hershey love...

i'm shifting again

2011-03-24T11:19:00.000+08:00

looks like i'm really bored with the same things. I thought tumblr should be good, but the sever has been disappointing and not up to even the minimum expectation, though it's really easy to use.

I'm off to wordpress, for probably a while. haha~

visit me at my new site hersheylove.wordpress.com

Random bits and pieces

2011-03-12T18:09:00.000+08:00

Niu Niu came by the office to visit during the CNY period. She's only about 7 months old and freakingly cute.

After the sudden fever I had last month, I decided to go for a thorough check up.

Signed up with Asia Health Partners.

Random dinner at Manhatten Fish Market.

New heels from Tangs! I think age is catching up. Can't help liking bling bling.

Tried the ramen restaurant at nex. Can't recall the name of the shop though.

Reasonable portion and quality, pricing on the high side.

Checked out the newly opened Punggol waterfront place near Punggol Central.

We had dinner at Xian. Quite yummy, quite ex. Thanks to brother in law, we enjoyed some discounts.

The crabs are to-die-for.

My first trial of Eskimo. Yummy beyond words. The red tea yakult drink with pearls is fantastic!

Can't wait to try it again.

I finally bought this cute little thing. Not sure if it works, but the packaging won my heart.

Happy Rabbit Year 2011

2011-03-12T17:40:00.000+08:00

I know that it's way long overdue to post anything about CNY 2011. But just thought I should still jot something down to remind myself of how I spent the CNY break.

We had lunch at mum's place and dinner at my in-law's place. It's no good having teamboat for both lunch and dinner. You end up being too full to savour the good food.

We prepared something special for Hershey too! But that imp finished it all in mere minutes and then proceed to eye on our food and beg incessantly.

Pineapple treats prepared by my brother.

Reunion dinner at In Laws.

They like to have everything in the same pot.

Day 1 of CNY, we went visiting. First stop at In Laws, Grandma in Law, followed by my parents.

We skipped the annual trip to the temple and went MBS instead.

We checked out TWG ice-cream. My first time trying TWG's product.

Long jin and creme brulee flavoured ice-cream. Yummy but too expensive to consume frequently.

Passed by a random peformance.

Super crowded food court right beside the ice skating rink.

We chose to eat at the burger joint right beside the ring.

We selected the fries with special sause as the one with chesse is out of stock.

The special sauce ends up being similar to mayonnaise. So disappointing.

This year, I lao quite a bit of Yu Sheng.

At mum's

at in-laws, not forgetting the ones at business lunch.

We had our 开工饭at Pu Tien.

Blogpress

2011-03-12T09:34:00.002+08:00

Tumblr irks me. Thinking of the low USD. I downloaded blogpress. Trying out now.

Hershey in his new bed.

Isn't he adorable?

Anna Sui

2011-03-12T09:22:00.003+08:00

One of the best buys for mooks so far.
Lov'in it!

I'm shifting

2011-03-03T09:36:00.001+08:00

Trying out http://hersheylove.tumblr.com/ in the meantime.

Free and Easy

2011-02-12T23:59:00.000+08:00

Life can be such a contradiction.

I love free and easy trips- for the freedom it offers.
I hate free and easy trips- cause of all the research.

Life is never perfect.
Waves goodbye to a perfectly boring Saturday. Sigh.

Addicted to online shopping + random happenings Jan 2011

2011-02-06T21:40:00.000+08:00

We didn't go anywhere to countdown to 2011. It was like any normal day. We didn't even check out the neighbourhood countdown party like past years. Guess age must be really catching up. We did however enjoy breakfast at KFC. I love waffles!

We went shopping as usual and I bought a new organiser from Muji. I love their arcylic containers. So useful. I hate having to rummage through belongings and these are great for makeup storage.

I was working from home on a certain day and it was raining cats and dogs. Hershey just climbed onto my lap and sat there. Timid dog I have. Hard to believe that he's the same dog barking his heart out at strangers.

We went on random drives around Punggol and discovered a newly erect bridge, similar to the one at SAFTI.

I was swamped by work most part of January and 2 weekends were burnt from preparing for the biggest ever group to visit Singapore. Look at the crowd!

Extended all the way to MRT station.

Feeling domesticated, I prepared dinner. Something which I haven't done in a long time.

I chanced upon my favourite smelly beancurd at the pasar malam at Hougang. I actually went back thrice to satify my craving. Can't wait to taste the ones in Taiwan again.

With CNY at the doorstep, I went back to the old office for my favourite pineapple tarts. I'm really particular about the stuff I consume and if it's going to make me fat, it better taste good.

The crust is thin and the fillings not too sweet and the cheese topping balance the taste. I just keep going back year after year. Heard from the lady boss that she has a new outlet at Bedok Point. Do check out D' Pastry if love good pastries.

After my first taste of Frolick ice-cream, I went back again for the Mango flavoured one, with the chewy granola bits. I feel healthy while indulging. Thank god for yoghurt, indulgence less the calories!

Met up with the girls to pick up stuff which Marianne lugged back from the states. I finally got my BLOSSOMS!

We had dinner at Cedele, City Hall.

I have been looking high and low for this dessert since Mad Jack no longer serves this and I'm so glad to find this served at Cedele though I simply can't remember what it's called.

Our orders for the evening.

I dragged KY to East Ocean for dim sum one Sunday. I used to frequent this place previously and it has been a long while since I ate here.

I was in a cherry mood and and ordered the cute little dolphins and turtle.

Look at the other cute food. Can't wait to try the rest the next time I revisit.

I was trying to curb shopping and I ended up doing online shopping in the end. 4 new shades from a popular blogshop timtam.

I'm an extremist. Saw this cool nail craft on the net and just couldn't resist.

My buys from ASOS arrived too. Bracelet watch from Accessorize.

My nail frenzy didn't wear off. I'm into 3D nail art at the moment. But it can be a hassle when handling things.

I fell sick all of a sudden on 27/1/11. I was fine one moment and the next, I was raging a 39.5 degree fever. Dear rushed home to bring me to the doc. But the 2 clinics at Punggol Plaza were not seeing patients due to lunch break. And I had to visit Raffles Medical at Compass point in the end. My fever was at a new high then but it wasn't a case of normal virus infection. I had no sore throat nor flu. The doc made me go for urine test which shows that there's white blood cells in my urine. He wrote a referral letter for me to check in to CGH A&E immediately. I didn't listen to him as all I wanted was to sleep. After a jab and downing 2 tablets (i have no idea what I was given) I fell asleep on the way to my regular GP. My fever had subsided by the time I reached there and I took another urine test. My white blood cells was still on the high side but as long as my fever didn't reach a record high again, I didn't need to go to the hospital. The fever left me as fast as it came to me. I was fine enough to enjoy dinner at Sakae Teppanyaki that same evening at the airport. I love garlic rice!

The rain god worked overtime the weekend before CNY and we didn't do anything except sat in front of the google box. Bliss is when you stay home with pizza and root beer.

Boring

2011-02-06T00:48:00.001+08:00

I'm finding my posts boring cause I'm blogging for the sake of it and not because I'm in the mood.

Wrapping up 2010 (Xmas part 3)

2011-02-05T23:49:00.000+08:00

I'm finally wrapping up posts of 2010. We ordered xmas goodies from Cold Storage this year.

Our first time preparing (heating up) Turkey at home.

KY sliced up the Turkey.

The chef's work.

Logcake!

Another photo of the tree.

A group photo with the tree.

I'm so fat, thus decided to hide behind the KY. Hershey joined us too.

KY posing with the gifts from me.

Thank you all who showered me with love.

Waves goodbye to back logs of 2010.

Family Day Dec 2010 & more

2011-02-05T23:27:00.000+08:00

I took off to spend KY's family day with him. This year's family day is happening at Spore Discovery Centre.

We participated in the guided tour provided by the centre.

and we visited the army museum too.

The weather is really warm.

I diy a badge. =)

My first time trying Frolick after such a long time.

I like their tip box. Cool!

