if everyday were Christmas…

Sometimes you just wanna hold on to somethings a little longer…

Christmas used to be such a big deal for me. I remember when I was younger I used to get started planning presents, making decorations, playing and replaying christmas carols on the stereo as early as mid-November the minute the school term ended. In recent years however, xmas has been a rather subdued affair… maybe it’s because it’s gotten a lot harder to ring up enthusiasm in my scrooge family which certainly takes a fair bit of fun out of things. Am glad I got to spend xmas with relatives who feel a great deal for xmas. Almost brought back the same feeling of excitement and anticipation in the days leading up to xmas. I suppose it’ll never be the same unadulterated feelings of joyful abandon… but it came close.

Hope you still have the Christmas magic in you.

photo credits: weheartit.com

somedays I’m just a plain jane

Somedays you just want to be comfortable in a loose shirt and slacks. Found these two items in Urban Outfitters (words cannot express my very intense and unmeasurable love for this store) under the clearance section. I could remain in that hoodied top the entire day, curled up in bed with a good book, mug of hot chocolate and bowl of popcorn. On a side note, most of the snow is gone and while I loved the magical, ethereal quality it lent the surroundings, I’m thankful for the warmth and sunshine and the chance to forgo those uncomfortable snow boots for other forms of footwear.

Don’t you just love lazy days?

currently playing: title and registration – death cab for cutie

top/pants: Urban Outfitters
boots: mum’s (leftover at my uncle’s house from a previous visit. just my luck ;p)

oh the mess, the mess

After spending a week at my aunt and uncle’s house, their guest room looks as if a hurricane has torn through it, leaving everything upturned and uprooted in its blustery wake. It looks exactly the way my room looked before I left for this holiday trip. Had my camera had a wider angle, you’d probably have seen the edges of the zone of destruction.

I love how my the home my aunt and uncle have created for themselves and their kids is one of expression, not perfection. =) In other words, there are messy zones practically everywhere, but rather than becoming an eyesore, it allows for mistakes, spilt milk, free expression. Something I hope to create for myself in the future though with a tad more order (if it’s even possible). Staying with 2 kids under the age of 8 is at times a traumatic experience, which has made me re-evaluate my initial thought of having oh maybe 5 kids of my own in the future. I’m all for a crazy happy Christmas with presents flying everywhere X) but then what do you do about the remaining earth-shattering noise filled 364 days of the year?

skirt: Zara (flea market)
top: Urban Outfitters
boots: mum’s

potipoti

Being in a place with such cold weather prompts me to search for clothes that emanate warmth and cosiness. Entitled Totem, this collection by Berlin-based label potipoti simply draws me to it with its warm colors and rich graphic designs. I love how these outfits were influenced by the distinctive shapes and patterns of Native American Totems and vintage wooden toys. I would love to go to the place where these photos were shot because the background is just gorgeous and brings out the simple base colors and contrasting intricate prints of the outfits.

It’s amazing how the combination of top, tights and soft high boots make for a casual-chic outfit for traipsing through warm forested marshlands and lone winding lanes.

photo credits: potipoti.com

Merry Christmas to you

Can anyone believe it’s Christmas Eve today already? I always have mixed feelings about the arrival of Christmas Day… On the one hand I can’t wait for it to be here — to be still amidst the flurry of presents opening all around, to listen to the sweet strains of Christmas carols through the house, to sit back and simply admire the Christmas tree with its twinkling lights and ornaments each with its own story… Yet the fact that it’s here signals the closure of another year, that Christmas is drawing to a close… Of course, everything in life is not without its paradoxes and flipsides… but it’s always an ambivalent feeling I have in my tummy whenever Christmas arrives. Is it the same for you?

Am really relishing the chance to layer on my clothes…though it’s so tiring having to wear my aunt’s huge bomber jacket just to keep warm all the time. Last night we rushed around at Toys R Us and Alderwood Mall trying to find this particular toy for my cousin (anyone heard of Our Generation doys? Am feeling awfully outdated) and I was so happy because I was able to go into my very first Urban Outfitter store! =) I just LOVED it… the entire store concept, the clothes on display, the other kinky gifts available… Bought some stuff and shall show them over the next couple of days. Today I made use of a basic grey top and skirt that I bought there.

