size of my hand, yet another of nature's beautiful creations. 

17. In one of my best-fitting dresses ever, along with armcandy of a mysterious Starbucks Frappucino. The barista told me it was a special drink that I could only get there from him, and boy it was good. I wish I could get it again! 

18. Channelling some Dorothy of Oz in my new gingham midi, which I am absolutely in love with. It's going with me in my suitcase to Japan.

19. A snack mix of MnMs, which includes all my favourite things-- salted snack pretzels, chocolate chip cookies, and MnMs, though I'm not too big on the roasted peanuts.

20. NBS tea session, coincidentally at the same hotel ballroom where I had my prom last year.

21. My colleague baked macarons. I have put on 2 kg since I started work. You connect the dots. 

22. Lunch treat for my cousin at Munch-- Roasted Chicken, with salmon salad for me, and quinoa for her. The salmon servings were so generous and I was literally in meat heaven.

23. Thursdays in tartan.

24. Gloomy Fridays in an all black outfit-- I looked like a walking human crow. 

Just a quick instagram post before I turn off my computer, because I'm going to be flying off soon! I cannot wait for my vacation (the first one ever since 2014 started) and I'm looking forward to buying loads of goodies in the land of Hello Kitties. I'll see you all in a week. 

Bon voyage~

xx

Windowsill

{dress, Dressabelle / necklace, Lovisa / bracelet, Chinatown / rings, Lovisa / wallet, BKK / shoes, Rubi} (photos by Siu Farn)
This dress pretty much makes me think of a picturesque windowsill in an Enid Blyton book-- windowpane checks, with a row of cheerful flowers planted in the soil bed on the windowsill, complete with a few little birds hopping about pecking at the seeds in the soil. Of course, this could be so much more windowsill-like if it were in any other colour besides a monochromatic black and white, but hey, in my defence, in Blyton's time, television was black and white-- though I'm not really sure how that adds logic to my statement. Point is: I'm still utterly obsessed with black and white.
Maybe it's not such a good thing, because I can say for sure that at least 75 percent of my newly bought clothing items (including shoes) are black or white, or a mix of both colours, and whenever I open the wardrobe in the morning, all I want to do is wear black or white, thereby transforming my life into a colourless movie. 
Hopefully, my time in the land of all things cutesy will remedy this problem of mine. I'm set to fly for Japan really soon, and I'm really excited for the trip. I've been planning outfits in my head for the past week! Now if I can just get though a few more days of work, I will be bound for a much needed vacation-- I'm already counting down the days. xx

The Curse of the Checkered Shirt

{shirt, The Blackground / outerwear, BKK / pants, H&M / shoes, Bugis Street / bag, Kanken}
When Xinyi learned that I had never eaten a Chinese meal at a Chinese restaurant, she was appropriately horrified, and then proceeded to say that we definitely had to try Chinese food for once. I agreed, me being the food-dummy that I am. So that saw us at Paradise Dynasty one Friday evening, with myself all excited to try Chinese food at a proper Chinese restaurant for the first time ever. The xiaolongbao were juicy and tasty, and I'm already drooling just looking at pictures of my Braised Pork La Mian, which probably tells you how much I liked it (the soup base is delicious). Perhaps all these bouts of good food (with TFBB in the previous blog post the very next day after Chinese food) are to blame for my recent weight increase? Though I find myself hard-pressed to deny that it was worth it.
Fridays should be renamed "Checkered-Shirt-Day", because it is the attire of choice on the last day of a week. And course, not wanting to stand out like a sore thumb, I decided to do my own version of the Friday staple. I'm pretty sure I still stood out quite horribly, but ah well, you're only young once. Decked out in my new skinnies and a borrowed pair of floral sneakers (which were way too small for me, but the things I do for clothes surprise even myself) with SWAG scribbled across my front. The best way to spend a Friday.
So, how's your week been? Mine has been pretty hectic; I got a new 'task' in my job, which has me running all over the office, though maybe that will help work off the 2 kilograms I put onto myself since my school life ended. I think those macarons my colleague baked and my numerous indulgences in mint dark chocolate MnMs and salted pretzels sticks (consuming these two food items should be a sin) may have something to do with the increase on the weighing scale. Just a guess. xx 

Overloaded on Houndstooth

{top, H&M / skirt, BKK / necklace, Infinte Pixie / socks, Daiso / shoes, Doctor Martens / bag, Bugis Street / ring, Lovisa}

(photos by Jess)

The first weekend of May saw me at a fantastically whimsical location in the middle of a park-- a sugar-spun confection of white walls and beautiful cakes in glass domes, light wood tables and cheery yellow flowers, so aptly named The Fabulous Baker Boy. What better way to celebrate my favourite girl's birthday than with cake? And not just any cake: Salted Caramel, The Ristretto, & Apple Cider, preluded by Dark Chocolate Pancakes. Lets just say that the buttercream was divine, the chocolate was almost close to heavenly, and I indulged myself in way too much maple syrup than I should have. I'm not sorry. My sweet tooth prevented me from trying the brunch items on the menu as it clamoured for the sweet treats, but I will be sure to go back again.

Black and white has not yet lost its appeal to me, and neither has houndstooth. Does the print on my top remind anybody of a distorted version of the houndstooth print? That was the first thing that I thought of when I saw the top, and when I touched the furry cloth and tried it on, I was sold. My socks were a surprise find from Daiso - I know, who buys socks at Daiso? - and they manage to help me masquerade my footwear as a pair of pseudo-boots with cute little reindeer dancing across them, no less! I'm still searching for the perfect pair of Chelsea Boots, and I know I have my eye on some Jeffrey Campbells I saw online (they have the best boots ever) so fingers crossed that they will actually be in a physical store here in Singapore.

So, how's your week been? Mine has been a whirlwind of busy, and I'm so glad that it's Friday. It's going to be a bit of an action packed weekend too, so hopefully I get some time for a breather. Happy weekend!

xx