Random food- Asian Kitchen Guo Tie.

KY's order of soft shell crab noodle.

My Xmas brunch @ IKEA.

KY's healthier choice- Salad.

Finally bought the newly launched Starbuck Ice Cream. I love the one with Java Chip.

Craving for Calamari. Craving satisfied at Manhatten Fish Market.

First taste of being ripped off (Xmas 2010 part 2)

2011-02-05T01:27:00.001+08:00

Xmas 2010, marks our first Xmas out of the house.

We decided to celebratate at some cafe out there, enjoying "candle light" dinner.

I decided against buffet and opted for some small eatery, such as Dallas. It's my first time there, and his as well, but I've heard raves for their ribs and KY loves ribs.

Cam-whoring while waiting for our orders to be served.

The man looking bored and trying to come to terms with reality that I was willing to be butchered. haha.

His starters- Prawn Salad with Asparagus and Mango.

Mine! Potato Rosti with Smoked Salmon.

My main- Rack of (Fatty) Lamb. It's really good, but a tat fat.

His Baby back Pork Ribs.

The Aftermath.

Dessert- Warm Christmas Fruit Cake. Not to my liking, but he likes it.

It was dark by the time we were done.

We decide to check out Orchard road for some Christmas photography.

Crowd is thick. My first time out I think.

Tangs

Wisma.

Romantic blue

Contrast between blues and bears.

Tiffany Tree. Love.

Lots of Teddies.

Pretty tree at Mandarin Gallery.

My buys from Kinokuniya which KY had to lug throughout the night.

Xmas Celebrations 2010 (Part 1)

2011-02-05T00:39:00.001+08:00

I know this is long overdue. The amount of work in Dec 2010 and Jan 2011 has tired me out. I'm going to split the Xmas Celebrations into a few parts.

Met my ex-colleagues at Dome located near S.A.M

That's us!

Yummy starters.

Some chicken thing ordered by my colleague.

I couldn't finish this. Think I had about half of it left.

Some of the other things which we ordered.

This is a must order. Just thinking of it makes me drool. The choc oozes out....

A photo for the album.

We even used Sureen's car as a "tripod".

Next up, our yearly gathering at Tania's place. This is Lian's contribution- Sushi Platter.

My 1kg Honey-baked ham from Cold Storage. One from NTUC would have cost half the price,

though I have no idea what's the difference.

Sydney's contribution, grilled to perfection.

Jinyu got us fried stuff from Old Chang Kee. Finally, something we enjoy! Believe it or not, it's the most popular dish for the night.

That's all we have! Tania was the venue and drinks sponsor.

Marianne, generous as usual got us a Conrad Xmas Cake.

Cam-whoring begins.

What's Xmas without presents?

With the help of trusty tripod, we took a group photo.

That's me with my pressies.

My pressie to Tania. I forgot to email her the photo. Opps.

Gifts unwrapped.

Jinyu's and her kiddo's pressies with compliments from us.

Me and Syd!

The 3 ladies.

A keepsake for us to refer to in the years ahead.

Bits and Pieces of December 2010

2011-01-28T16:47:00.001+08:00

We had a company shopping trip on the first day of the off season sale. Though I didn't manage to get anything, I enjoyed tea at Marmalade Pantry lots.

Lovely flowers at every table.

I could resist no more consumed the pack of yummy "winnie the pooh" cerals I purchased from Tokyo.

If anyone goes Tokyo, please help me buy these. I feel so happy just looking at it alone.

I was craving for Kenny Roger's marcaroni cheese and corn muffin. Super sinful.

Bought stuff for my nails. Hope the quality is good.

My second set of D-I-Y nails. Simply love french manicure.

Xmas gifts from Starhub, from blue magnolia, dun play play.

Courtesy of our business partner.

My buys from the Ted Baker sale. Awesome buys, all these for less than $150 and those are leather footwear mine you. Each pair of shoes alone would have cost $200 and more at its regular price.

Cheap flats for the days when my feet needs some rests.

Saw this interesting book, which seems to scorn the orginal works.

We went for a walk with the dinosaurs.

I bought the tickets but he paid for it. haha

Rather enjoyable but short too.

We replenished supplies at Cold storage as we were anticipating company for Xmas.

Blur me wasted the corn dog when I left it in the oven rather then the microwave. And when I went back to Cold storage for another one last week, it was out of stock. Tough luck!

Pretty fit is back in action at Century square after so many years, I just couldn't resist the pair of pokka dots shoes. So sweet and chirpy.

It's also Clover's first birthday and we had fun with the sweets and cupcakes.

Xmas present from my ex colleagues when we met up 2 weeks before Xmas.

Xmas tree loaded with lots of presents.

KY and I made a scrap book for the boss.

Random photo: My gift to Charmaine. Love the earrings. Would like to keep it for myself if not for fact that I'm unlikely to wear it.

Went for dinner at Mushroom pot at Stadium walk and popped by Starbucks for post dinner drinks.

It's my first time at Mushroom pot and I wasn't too impressed with it.

Chanced upon Winnie the Pooh at Nex.

They had little stores for people to play with.

Saw this super cute tou which I wanted to get years back and it's much cheaper now. $88 i think.

I tried my first session of manicure at Pink Palour and they applied this sparkly hand cream which took a couple of days to get off.

Lunch at my favourite roasted duck place. Dian Xiao Er.

Winnie's stage time. =)

Love the deco.

KY's shopping after leaving him alone for an hour. Creepy.

I was on a serious case of shopping spree. My loots from Mango.

My new skirts from Iora for CNY.

Basic tops from G2000.

Blossoms

2011-01-25T23:39:00.001+08:00

Marianne is back from states and the generous friend not only lugged back our US shopping, and managed to get us a bag of assorted tidbits from Japan!

Reflection of 2010

2011-01-01T23:34:00.001+08:00

The year came and went. I wasn't anticipating it, just wished for the year to pass as the Chinese zodiac is a bad year for not only me, but most of my family.

I continued seeking fruitless attempts to solve the nagging pain, I stayed on at CGH despite not having much progress. I finally did my MRI, and visited a Chinese sin seh. My doc no longer prescribes medicine to me and I'm feeling the impact of not having medication. I'm still in a blur concerning my medical condition.

KY fulfilled my dream of visiting Europe for a holiday ( particularly Venice) , and I finally bought the bags I so wanted. The trip was sn eye opener and it left a big hole to fill with the 20k damage. I wondered why we chose to go on a trip rather than pay off my car loan.

I finally left my job after the trip thinking I wanted a change of industry after 3.8 yrs in my ex company. I started my new job without any break in the same industry for my ex bosses. Somehow regretted but I didn't want to miss the momentum.

I took on a 4 day work week thinking of exercising more and to facilitate job search. I succeed in none with my lukewarm attitude. I can't decide if it's the industry or company which was making life so difficult for me. I love my current job, except for the miserable pay.

I realized the importance of money after I quit cause I not only spent more and I earned lesser. I contributed lesser to my family and I feel guilty but I can't stop shopping.

I went in my first ever company retreat to Tokyo which I enjoyed tremendously. Thank you bosses for your generosity, despite me being an unconfirmed temp.

I took up korean but gave up after 2 lessons. I have interest but the teacher is hopeless. I hope to pick it up again.

Hershey stays with us on a long term basis and I constantly feel guilty towards him as I don't spend a lot of time with him.

I still organize my stuff when I feel life is chaotic. I'm in the midst of some heavy duty clearing which involves the store room, and everything I own.

I look forward to a lovelier, brighter, healthier, wealthier 2011!

lost

2010-12-29T00:09:00.001+08:00

我好累。不知寻找的是什么。而知道了又值得不值得。

5-7 Nov 2010- Batam

2010-12-26T18:35:00.000+08:00

To celebrate our 4th Wedding anniversary, we all trooped down to Batam for a 3D2N short getaway with his colleague. We stayed at Batam View Hotel which is pretty off from the jetty. But it's a pretty decent hotel if you disregard the location.

The view is decent and the rooms are clean.