Am really enjoying Christmas in Seattle. Love the immense white snow and how everything looks like a scene out of Narnia/ winter wonderland…

Merry Christmas, everyone! =) May you have a wonderful day filled with lots of fun, laughter, happiness with family and friends. XXXOOO

top: Urban Outfitters
tights: Target
skirt: Urban Outfitters

(post updated)

looks like it’s going to be white christmas!

Well, it’s 6.30 a.m in Seattle now! =) Yesterday was a day of long plane rides and transiting at airports so it’s good to finally be in a settled place with a warm bed, food at hand and of course, wonderful family members. Am visiting my uncle’s family now and they’ve got 2 adorable little kids who are so full of noise and life it gets a little overwhelming at times. But I’m sure if you’ve interacted with little kids or cousins you’ll agree with me that it never gets boring because they come up with the darnest things.

Just felt like sharing a couple of photos from the past few days. Not exactly in chronological order…

1. A view from the airport in Narita, Tokyo (where I transited on the way to Seattle)

2. An attempt at Christmas cookies a few days back at my grandmother’s house. X) I’d initially wanted to go all out with colorful icing and decorative candy but my grandma, being the health-conscious lady that she is, was adamant that we not use icing sugar. In the end we made some peanut butter + chocolate chip cookies and regular butter cookies topped with cranberries and the occasional mini M&Ms I managed to sneak onto them.

3. My cousin’s dog, affectionately called Baby, who lives at my grandma’s house. She’s probably the pudgy-est, laziest, most sedentary dog you’ll ever come across. She’s also our convenient vacuum cleaner of the charred bits of cookies we managed to scrape off.

4. A view of my uncle and aunt’s house! I couldn’t resist taking a photo of all that snow the minute I arrived at their house. And in the afternoon it started snowing… =)

5. In the evening we all went for a walk around the neighbourhood and the kids starting sledding down a snow-covered hill! I had my turn on the sleds too and it was really fun but oohh so cold! That’s me all bundled up in my aunt’s bomber jacket. My toes were absolutely frozen and I had to return to the house earlier to get warmed up.

Any advice as to how to keep toes warm? To readers who live in snowy places, do you guys wear multiple layers of socks? =)

Have a great day everyone!

this week’s inspiration

I seem to be inspired by a lot of things lately. I stumble across photos of people, places, styles that tug at a corner of my heart and almost instinctively I’ll be overcome by a compulsion to save those photos… to use where and when, I’m never very certain at that point in time but I suppose it’s always good to have a bank of images to inspire when days are grey.

So for this week, I’m drawn to:
1. colors – bright, clashing, riotous colors
2. clean lines – i love how people can look neat, sleek and proper without looking pedestrian
2. whimsical combinations – what is it about multi-colored polka dots, black and white stripes, and white tiered tulle that gets to me?
3. suede – don’t you have an urge to run your fingers across that purple boot? Steve Madden, no less <3
4. lace – just a peep of it out of a blazer or running down legs is enough to send a tingle of excitement down my spine. it brings to mind glamour, parties, activity…

I suppose this outfit a couple of days ago would be a nod back to colorful inspirations. Bought this skirt at a flea market a couple of weeks back and was really pleased with it because it only cost about half the price it would’ve gone for at any f21 store in S’pore. On a side note, my love for Pull and Bear has been rekindled. On my feet you’ll see a new pair of wedges that I happened to spot at Pull and Bear and the fit was just right. Though a little pricey, I couldn’t resist. =) Shall take it as a reward for having pulled through my exam on Monday. Those are the excuses that make for a hardcore shopaholic no?

(gah, sorry about the terribly messy hair. I recently got it cut and those bangs are hard to manage. Not too sure what I’ll do with it while waiting for it to grow out)

skirt: Forever 21 (flea market)
top and cardigan: random shop in HK
belt: Dorothy Perkins
wedges: Pull and Bear

photo credits: lookbook.nu, flickr.com, weheartit.com

BCBG Max Azria Fall RTW 08

This has got to be one of my favourite collections of the year. I love the clean lines, the proportions, the soigné silhouettes, the girly chicness, the wearability of it all. Even the most simple plain colored dress looks all the more chic cinched at the waist with a leather belt in the shape of a ribbon (pretty unique and something to try in the future). An interesting look in this collection would be the tops that appear to gravitate towards one side in a gathering of lines. On first glance, it looked to me like a one winged bird. Well, that description doesn’t do the outfit justice at all, but I do like the fall of those tops and they’re quite iconic of this collection, along with the cinched-waist look.


