airport wear!

i love my drop crotch pants, but they are officially hard to style.

been googling pictures for the past hour looking for inspiration

at last i own something from A Bathing Ape!
this cult brand from Japan apparently doesnt have a store front, but moves every few weeks

how awesome is that!
<3

cause i m leaving on a jet plane, dont know when i ll be back again :)

so i leave tomorrow for singapore!
been packing and packing but somehow i still feel i ve forgotten something
am still undecided if i m daring enough to heck the world(!) and wear my sleeveless clothes thus exposing untoned arms (wahhhhhhhh) or live in a cardigan even though its 75645349 degrees and HUMID
or if i should bring back my Rolex and get it fixed
with the Australian dollar so weak it might be cheaper here after all

and i still dont have my return flight, but fingers crossed the wait list will free up soon, if not i would be stranded on an island like robinson crusoe with no way back

but i m getting excited, lee has convinced me of the wisdom of her ways ;) even the stress of meeting relations and parent's friends has been allayed. momentarily anyway.
and i know there's good food waiting. calling to me. like ursula tempting ariel but in this case instead of me giving up my voice i m giving up my waist. hehe.
and duty free shopping
and SICC. ahh my baby.

speaking of shopping (well not really but in my head it totally linked)
i m fascinated by the australia boxing day shopping tradition
and i find it fun! its not a chore (well at least for the first 2 hours), and the crazy atmosphere is very enticing

stayed over at tracey's and syahir's before leaving at 5+ am
syahir and i didnt sleep so were a bit groggy when we reached Chadstone
David Jones was open at 6 am
Myer and assorted others at 7 am

then the doors open

WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
what a super rush
hehehe

then it becomes like this (see below) and you just want to stab someone so you can leave the whole darn mall



didnt buy too much because the queues were impossible
Country Road and Guess in particular were shocking
the lines were wiggly
like a freakin curly fry it went round and round and round. urgh
also went for the 24hour shopping event at Chaddy on 23rd and 24th
so i never thought i ll say this, but i m all shopped out.

will upload pictures of my new goodies when i m in Singapore, as they are currently packed nicely in my luggage, which is -miracles of miracles, only 22 kilos.

22!
hahah

just saying

if i could wear anything in the world for tomorrow's christmas eve dinner
i would wear the outfit, top to toe



and if it werent possible, then i would choose this:



these creations from chanel prefall 09 is AMAZING.
i want a babushka fan now
i love russian!
:)

lanvin is one of my favourite things in the world
but

WAHT IS THIS?
elbaz, you are creative genius, but this looks like my retarded preschool attempt at paperchain dolls.

or else just a winged frog, with those skin flaps around to body

jingle bells

just to get into the christmassy mood

happy holidays everyone!

okay i m excited cause i'm meeting the dents for lunch tomorrow
unfortunately i got carried away and told everyone the dress code was red and green and white and gold

URP.
i m going to look like santa's elf on crack

:D

the jin chronicles

jin is back in Melbourne for a holiday!

been feeling like i am on an overseas trip,
what with the uncharacteristic sunny weather, re-exploring the city,
sleepovers and of course, doing what we do best
eating and shopping

i m still stuffed!
behold the photographic evidence, you ll either be in some major food envy or be horrified
hehe

DAY 1

indulged in our very favourite, chicken ribs and fried rice from Wing Cheong. Ask for the ginger sauce! Then shopped for 6 hours straight, browsing all over the city, revisting all our fondest shops

hehehe

DAY 2
After coming back from a road trip to Mt Dandenong, we stayed at my house for a bit, before going back to the city for hotpot and Ten Ren. Wanted to hit up a new night at a club where DJ Peril was playing for nostalgia's sake, but ended up reading Archie comics and playing Nintendo DS at Joyce's. Which was just as satisfying

Brace yourself for image onslaught!



i wore a Blue Illusion linen cardigan, American Apparel tank, Quiksilver denim bottoms which i ripped and frayed, black stockings and ballet flats. Bag was a present when i was in Italy, handcrafted by Saffiano's. The daisy pendant is from Valleygirl


parrot heaven with king parrots, rosellas, galahs and cockatoos

Pie on the Sky in Ollinda. Great pie shop with queues a mile long in peak hour, but worth it
Sassafron has a great place called Ms Marple's Tea Room. I LOVE IT. Agatha Christie is my favourite author, so having the place modelled after St Mary's Mead DROVE ME NUTS. ORDER THE SCONES. the fresh cream and home-made strawberry jam is to die for. as is the tea, desserts (i had trifle. TRIFLE! IN AUSTRALIA!) and everything else on the menu. Heck, even the menu was great. and waitresses were in maid uniforms. ahh!!


5/5. this place is a must-see.

Hotpot at Little Mama near Milano apartments. Chongqing was too full, so tried this place. Pretty average, but i ve had worse.


Ten Ren tea station for my beloved green tea jelly

DAY 3

made plans to visit Queen Victoria market, but ended up suffering the after-effects of hotpot and so, slept in and pigged out on Ferrero Roches. stayed at Joyce's till lunch, went to the St Kilda arts market. had lunch at Clamms (order the scallops!), free Red Bull at Luna Park, bubble tea at Ten Ren (again), green tea frappe from Starbucks, korean food for dinner and Freddo's gelati for dessert

sounds scary doesnt it.
balanced out unhealthy eating habits with a good stiff bout of shopping at Spencer street DFO.