We had a lovely clean and big room. Anywhere is big after Hong Kong and Japan.

Ameneties and mineral water. I was expecting worse I guess.

After checking in, we were off to Kelong for lunch.

It's pretty secluded I think. No soul in sight.

Clams, Gong Gong, Crabs, Stingray and more for you to choose from.

That's us ...

and our fellow travellers.

We were really hungry and we almost ordered everything in sight.

That's a 1 million dollar meal that we just enjoyed!

It's go-kart time after lunch.

I wanted to try but non of the ladies was keen on it and the muddy water puddles was a deterant with me in a white top. That's KY looking puffy wearing his helmet.

Another shot for the album. I'm so fat!

We were off to dinner at some local restaurant after a 2 hr rejuvinating massage but that wasn't before we had a "tea time break" at A & w.

I finally had the chance to eat my curly fries and try the authentic A & W root beer float in chilled glass.

We were dead beat by the time we returned to the hotel. But we woke up early with some time to spare. We checked out the hotel grounds and found a little "pets corner" near the pool, just outside the massage palour.

Weird variety of chamelon? parrot and love birds.

The pool which was relatively small, but there's a beach behind all these.

We went to the mall for some shopping and this caught my eye. Seems like an interesting and painful movie.

The drinks there weren't expensive. Everyone seems to be ordering avocado with chocolate.

The spread of breakfast. Not too bad for a 3-4 star hotel. I love the bread and pudding with cream.

Just having it every day will make me an extremely happy and fat girl.

The skies were lovely.

There's a run down court at one side of the hotel.

and a little plantation at one side.

Here's another shot of the bread and butter pudding. Yum Yum!

A photo for the album.

That's the facade of the hotel from the playground.

On the last day we got even more adventurous and went to the beach.

Here's the sea side huts.

We had lunch at a "zhap cai" rice store for lunch. The format is alacart and they will serve tons of food for you to choose from and if you don't consumer it at the end of it, they will collect it back and it will not be charged. Kind of unhygenic so it's best you visit the place early.

Here's what we had for lunch.

The other table ordered equal if not more food then us.

But we managed to finish most of it.

Here's where we had our lunch. See plates of food being stacked up?

Small portions were placed on the push cart.

We managed to squeeze in a waffles at the A & W prior to departing from the Jetty. =)

November Happenings

2010-12-24T00:28:00.001+08:00

01.11.10 marks our 4th year wedding Anniversary. We had a short getaway with his colleagues, which I will touch on in another post. But he got lovely flowers delivered to my office on the actual day.

The tulips "grew" after a few days. I keep thinking that it might be the work of my boss.

A snapshot of the roses in its full glory.

It was work as usual for the both of us, but we met for dinner at soup kitchen to enjoy our favourite chicken with lettuce and garlic.

I tried Koi for the first time in my life. =)

Having said that, I thought of Taiwan food worth mentioning. That's one Taiwanese cafe located at Downtown east which serves pretty good Taiwanese food at reasonable pricing.

The mee sua and fried chicken is yummy!

Random photo taken while shopping in Taka. I love the atmosphere there, really brightens my day.

That's me after my hair cut. The first time in years that I snipped my fringe. Dear was grouchy cause he waited for me for 2 hours while I waited for my turn at Reds despite making appointment.

I started cam whoring in the car.

@ my favourite Tonkichi- my choice.

His choice.

We also had a new milestone in our life. We changed our IC! And I changed my name.

Rightfully, I added a first name. Winnie is now my legal name!

Chanced upon this in AB&C. Super cute but Super expensive too.

We had lunch at a building near ky's work place. It belongs to Capitaland. Super cool to visit over the weekend. Serene and we had the place all to ourselves.

Lunch at Astons.

The area looks futuristic.

Random trees @ IKEA.

Random buys at Watsons which made me $80 poorer. Inflation!

My first time at Cookie Museum for Syney's announcement party.

The place is so cozy and elegant.

The Liquer cake in a jam jar.

I forgot the name of this dish. =D

I had the chance to check out Shiseido sale during my off day. Spent about $150 just like that.

It's super crowded but a fun experience for me.

Nex opened in November, a discovery I made on my way home one random day when KY was on his company retreat. It's huge and cool. I reckon it's going to be my new hang out place.

Charmaine got her friend to help bring this back for me from HK. =)

I'm going to start on it once I finish my current MAC powder.

We have been visiting tons of warehouse sale since our return from Japan. RSH has random sale every other day. We visited the sports sale for 2-3 times in a week. Here's my loot.

and that follows Zara sale.

and a sports sale and

the Anteprima sale.

I love my loot! and thanks to my bosses who let me take 2 hrs off for the sale.

We conned our boss for complimentary tickets to rene concert.

Kinda disappointed that she didn't sing much of her own songs.

I shopped a lot more this month but I can't remember most of it.

Loot from F21 and MAC ( Christmas pressie for my boss)

Limited edition blush tint from Shu. Wanted to get this in Japan previously,but it was much more expensive there. Finally got it at the Tangs sale.

October Happenings

2010-12-23T20:50:00.000+08:00

I bought my first purchase from Reebonz. A watch! Never heard of the brand but it looks simple and big.

It's a hectic week with movie opening and star tour going on.

We went off early cause ky was having a fever. But we packed 2 cakes before we went off.

Yummy! Would love to revisit and enjoy a meal there if there's no crowd.

I've been shopping a lot these couple of months and that's like the first wave and new boots in a long time.

I love dim sum and there's a value for money one at Changi Village if you love dim sum too.

More purchases from G2000.

Some random foodstuff I love, especially egg tarts from KFC, surprisingly good.

Dear Fiona managed to get me the newly launched Jill Stuart from Taiwan. Love.

Szewei's wedding happened in October and here's some photo update.

The glowing bride.

Group photo of the Jiemeis.

Pretty bride and me (in an oversized dress, feeling ultra sticky. )

Coincidentally, she married the cousin of my secondary friend.

They held their dinner at Furama Riverfront hotel.

Service was bad. Here's evidence- a fellow guest doing his own serving, more professionally than the service staff.

Noodle hanging out from the bowl. Yikes!

We were off to Bugis junction for some light shopping and tea at TCC.

We had a belated birthday celebration for Jinyu. Sadly only 4 of us made it.

Sydney and Lian didn't managed to come cause one was not feeling well and the other was shifting office.

and that's happenings in October!

Sinful September

2010-12-18T22:13:00.002+08:00

One of those random days dinning at Tonkichi. I love their fried oysters.

Random sinful food. I much prefer the ice cream to the cupcakes.

I love brayani. This is the best brayani in Singapore.

Some grilled chicken fastfood at VivoCity and Honeymoon dessert.

It's back to Tonkichi (Suntec) for the second time in a week. This time, I'm meeting my ex colleagues.

The cheese cafe at Tampines 1 has converted to NYDC. Time to enjoy Elephacino.

I love the bright red interior of the cafe. The warm chocolate cake is good but ain't to die for.

I miss smelly beancurd but thankfully, I enjoyed it 3 days straight at the pasar malam nearby.

I love this heated up. Sweet!

We celebrated Tania's birthday at Sun with Moon (Wheelock).

I ordered my favourite foie gras with beef. I'm salivating as I think of it. haha.

We ordered so much food and it's facinating that we actually manage to consume all.

We ordered dessert to share too.

I caught KY making out.

and a new addition to my collection.

Parents brought me to this place near expo. I'm not sure if it's called Supper Club. The food is relatively good. The fried noodle tasted delicious and I'm sure i'll be back for more.

Happy July 2010

2010-12-18T20:55:00.001+08:00

I'm hitting a significant age this year. Fortunately, I was able to take 1/2 day leave despite having only tendered a week before. We were off to Bugis for some neo-print taking followed by "Despicable Me". It's ultra adorable. We had lunch at a crepe cafe at Iluma. The lunch special inluded a salad, soup and main for less than $15. Value for money!

I have to end lunch on a sweet note and what easier way than waffles with ice cream.