My dad came back from a trip to Las Vegas last week and to my complete and amazing surprise, he actually bought dresses for me and my sis. Believe it or not, but he bought them from BCBG. I nearly flipped when I saw the tiny gift bag he’d gotten from the shop. In the past he’d never get us anything at all or at the very most it would be a small teddy bear or two (and I would never have the heart to tell him that I’d sort of grown out of them awhile ago) so we were rather apprehensive when he texted that he’d gotten us ‘interesting things’. What is one supposed to expect from that sort of message? Turns out that he has rather good taste (or perhaps the sales assistants were friendly) and one of the dresses he got us was the one I’m wearing below. There’s a rather long hanging bit at the bottom that I presume you’re supposed to tie into a ribbon but even then it sort of hangs down rather low so I’m not too sure what to do with it. Maybe it’s simply because I’m a little short for the outfit? I tried searching for it on the website to see how it should be worn but it wasn’t there anymore. Any other ways of tying it such that it might look nicer? Now I just need an occasion to wear it to… =)

and to pass it on…

The lovely Romeika from A Room of One’s Own gave me these 2 awards a few days back and I’d like to say a very big thank you to her! =) She has a really great blog with really interesting and varied content ranging from comments about films, streetstyle, the runway… and she takes gorgeous outfit photos too!

I’d like to pass these on to:
1. City of Petra: Petra has a wonderful blog with loads of lovely photos and she always manages to take beautiful outfit shots and make even the simplest shorts and t-shirt look great.

2. Daisy Chain Dreams: Laura takes gorgeous outfit posts and she writes candidly about the ongoings of her life. Always a joy to read =)

3. Sweety P Style Files: SweetyP’s blog is full of varied posts about events happening, great looks on the runway and lots of photos of incredibly lust-worthy items from various online sources. The combinations she comes up with are always stylish and on the more affordable side too.

Do check these blogs out! =)

dressing for the occasion…(not)

Well as the title says, this wasn’t exactly the most appropriate outfit for what I yesterday — prawning. That’s right, prawning. After my paper, instead of going out to town to celebrate, I met up with a couple of my junior college friends to catch prawns at Bottletree Park, a little village-like park that I’d never even heard of before though it’s pretty conveniently located near an mrt station. It’s a very peaceful sort of place, reminiscent of the villages that people in the old days used to inhabit in Singapore. It was surprisingly crowded; lots of little kids cycling and running around while their parents (dads primarily) sat around the pond waiting for the prawns to bait. I have to say though that prawning isn’t really my thing. If I had absolutely nothing in the world to do, perhaps I’d consider doing it just to pass the time… it doesn’t help that I was terrible at it; the only one to not have caught a single prawn. (I would’ve posted some photos of the prawning process… but not sure how partial you guys would be towards seeing live prawns being caught…)

Don’t worry, I’m not insane. Of course I wouldn’t wear something like that if I had gone out solely to catch prawns. I’d planned on going to a shopping mall with my friend at night to walk around and watch Twilight so am not completely out of my mind. In the end I switched to flats.

On a side note, I’m now a major fan of Twilight! I suppose this was a little late in coming, seeing how the books have been out for ages and the movie premiered about a month ago in the U.S, but it only just came out over the weekend over here and I managed to watch it last night! =) I must unabashedly admit that I’ve wholeheartedly joined the legions of girls who would love to marry Edward Cullen. It was a great romantic movie for me. Even though there are those who’d scoff and say the series is merely teenage chick lit without much literary merit, I’m sure it must’ve been every girl’s dream at some point or another to be able to love someone who has the ability to sweep you off your feet (and we all know Edward’s capable of that with his agility), has killer good looks, gentlemanly traits to die for, anddrives a Volvo. And the fact that it makes one dream again…that’s enough to make me a fan of the book. I feel like a 12 year old girl again.

(I’m now a proud owner of the first book of the series. Anyone else a fan? ;p)

dress: flea market
necklace: Aldo
heels: SoleLovers