Clamms at St Kilda for the best fish and chips
Han Guuk Guan for korean food. this place is like a complicated pilgrimmage, you have to walk through hidden lanes to find it, before you are rewarded with the chap chye and bulgogi
Dolce Freddo on Lygon for gelato, the palce was packed with the overseas student crowd.

its only been 3 days. and jin is here for 3 weeks.
its gonna be GREAT.
heheh

4 days till christmas!
just saying
:)

mood: very down and whingy :(
PMS-ing parentals, serious budgeting issues, uncontactable friends, Leo not replying my SMS, weight gain of 7kg (OMGOMGOMG), pimple scar on left cheek, and crooked teeth
major ugly day

i cant believe i might not be able to go back to Singapore
please please please let me get in on the wait list!

Stuff Singapore Airlines, as if whack me with a $5000 one way business class ticket.
ONE WAY. and BUSINESS. not even Raffles class.
argh
35,000 KrisFlyer mileage
(heeheee, at first i misheard and thought it was $35,000)
thats a 40% increase from last year by the way.
sigh.

so depressing.

uploading Queensland photos now
i wish my holidays never end
i detest returning to reality.

in the hotel

couldnt resist a little Spongebob and Patrick



<3 Dreamworld. the Big Drop is the best ride EVER. see that pole we re all pointing to? ITS HUGE. and you freefall down its length

like so:


BEACH


Wet Water Wonderland. We had low expectations for this, but it was even better than Wet and Wild. Seriously. This place was GREAT

the Green Room

Pacific Fair mall

okay i feel much better now
i love airbrush tattoos



wish they were real though
zexy!

nutshell

this is going to be a very wham-bam-thank-you-mam sort of post, leaving for Queensland tonight, and have some last minute packing to do.

life has been hectic lately, i cant wait to unwind in the Gold Coast with T and S.
sun, sea and surf!

so i graduated from finishing school today. i m certified!
i m surprised not many people know what it is or have the wrong idea, maybe its not a big thing here in Melbourne, but if you have the time and money, its really something i recommend you try.

even though this course is quite basic, (its one week full-time as opposed to the 17 week full-time period it used to run) it covers enough for you to leave confident that you can project the image you want, and can carry yourself well in any social situation. it covers a lot of things rather briefly, but since its a life-time learning process that you can keep going back for, its really worth the effort. and the teachers are so nice, felt a bit of deja vu, like i was back in Lauriston.

Here s a small feel of a few of the days

dining settings and social etiquette
deportment (complete with runway!)

elocution: In Hartford, Hereford, and Hampshire, Hurricanes Hardly Happen!
grooming: hair and nails
day/evening makeup

anyway, it was fun and i'm glad i went.
though i am exhausted because at nights after finishing school, i ve been trying to hit up as many events as possible before i leave for Singapore.

Kookai Party on Chapel Street

the girls
the lady in blue is Danielle Vaugn, creative director for Kookai. And she is so lovely to talk to!
with Kookai store-owner Nat
major canape love! as usual.

Tony Bianco Party at Spencer Street DFO

Anthony Bianco (yes Tony's son) and Simone
the sale!
the party

this event was extra thrilling cause Paris Wells was there!


just met up with Wyn, Jou, Pea and Sylvia for dinner at Claypots
its a seafood restaurant on Barkly St, St Kilda
and the seafood is AMAZING. AND FRESH. AND MELT IN YOUR MOUTH
the king tiger prawns were as big as my hand.
and they had organic coke!

just dont order the 'Malay' style claypot, it wont taste authentic.
and go early as the place gets packed!


chilli crab
stingray

6/10 rating just cause the chilli crab and king prawns were splendid, and the other dishes average

i m feeling really lucky now, my friends spoil me so badly.
:)

okay i have so much more to say, but the clock is ticking and i dont want to be in Wet and Wild (!?!? who comes up with these names) and realise i forgot my bathers, so i m going to finish packing.

see you in a week!

plug and play

as promised, here are some of the pictures from the barbeque a few days ago!
Docklands Park really is the most amazing place
a tram stop, bbq pits, swings, hills, grassland, slides
you name it, they ve got it



i wore a Laura Ashley t shirt which was paint splattered and ripped
(a pumice stone and a pair of scissors is all you need), grey Gasp skinnies, platform booties and arm candy



was plesantly surprised by some presents, diamante earrings and book(above), leggings and cufflinks

thank you so much guys, it really made me feel loved!







should really learn to photoshop these into one image, but i am notoriously bad at IT skills. clare, teach me?

went over to Anik's after for sauna and jacuzzi use



the sauna light blew, so decided to tell ghost stories in 70 deg heat
hehe
resulted in a bloody nose for the next 2 days, but so worth it
:)

stayed over at Jia's on tuesday after her hotpot party
spice is addictive.
i love it!





happy birthday dear! :D

i have so many more things i want to blog, but have been so tired lately
i ve been falling asleep on public transport, in elocution class at finishing school, at bookstores and at lunch. i cant keep my eyes open.
think i might leave the other pics for another day

i m really enjoying finishing school, even though i was complaining before about it cutting my holidays short.
its nice to have a refresher course, and i dont care what anyone says, it makes me feel better to have my etiquette teacher emphasize the importance of promptly sending in your RSVP. (my pet gripe)

and i see what my mom meant before by saying my deportment was getting slack.

even the lunch times are great, i ve been exploring the city and having lunch at different places, with the serious and stern-faced business people who invariably wear black and eat by themselves out of choice to get their alone time.
ate at Kenzan GPO today, which was crowded as usual, but very satisfying.

so upon my turning 20
i have successfully avoided 'flipping the bird' at people, got a haircut, shopped less and not gotten very tipsy at events.

i just need to clean my room and set up a new bank account and my list will be complete!