We were off to dinner at Azur, Crowne Hotel@ Terminal 3 in the evening for buffet.

It's nothing fantastic and cost about $80 per pax. The highlight of the dinner- Potent Prawn soup which gave me headache!

Me camwhoring during dinner while KY gorged himself.

KY bought me a surprise birthday cake from The Patissier.

I can't remember the flavour but I think we didn't eat much cause we were so full from eating throughout the day.

Hershey celebrated with us.

I think he wants to eat the cake as well, that pig in dog's clothings.

and he gave me birthday kisses.

and I got my birthday balloon!

and that's Hershey lying with my birthday present from KY.

That rascal had his present too. A ball which he refuses to let go.

That's what happened after 15mins.

The girls treated Sydney and me to District 10 for our birthday dinner.

We ordered lots and enjoyed ourselves fully.

Tiramisu! I can't remeber if this is the only dessert we ordered though.

Marianne was so kind to buy everyone cupcakes from Da Paolo. It's ultra sweet though.

We celebrated KY's birthday at home. I can't really recall much, except that I got him a really personal present.

We had lunch at Tam Popo@ Liang Court. Yummy! I Love Uni!

SIL treated us to Voyage De La Vie. Entertaining to a certain extend.

Nepalese food near my ex office along Macpherson road. Check out Everest Kitchen if you are keen on something different.

Random photo of us @ Paragon on the day before the launch of I phone 4. Dear was so sweet to take leave to queue for an iphone 4 for me. All I had to do was pass him my N97. Sweet!

Good Bye and So Long

2010-12-18T19:47:00.000+08:00

I'm clearing backlog of 2010 entries before the year comes to an end. I noticed that I haven't been blogging much since July. Guilty as charged, oh, well.

When I decided to leave the currently company after 3 years 8 months, my nice colleagues all came forth to give me a treat.

We went to this place located at the junction of Upper Serangoon road and Upper Paya Lebar thereabout and stuffed oursleves silly with all the food.

We have to end the dinner on a sweet note and we went in search of dessert shops at Chomp Chomp area. Lucky us managed to find one which ain't too crowded.

We tried many types of dessert. It's not fantastic but if you prefer somewhere quiet, it's a good place to check out.

The company was holding warehouse sale on my last working day. These are just random things of mine.

Cheese from Amsterdam, My filing cabinet and my last movie. The girls came up to office to snap photos as and when they have time.

We used all kinds of props we could find.

My colleague who values her privacy lots requested to be "hidden".

Last but not least, their gift to me. Thank you all!

One of my closer buddies in office.

Group photo at the dessert place. Gosh, I look so bad.

Some random photo of food we ate in August.

I love stingray and clam (with chilli and lime.)

Rojak and duck porridge from Lagoon.

Supper @ Jalan Kayu.

Europe 21.06.10 Rome - the last leg

2010-12-08T11:27:00.002+08:00

Rome is the last stop of our 14 days Europe trip and I think it's my favourite after Venice and Milan.

We finally had a chance to visit the Colosseum. It has been a challenge ground for warriors for many centuries. Unfortunately weather hasn't been kind to this majestic building,only bits and pieces left .

We didn't opt to enter due to lack of time, but we had fun taking photos outside the building.

Our iconic star jump! haha

The Arco di Cosantino, which is a stone's throw away from the Colosseum. One of the 3 largest Arcin Italy, it represents victory. Built as a commemoration of a victory in B.C 315.

That's our tour group!

Next up, the Victor Emmanuel Monument. Built in 1911, it represents the unification of Italy and is converted to be the tomb of the soldiers who sacrificed themselves.

The knight at the centre of the structure is the father of Italy.

All the touristy spots are rather near to each other.

We checked out the St Peter Basalica, located at the Vatican City.

It reminds me of Tom Hanks's DaVinci Code.

Visiting the Vatican City and the church has been a long time dream of my late grandma. Since she can't go there, I'm bringing it back for her.

Right behind the blocks of buildings is St Sistine Chapel. It's the official residence of the Pope. Sadly, we didn't get to see the works of Michelangelo which is on the ceiling of the chapel.

I bought rosary for grandma and my grandparents in law.

The beautiful sky.

The place feels so grand.

The swiss guards. They employ swiss guards cause they are trustworthy-

does that mean they can't trust their own people?

' Guardians' of Basilica.

Security checks and rules to follow.

Everything looks so lovely.

For the devotees to gather

The interior- just as grand.

I'm impressed and everything caught me in awe.

The Pieta, one of Michelangelo's earlier works. Jesus in the laps of Mary after cruxification.

Nice flooring.

The place is fairly big and I didn't have time to check out the entire place cause it's so crowded. But we managed to get the holy water. =)

Us in the church.

and here we are back in Rome.

Our lunch- Yucky fish. I dun like fish.

I love puddings though.

Our lunch venue- Papa Rex .

Trevi fountain up next. One of my earliest bags was named after the fountain.

It's said that if you throw a coin over your shoulder, you will return one day.

I did it, wonder if it will come true.

Me at the row of shops near Spanish steps. I love it!

They have collections not available at the other places.

It's a great place for shopping!

Our expensive Mac- The first fast food meal which we ate there.

More touristy stuff. The steps were a killer.

Many will just rest on the steps and people watch.

I remembered that I was enjoying the shopping very much and dear made me give him a peck,

in appreciation of letting me shop. haha.

The steps- which is rather tedious for the lack of stamina and tired- from-shopping me.

The rocky roads

Many painters gather at the top of the steps.

You can get a painting of yourself done in a mere 10 mins.

Some of my buys for the day.

and after resting for the night, we were off to the airport and home.

It's definitely faster to do your tax refund in the transit area. =)

Service on home carrier has been good, but I have been pampered quite badly,

so much so I forgot to appreciate good service.

I like the breakfast most.

Some of the food stuff we lugged back. Damn, the cheese is really heavy.

Cam whoring with the bags.

All the purchases gathering for a photo shot.

Thankfully only these are mine.

Europe is an interesting place to visit.

I hope I have the chance to check out lourve should I revisit some day. Till then, Ciao~

Tokyo Fall 2010 Part IV

2010-12-04T11:26:00.000+08:00

I love Japan, and one of the main reasons is cause of their huge and interesting drugstores. I LOVE DRUGSTORES! and before i continue blogging about my last day in Tokyo. These are some of the buys worth considering. KOSE Visee eyeshadow, in awesome shades of bronzy nude tones which ain't available in Singapore.

Canmake is significantly cheaper in Japan. Probably not all Japanese brands are, (for instance SKII) so do check your prices before heading for some hard core shopping. I got myself some makeup base with colour correcting function after watching Queen. I used to use those from Biotherm, but it costs bomb. So these from Canmake is a cheaper alternative that serves just as well, The yellow ones are good for hiding dark eye rings and the peach one is to even out uneven skin colour. Upon my return, I tried to look for it in the Singapore stores but I can't seem to find it. Let me know if you do.

These mascara cost about 30-40% cheaper than the Singapore pricing. The prices indicated on the display might not be reflective of the actual pricing as some of these shops gives even higher discounts.

The Canmake graduation blushers. Cheap and good. I used to pay about sgd$8 when I visited Japan 3 yrs back but even after the higher exchange rate, it's still cheaper the sgd$27 ones selling in Watsons.

Took a snapshot of the ground where we spent most nights walking.

Breakfast on my last day. At the shop below the Shibuya station. The one where I had my first meal at 3 years back.

Charmaine's breakfast. We were intending to visit Shinjuku but with so many things in Shibuya, there wasn't a need.

I must point out to you this cheap drugstore SUN located at one of the busy junction. Their machine didn't accept my 2 credit cards and another 2 of Charmaine's. Sad. But that did save me some money.

We went off to the Loft. It's fun to check out if you have limited time and want to see the most stuff under the same roof.

I'm a happy shopper and with the melodious music in the background, it's so uplifting.

Another shot with LOFT. The bonus is that it's so close to our hotel.

And we saw a Harry Potter display.

and The Expendables. I will also have a soft spot for this movie.

What you can expect inside Loft.

The departmental stores in Tokyo are huge. The ones in Singapore pales in comparision.

We then head back to the hotel for some rest and repacking, before heading to Seibu for dinner. We went to this nice sushi place, which is actually a buffet. I think it costs abut SGD$80+

Because we wanted to eat only the stuff on top, we were left with only the rice bits which we found 1001 ways to hide to avoid being fined. It's really funny, with us stuffing sushi rice balls into branded bags.

There's a time limit of 2 hours but there's no worry about that cause we had a flight to catch.

Fresh yummy sushi.

I had so so so much uni that I literally puked.

We had about 5 plates of these before we surrendered and rushed back to our hotel for our cab ride back to Haneda airport. The airport transfer co's vehicle broke down and so they sent 2 cabs to pick us up. The first time I took a cab in Japan.

Some stuff I really liked in Tokyo.

Our baggage. Mine was only 21.5kg. =)

After checking in, it was time for more shopping.

Japan stuff are always so prettily packed.

and after the 7 hours flight, we safely reached Singapore. The flight on ANA was pleasant.

and here's all my barang. =)

Some of my buys~ not all are for me.

New additions to my Totoro collection.

Foodstuff- surprising, there was still not enough things to go around.

The squids are for dear.

Almost all the stuff.

Diva - Fake designer goods, copy watches and now copycat nail polish

2010-11-30T08:12:00.000+08:00

Diva - Fake designer goods, copy watches and now copycat nail polish

Tokyo Fall Part III

2010-11-27T17:24:00.001+08:00

The bosses were suffering from sore feet and so we are on our own for the third day!

Our planned route for the day, enough to keep us occupied the entire day.

All dressed and really to hit the roads (trains) .

Me and my trusty map.

Our first stop- Tsuijiki fish market! We reached there around noon so pretty much everything was closed, except for the food outlets stretch.

We chose a store to enjoy breakfast randomly. It doesn't serve raw food. =p Can't recall why, but I wasn't keen on raw food that morning.

That's me outside the shop with the snaking queue. We weren't keen to spend 1 hr + for queuing.

The yummy-licious teriyaki chicken. It's so so good! I will definitely re-visit if I have the chance.

Next stop, Ueno. Charmaine had good memories of the place and she was so keen to visit.

They sell lots of preserved food, shoes, toiletries, very comprehensive retail mix.

That's the store we bought from. =)

Toy catcher and fruits on sticks. I didn't manage to eat my favourite mochi. Sigh.

Me and the Uncle who prepared the Vanilla and Mocha ice-cream that I'm holding in my hands.

I was bored waiting for Charmaine to get a bag, so I started camwhoring.

There's a video shop in the vinicity too.

Adult shop =)

Didn't dare to enter. =p

Next stop, Asakusa temple.

See the sperm in the air?

Touristy shot.

It gets dark really fast in Nov. I think it's only about 5pm or so.

Another section of the shopping arcade.

We were lucky to reach there just before the temple closed.

Posing again. A pity I didn't bring my better camera.

Some area outside the temple.

It would look much better if this shot is taken with the Sony.

I love contrasts.

More shots while waiting for Charmaine to draw her romance lot.

More shots of the shopping arcade before we head for Ginza to do some night shopping.

Brightly lit buildings and rainbow colour roses.

Ginza street, which houses the high end fashion in Tokyo's CBD.

We got to visit The Toy Museum. (That's a flagship Burberry store right beside it.)

I loved that place when I first visited it 3 years back.

Mental note to return each time I visit Tokyo cause their collection of Totoro is enormous.

We were dead tired by the time we are done with Ginza and decided to head back to Shibuya.

I decided to take photos of symbolic buildings which we pass by everyday when as we walk from Shibuya station to Shibuya Tobu Hotel.

Parco, Mac...

Miu Miu and Mono.

Supper for the day. I just have to eat the wasabi egg mayo sandwich and of course the hotdog (130 yen) .

The bosses wanted dinner/ supper, so off we went in search of the yummy Ramen they tried previously. It's a small place along the street of Shibuya. I'm not sure how to get there even if I return someday. The portions are huge! After dinner/ supper, we were off to more drugstore and magazine shopping. (There's a 24 hours one at one of the junctions of the hectic crossroads. The 24hours bookstore is at Tsutaya, level 5/6.)

Some of the loots for the day. I was too lazy to lay out all the stuff.

Tokyo Fall 2010 Part II

2010-11-27T15:33:00.000+08:00

The bosses woke us up at 7.30 am or so though they said they will not be waking up early. We were still in bed and we requested that we meet at 9am. Just as we were ready to go, they called to say they are going back to bed. =p We walked to a nearby local food place for breakie.

I bought the food coupon from the machine and exchanged my food coupon for my salmon set.

That's me forcing a smile in a really sleepy state.

Argh, the salmon had tons of bones and since I mistook the light sauce for teriyaki sauce, I ended up with an ultra salty and boney salmon.

We walked around the Seibu supermarket a bit. And I saw all the pretty and yummy cakes. If I were to stay in Japan, I swear I will balloon into a penguin in no time.

We went back the food store. The first outlet me and KY ate at when we came Tokyo in 2007. The store is still there. =)

The busy multi cross-road at Shibuya.

The train carriage has became an icon at Shibuya.

and of course, I have to take photo with my hachi.

The bosses woke up thereafter and we went off to Omentesando and Harakuka again.

My travelling partner didn't seem to be a good photog. I wanted a picture with the shop front and here's what I got. Check out the "before" and "after".

A cute little xmas tree by the road.

The stores there are so pretty, as always.

This is a must try if you see it.

We acted like tourist and our bosses had to wait for us. =)

Very soon, we got hungry and we had lunch at a Sushi place. Nothing very fantastic but we went it cause we chanced upon it along the shopping belt.

I didn't really enjoy the salmon. Didn't tast fantastically fresh.

The simple dish of sweet potato hardened by sugar.

This is the interior of the shop. We felt that it's a bit taiilered for tourist cause they had English menu.

This is the sushi place along Omentesando hills shopping belt. The meal for 4 of us coSt about SGD60+

Next up is the Bvlgari cafe, a must visit cause we don't have this in Singapore.

Rows of chocolates to savour.

Thinking of buying a gift for someone @ home? A box of Bvlgari chocolate might just be the thing.

Check out the stores and menu. We ain't sure if photography was permitted by we snapped anyway.

As we just had lunch, we zoomed in for the desserts.

While waiting for our desserts to be served, we started to take photos, tons of it.

Everything seems so posh!

We posed with the menu.

The bosses obligated with a shoot. One of the rare ones during this trip.

Boss the bandit.

Me with my order- Bvlgari Tiramisu. Beat that!

and finally, group photo of our orders. From top left (in clockwise direction) , Chocolate platter, Chocolate fondue, Tiramisu (destoryed) and the original Tiramisu.

Camwhoring away...

The photo shoot extended to the exterior of the shop.

We saw this very nice tea place at the B1 level of the same buidling.

The brand is "Lupicia"

We walked and walked till we saw the temporary Kiddy Palace shop at Cat Street.

There, I found my Totoros! Tons of them.

and new friends. The cross breed between Hello Kitty and Emlo and friends.

With the introduction of such toys, it's hard to avoid identity crisis.

And of course Suzy Zoo,

Super Mario and friends,

and Gloomy Bears amongst others.

The skies were starting to get dark but we could still see clearly the nice shops around the area.

One photo shot in front of my dream land.

and a couple of streets later, we found ourselves at Harajuku.

Cute little shops line the streets.

Girly and tons of fashion stuff.

From magazines, to pet clothings, there's so much things!

We were dead tired by the time we were done.

Do note to check out the lingerie stores and clothing stores when you visit that area.

Shoes are really cheap as well, just pray that there's one in your size.

Our local bean has gone international. =)

Pretty cakes everyone in the food arcade of Seibu.

We ordered a slice each to savour back at the hotel.

We got bananas too cause the rest of the fruits were either too troublesome to handle or cost a bomb.

They sell fresh roses too, wonder why.

I found my favouriate Winnie Cereal. Happy girl.

Sick of the food, I wanted something safe and hot. Wrong move. Didn't like the taste at all, but thumbs up to the Japanese for the innovative packaging.

That's my cake!

Some shots of the buys for today.

Amazing buys

2010-11-25T10:54:00.000+08:00

I bought the Cle De Peau BEAUTE - Extra silky lipstick at the Shiseido sale yesterday. The Cle De Peau counter is as expected, the most crowded and by the time I got to it, I heard that the skincare products were mostly gone and being a non user of this brand, I wasn't willing to fork out money on something i haven't tried previously. By sheer luck, I saw a lady trying out lip glosses and saw a nice shade. Priced at $35, it wasn't amazing expensive. (I was eyeing a very nice powder going at $80 from the same brand - some vintage collection which I estimate to be on sale at the typical make up counter for at least 3x more) , so I grabbed one with my "good deal must grab" mentality.

True and behold, I was googling for more information about the product and I saw this off Andy Lee's website. That freaking stick actually retails for SGD $ 105. That's a steal!

me & my theories

2010-11-25T00:47:00.001+08:00

KY: dear, u seem to be spending too much, don't waste money. Don't always go warehouse sale.

Me: I'm saving money. If I had the money, I would have gone during non sale season. Do u think I want to tolerate the cat fight?

KY: *long silence* you win!

Tokyo Fall 2010 Part I

2010-11-23T12:26:00.002+08:00

I'm skipping the posts on the Europe trip for the (supposedly) more exciting shopping trip in Tokyo. The trip was pretty last minute and it's a company retreat, the first ever company retreat I ever attended.

That's me and my only colleague, cause the rest are bosses.

We arrived from Hanade airport, my first time there since it was only recently that Hanade started accepting international flights. We chartered a mini van to take us from the airport to our hotel- Shibuya Tobu. Our first stop is Omotesendo, as this has always been Paulyn's favourite stretch of shops in Tokyo. Even if you ain't there for the shopping, the structures there pleasing to the eyes. HOWEVER, we were too early. The shops were all close and we started camwhoring. PS: Our flight landed at 6+ Japan time. We were there at 8+am.

Happy family on the slab outside the pretty Prada shop. Cleaning must be a real challenge. The bosses insisted we took photos outside the flagship store. We abided since no one around to laugh at us.

Next stop, Kate Spade, close too! The shops there open at around 11am- 12 noon. So if you intend to make a trip down, please note.

So we walked and we walked through the countless rows of shops which are still closed.We made mental note to return to the shop-worthy shops.

and not long after, we reached Harajuku!

We decided to visit the premium outlets instead. Since the bus trip to the Hakone region takes 1+ hour and the shops there operate from 10+ 11am, what better time to hop on the bus and check it out?

We bought the tickets from Shinjuku Odakyu's visitor's centre. It cost about 30+40 SGD and there are seats to the tickets, so please sit accordingly to the assigned seats lest the civic minded local cast an unfriendly stare.

The sky was slightly cloudly and the place was cool. I had to zip my jacket all the way up on and off. The odd thing is when I stepped into a shop, it feels real stuffy. No one there switches on aircon during this period and when I step out, it feels cold again. So I feel really stupid having to put on and remove my jacket repeatedly. However, the locals don't seem bothered at all.

Some shots at the bus stop while waiting for the bus to send us back to Shinjuku.

Our first meal in Tokyo. Mac! The tea lovers claim that the earl grey tastes great and it ain't too sweet and they have the petite size pancakes which are adorably cute. I can't seem to find a picture of that.

PS: Do note that during Autum, it's preferred that you consume your food indoors cause we were faced with the situation of flying burger holders, paper towels etc throughout the meal.

Beautiful blue skies. The trip to Gotemba wasn't fruitful for me. No branded stuff for me at all.

We left about 4+ pm as the skies starts to turn dark. We got caught in the peak hour jam as we headed back to Shinjuku. Went to a nearby ramen store for our dinner before heading for more shopping.

It's a chain store and rather value for money.

We ordered a set which came with a bowl of ramen (typical Ajisen size) plus a bowl of rice, which was way too much for us.

The egg which is to die for, accordinly to my fellow travellers. I'm not really a fan of uncooked egg yolk.

We went for round 2 of shopping in Shibuya after dinner. Me cam whoring while waiting for Charmaine to check out Armani which was opposite our hotel.

Chanced upon an up and coming group. We saw another group of performers too and here's the video. The by-standers dance in a synchronised manner.

Streets remain packed and busy though it's close to midnite.

I check out book first which opens till 11am/ 2am for my magazine fix.

Stacks of magazines!

Off to Krispy Kreme for supper. My order doesn't taste good.

Loot for the first day. Strongly recommand BAPE KIDS emook.

Despite not being able to finish dinner earlier on, we became hungry and went to our favourite convenience store, Family Mart. The wasabi egg mayo sandwich is really yummy. I liked it so much that I had it for supper on 2 continuous nights.

Oh yes, if you do see wacoal, do check out. The prices are about 20% lower than that of spore. I got the crosswalker but too shy to post the actual item. =)

everything happens for a reason

2010-11-22T01:15:00.002+08:00

I know I still have backlog from both trips but I'm just so lazy. Gonna do random posts here and there in the meantime.

On the last day of my Tokyo trip, I was almost penniless. I was relying on my trusty mastercard to help me survive. For anyone visitor who visited shibuya will know that there are tons of drugstores in that area.

There's this particular one called SUN that's slightly cheaper and certain items they sell comes with a G.W.P. and is priced the same as one without G.W.P That being said, one the second day in Tokyo, we saw a Majolica fragrance and thinking Singapore doesn't carry it, got all excited about it.
I had a lukewarm attitude till I saw a pretty silver pouch that cames with a G.W.P but held back cause I prefer to purchase all these on the last day.

Thereafter, I realized that the frangrance didn't come nicely wrapped and costs the same in the other shops. On the last day, I went back, wanting to purchase 2 sets, to realize that the shop can't accept my cards nor that of my colleague's.

Disappointed is an understatement. I went to buying the same thing in another shop without the pouch.
Thereafter we left Japan.

Over the weekend, I checked out watson, to realize it's retailing at a cheaper price in Singapore. And the day after, I saw one that comes with a royal looking pouch for the same price. Couldn't resist any longer and viola, I got a new fragrance. I've decided to give my mum the one I got from japan, just as I intended to in the first place. :)

I'm unstoppable

2010-11-18T11:00:00.001+08:00

Despite returning from Tokyo only on sun, i've continued shopping, non stop. Buying things I dun need. (actually most are a cross between need and wants) and spending without consideration.

I've bought 2 pairs of shoes. More makeup related products and Knicks nacks. Latest in the wish list is stuff from sephora. Someone help me!

容易受伤的女人

2010-11-14T22:17:00.001+08:00

Europe 20.06.10 Pisa

2010-11-04T22:57:00.002+08:00

Dear insisted on taking photo in front of the hotel we stayed at. No idea why he's smiling so sheepishly.

And I had to take photo of the bus. I can't remember why either.

We're visiting Pisa today. The iconic skewed building.

It's amazing when it slants. But the govt has fixed the structure so it no longer slants and the risk of it collapsing has diminished. Another angle of the building.

and yet another angle of the building. The structure is pretty big.

Dear doing the touristy thing.

That's our big face in front of the structure.

and more photos of us, doing more touristy things.

The weather is really erractic. It's gloomy and sunny in a matter of minutes.

Tons of boards explaning the rejunvination of the structure.

Posers camwhoring in front of the structure.

The skies became lovely after the gloomy skies fade away.

Our shoe-shot at Pisa.

That's how the place look like.

We took another snapshot when the sky turned pretty.

The amazing blue sky.

Lunch at a stop over point. The tiramisu is good!!

Our hotel for the night.

Dear's loot from the factory outlet.

and we got sunglasses too!

I've got PISA under my fingers. =)

Europe 19.06.10 Florence

2010-10-31T21:42:00.000+08:00

Here's what we had for lunch in Florence. Pizza, really yummy and pipping hot.

An interesting display at the market around Piazza della Signoria. We caved in and both the nth number of gelato for this trip. I was such a pig, didn't like sharing, so we each had a double scoop.

I had it on a cone and dear had it in a cup.

I can't recall what this is all about. haha. The 4 month lag did mare my memory quite a bit.

Again, I don't recall what this is not about.

The facade of Piazza del Duomo the Cattedrale de Santa Maria del Fiore.

Details and more details. The church has the second biggest dome in the world, after St Peter's Basilica (Vatican City).

The Doors of the Baptistry, which is rumoured to be said by Michelangelo to be the Gates to Paradise. Lorenzo Ghiberti spent about 30 years on the doors.

It looked good from all angles.

Interior of the Dumo.

Grand columns, and a clock which ain't working.

Love the works of art on the ceiling

The bell tower and more photos of the interior of the Dumo.

Chanel is like Cotton On in Singapore.

Piazza della Signoria (Signoria Square)- bronze equestrian statue of Great Duke Cosimo I

His hand was broken by some drunk.

Random shots at the square.

Photo taken from Ponte Vecchio. The shops along the bridge were mainly goldsmith and served as a route to some palace.

Lovely view from the bridge.

We had time to waste so we did what the locals did. Feed pigeons.

Many buildings in Italy had majestic lions as iconic representatives.

Galleria degli Uffizi Firenze- one of the world's oldest museum.

The statues in front of the Palazzo Vecchio and Loggia dei Lanzi. That's a copy of David, not the original.

The real mccoy is somewhere in a museum.

View from Piazzale Michelangelo

A snapshot for the album.

The weather's really odd in Florence. It's sunny and gloomy all at the same time.

A copy of Michelangelo's David. We travel so far and all we see are copies??

Me with the view.

Us with David and more statues.

Beautiful scenery dulled by the gloomy sky.

The sky looks so sad.

But we continued to party, enjoying a fantastic dinner.

Loot from the square.

Our hotel in florence. =)

Europe 18.06.10 Venice

2010-10-30T23:47:00.004+08:00

We are in Venice! I've long wanted to visit Venice, since primary 5 in fact, cause of this passage I studied in Chinese class. Venice and I both shared the same Chinese name so I've told SO that I must visit Venice at least once this lifetime!

There are tons of carts selling Venice related wares. Very pretty and colourful cause of the masks.

and plenty of pigeons too! There were many people who envisioned themselves to be the pigeon man and women.

Despite having major fear of boat rides, I agreed to take the Gondola.

Basically, everything is on water, from hotels, to churches to, shopping.

narrow waterway serves as "streets"

Dear posing in front of the bell tower. I love the sight of the lady pulling up her maxi dress, tip-toeing across the water.

The serenity of the water is awesome. I can stare at it forever.

Venice is a wonderful place for "reflections" , extremely suitable for reflecting life.

We were very careful about allowing strangers access our cameras after all the horror stories.

Tourist sunbathing at the doorsteps of the basilica, avoiding the flood.

The surroundings of the chruch is flooded by water at a certain time of the day.

Us before the bridge of sigh.

This is what the bridge looked like, prior to having all the commercial displays all round it.

it looks like a joke..

who in the right mind would permit their iconic place to be converted to a commercial billboard?

We were off to lunch, at a highly recommanded cafe.

The pricing is on the medium- high side by Singapore standards.

Cam-whoring

A clearer shot of our hunky boatman.

A modern way to get around the waterways.

Check your blindspots before speeding up your oars.

View from within the basilica

miu miu closed for renovation, who has such bad luck?

Owner protecting doggie and saving it from the flood

The flood goes beyond and into the shop

more cam-whoring

Just couldn't resist snapshots of the reflections.

A shot before Starbucks!

Us on the boat back to Venice port.

where it all starts and ends.

Bye Bye Venice... I hope to return one day. Thank you dear, for fulfilling my wish.

My loot from Hard Rock. The shot glass ain't mine. =p

I heart the tri-angels. Chose it over the masks.
Supposed to give it away as gifts but just couldn't help keeping it for myself.

Wallet for my baby brother purchased when departing from Switzerland.

Kinokuniya members sale

2010-10-20T09:22:00.005+08:00

It's time for the long overdue member sale this weekend!

Coincidentally. I'll be having a lunch meeting at Ion tomorrow.
Wonder if I can sneak off to grab some (more) mags.
I've already bought 3 English mags this month. :p
Sometimes I feel stupid thinking I'm exchanging $ for paper.

Europe 17.06.10 Milan

2010-10-11T21:43:00.001+08:00

Departing from Switzerland for Italy, the skies look awesome.

I wanted to bet on soccer in Italy, but faced language barrier.

Dear found something he likes. Cotton candies skewed on a long stick.

Our first stop upon reaching Milan, Italy is Castello Sforzesco. The place is a maze and huge. Previously the Duchy of Milan resides there. The building now houses many collections of history. The little holes are where the arrows comes out from in times of war.

We passed a gelato store. Heard it's one of the best around.

We reached Duomo Square and surrounding the square is Milan Cathedral, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II amongst. The Milan Cathedral is said to be the second largest Cathedral in Europe, after Saint Peter's Basilica.

The facade is impressive and very detailed. One of my favourite Cathedrals in this trip.

and of course, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II which houses countless fashion houses.

We were provided a walkie guide as we roam the alleys filled with Prada, Gucci, Tod, Louis Vuitton, amongst many. The place had rounded ceiling held together with wrought iron. It's like you get to shop and enjoy the history all in one place.

and I had Gelato every single day while I was in Italy.

So where are we?

I can't remember why he's sulking, but I like Milan. Except that I didn't have enough time to visit Miu Miu which had a small counter hidden away in the huge departmental store. And I found out just before we were to leave the place.

I like the details on the bronze doors to the Cathedral but I can't remember what it represents.

We constantly searched for opportunities to try the local food where-ever we went. Luini sold tasted like curry puff.

A cinema in Milan. It looks so nice, unlike the ones in Singapore.

I started taking photos at the shopping arcade.

and at the square. Time to leave Milan. Bye Bye Miu Miu.

Europe 16.06.10 Switzerland Part 2

2010-10-11T17:31:00.000+08:00

1st stop of the day- Lion Monument , carved from limestone cliff, is dedicated to the Swiss guards who died during the French Revolution.

Next stop, Mt Tilitis Rotair. It ain't cheap to get up there and unfortunately, the weather was all foggy and we had to dragy winter clothings specially for the ascend.

That's me all dressed up, in the cable car. We had to take 3 kinds of cable car to reach the summit.

and finally, we arrived at our destination and fog fog fog.

We walked into the foggy outdoors and it was surprising bright and irritable to our eyes.

There's a chance to take a ice machine down the mountain but it didn't come free.

Our tourmates suggested that we fake snowboarding.

We made our own snowman. It ain't easy at all and the gloves didn't make it any easier.

We entered an ice cave of sort. There's nothing in there except ice.

The last of the cable car rides actually revolves, so you don't have to worry about not having a good spot on the car.

We were sent back to the Bucherer, the largest shop for watches in Switzerland and we settled lunch at this quaint looking cafe with nice pasteries displayed at the front of the shop. I ordered this malt flavoured drink which is a cross between Milo and Hocklicks.

That's the menu, but I can't remembered what I ordered.

That's my lunch. I forgot to take photo of Dear's lunch cause I was too busy with mine.

We walked around the shops area that area and I was extremely impressed with their pastries and the displays in the shops.

Soccer theme pastries every where. I spent hours in and out of Bucherer, debating whether I should get myself a Rolex. Everyone says that the most quality Rolex came from Switzerland. A pity I didn't do my research and though I did like a particular watch, I bit my tongue and left with a Swiss Army knife.

That's what I wanted. It was going for about SGD$9.8k. I never thought I would like something like that. haha~

And I finally got to try this watch which I have been eyeing. It's always featured on the back cover of women's magaine in Singapore. I thought it might be affordable without the diamond and gold. Can you guess the price.

That's SGD$50K, cause it's in platinum. My jaw almost dropped when the sales person told me the price. It teaches me that I should not judge a book by it's cover. I didn't want to be debt-ridden because of a trip, so I bit my tongue and went to the swiss army knife selection. By then, dear was feeling frustrated by my inablity to decide if I should get the watch and was pissed with me.

Without dear helping me with selection process, picked smallest device with a pen and it turned out to be the most expensive knife amongst the range. Ouch!

We went to the other watch shops thereafter and considered gettiing Omega (too lady like for me), Tag Heuer (I already have this) , but no, my heart is still with Date-adjust.

So feeling somewhat depressed after seeing my tourmates come out with their new loves, (one of them even bought the limited edition Rolex at $50k), we went to pack some happy food back to the hotel.

and there, my loot from Switzerland. I love Giotto! We returned to the hotel pretty early that night and in between football matches, I finally got to snapping pictures from the Paris Haul. Some of the stuff, cause I was too lazy to empty my luggage.

None of these are for me.

The wallet is an impulse purchase and the bala didn't look close to being it's real shade IRL. Off to Italy next!

Europe 15.06.10 Switzerland Part 1

2010-10-11T15:56:00.000+08:00

We checked out and made our way to Switzerland. The road is very foggy and visibility is extremely low.

We stopped by a stop-over point and feed ourselves sinful lunch of hamburger and seafood.

We finally reached there by late afternoon and we walked around the hotel. The place is serene and there's not much people around. The shops were closed and we had nothing much to check out except for Migros- The supermaket near the hotel. We were supposed to stay in lucerne but the hotels were fully booked and we ended up in biel.

There's no aircon in the room and we were fortunate to be on the second level cause it's more windy and security will not be compromised when we leave the window open.

Dinner time at the hotel's cafe.

Our trademark pose with the drain cover. haha

Everywhere is bright and cheery.

I like the car and the car-plate.

Our stay in Switzerland for 2 days.

Europe 14.06.10 Paris Part 6

2010-10-11T14:13:00.002+08:00

We took this snapshot the first day we reached Paris. I totally forgot it till Jinyu asked me where I stayed in Paris. It's not located near town but still convenient enough. We wouldn't mind staying there if we do visit Paris again.

That's the back facade of the hotel. It's a clean, modern and rather spacious hotel.

It's our free and easy day in Paris and the tour guide brought all of us for a train ride to the shopping belt. Our first (pretty much only stop) was Galleries Lafayette. We were too engrossed in shopping that we took no photo whatsoever. The only one I took was the ceiling of Lafayette. It's really old school and it has 3 buldings. There's the ladies building, the guys building and something else. We didn't have time to visit all the places. We merely stayed at the ladies department and the branded goods department, along with the tour mates and any other China tourist. We were surprised to see the China aunti who was on the cruise with us shopping and rushing for her tax returns. She's nothing less than 60 years of age.

We started shopping close to 10am and took a break for lunch at noon after completing the shopping at LV. We visted a turskish food place at an alley behind the shopping belt and it's really yummy. The portions were huge. We both could have just shared 1 set between both of us.

The bread to go with the main dish. There's my kebah that comes with fries, veggies and meat.

Here's dear's order. I can't remember what it is. Some salad I think.

IIRC, the whole meal is about Euro 25. Quite worth it I feel, for the portion.

After lunch, it's more shopping. Balanciega, Miu Miu, and we shuttled between Lafayette and Printemps. The afternoon was a blur as I recalled we were seating at the cafe Printemps sorting our finances. We realised that we have quite a bit of cash left cause I didn't find anything I like. No Gucci. No Prada. No Chanel. while I see my tour mates weaving in and out from the shops. There wasn't much I like. So we decided to get Dear's toys from an electronic store nearby. It feels the same except we didn't understand the signages in the shop and dear didn't want to ask for help, moping around. Finally, we got a salesperson who could speak English and we were disappointed to know that there's no stock for ipad. In the end, we went back to Lafeyette and grab a couple more pieces which I didn't really like.

It was 6pm when we finally left the area tired and carrying tons of the shopping bags and taking the train back to our hotel. We were aiming to go lourve and some other places but it was getting late. Nevertheless, we moved our butt and got to Notre Dame. Fortunately, daylight was long and though it's bright, it's close to 8pm.

That's Notre Dame from the station and oddly, we didn't drop at the Notre Dam station.

It looks really nice, but it's closed cause most shops, places of interest close at 6/8pm in Paris.

The 3 doors....

I really really wanted to go there. Will want to re-visit if I return to Paris someday.

There's a little park next to the cathedral.

and I'm repeating this- I'm disappointed that I can't gain access to the place. All because I'm a shopaholic stuck at Galleries Lafayette the entire day. Sorry dear...

I'm having a festish for side profiles of buildings.

I love the view, the beautiful sunset.

There's a bridge with tons of locks. Reminds me of a place in Taiwan/ states which has something similar.

It's Monday and traffic ain't as bad as in Singapore.

We decided to do as the Parisian do on our last night in Paris. Dinner at the cafe, facing the streets.

Foie Gras, Creme Brulee, Mocha,

The hunky server with the interesting drink. I wanted one of those, but I suspect it's alcoholic and very expensive.

I love the atmosphere in the air and I wish the weather in Singapore was much cooler, then we can wear the fancy clothes and not feel warm.

Notre Dame @ night.

Everything just feels so romantic.

Europe 13.06.10 Paris Part 5

2010-10-11T14:12:00.000+08:00

After the river cruise, we bid our tourmates good bye and went to the Lourve!

Though it has closed by the time we reached there. The place is still bright and sunny at 6pm.

The place which I have always dreamt of.

The entrance fee and opening hours to note.

We started cam-whoring and tried all sorts of poses.

I love the contrast between modern and ancient.

Just the exterior of the place is enough for us to spend hours....

A kind lady took the photo for us. We were pretty reluctant to allow strangers to take photo for us cause of all the horror stories we heard, but we thought since this is a more intellectual place, there shouldn't be so many bad people around. haha~

Duckie found her way to the pool.

Oddly, the skies became brighter as the day went by.

I love lamp post.

I'm caught!

The main facade.

Sculptures are abundant, such that I got sick taking photos of the statues.

A floor plan of the old buildings. Noticed we haven't entered the building.

Sun is finally setting....

We made our way to the park.

and waved goodbye the Lourve

We started doing stupid things at the park, mimicking the locals.

and dear got fascinated by the sculptures. He likes the bird shit on the sculputures and the exasperation by the sculpture and we decided to search for dinner. But most shops in the vicinity was closed or very very expensive. We returned to our hotel and ate a yummylicious kebah near our hotel.

Love, Chloe

2010-10-06T15:39:00.001+08:00

I've been in a shopping frenzy lately and I've got tons of stuff on my wish list and right on top is Love, Chloe.

I've not one of those ladies who decides between a variety of frangrances before stepping out. I've long outgrown those days and have been having 2 fragrances of which one I use religiously. One of which is Chloe.

I used to love Lancome Miracle, Gucci Envy, Clinique Happy, DKNY, Anna Sui and many more. But when I'm done with my 30ml bottle (I have a tendency to switch fragrances so I make it a point to buy only 30 mls) and start on the second bottle, I feel nauseous (literally). Thankfully, I have a mum who's not so fussy about what she sprays on herself and she uses such stuff at astonishing speed.

Anticipation has followed me since I heard news about the launch. The lovely date has been set on 15 Oct for Singapore.

I'm jotting down that important date in my journal.

Love, Chloe

I'm feeling the heat

2010-09-30T00:33:00.001+08:00

I think stress is affecting my health. So much so that I didn't even realize that I was having a 38.4 degree fever. And I kept thinking it's a bad ache day. Time to hit the beach?

I think I'm stressed about the star tour.