Category Archives: HOLIDAYS

JIMMY CHOO SUNGLASSES AND BALLET FLATS

15 February 2013 6 comments

I’m actually not a massive fan of Jimmy Choo or anything. I mean, I like the stuff, but it’s not a brand I actively seek out or get ridiculously excited about. I own a few pairs of their shoes and that’s it.

That is, until we were in NYC and I spotted these:

Jimmy Choo sunglasses in turquoise

 

FREAK OUT!!!!

Bit of background about my love-hate affair with sunglasses. I don’t own many, or shop for them, because more often than not, they DON’T fit me.

My problem?

I have a flat face. I don’t know a more pleasant way of putting it!

I have a flat/non-existent nose bridge, and so 99% of sunnies fall off my face. I do have very high cheekbones though, so generally sunnies just sit… errr.. propped up on my cheeks. Only thing is, when I smile, they lift up… and I just look weird ;)

These Jimmy Choo sunglasses, however, fit me PERFECTLY. Why? They have those sticky-out nose thingys that I can pull out to sit better my (lack of) nose bridge…. and they are SUPER LIGHT. Like ridiculously lightweight. I think they frame my face perfectly, if I do say so myself, and they fit properly.

Yayness!

And… well… I guess that gorgeous shade of turquoise may have played a part in me LEAPING to grab them ;)

 

I like the teeny silver star!

 

Not a very good photo, but here’s Hunter and I modelling our sunnies

 

The other thing I got from the store were these Jimmy choo leather flats.

In this craaaazy bright orange!!

Both Dad and Chris looked rather alarmed when I proudly paraded them around. Men, what do they know?

Jimmy Choo leather flats

 

I like how perfect the little bows are, and the shape of the curve of the toe. They just feel like quality! Plus, these little metal nameplates on the back are just toooo cute.

Name plates

 

They have really sturdy soles, which is great for wet/slippery footpaths. And the patent orange just screams LOOKATME!

But…. I’ve only worn these once out whilst shopping in a mall, and haven’t worn them since. I’m too obsessed with my Holster jelly sandals and pretty much wear them daily now. And so I’ll likely sell these Jimmy Choo flats (they’re a size 37) since they’re so cute and in mint condition (even the bottoms of the shoes look brand new!). If you’re keen just drop me a line – they come with their dustbag and shoebox :)

 

 

PROENZA SCHOULER POUCH & WALLET

1 February 2013 8 comments

So when we were in New York, I squeezed in a bit of shopping here and there ;) Hellooooo we are in the shopping capital in the world, what else do you expect??

I popped into the Proenza Schouler boutique.. one of my favourite brands. I adore my PS1 satchel, but I just don’t use it anymore because it only worked for me when I was working. It was chic enough to be an office ‘briefcase’, but soft and slouchy enough to still be cool and casual. Since then, I prefer small bags and preferably cross-body, because I often need to throw a bag on over my shoulder in a split second to pick up a kid, or collapse a stroller, or whatever. So, the PS1 satchel is completely impractical for me (probably going to sell it off) and this one caught my eye…..

 

Proenza Schouler pouch in orange

 

I absolutely LOVED the colour once I spotted it on the shelf in the boutique! Tried it on, and decided the colour was absolutely “me” – I adore vibrant, bright colours.. and despite being an ‘out there’ colour, I use it as an every day bag. Figure it’s a statement colour so I don’t bother matching it up.

The pouch is a lovely soft leather, and the colour is really rich and saturated. It’s practical and……… HAVE YOU SEEN THE INSIDE??

 

Compartments and zips!

 

For a small bag, it sure has a lot of compartments and zippered pockets! Super duper practical. When I get frazzled, I can easily reach in and grab the item I want, without having to rummage around for a minute to locate it. And, well, it looks cute :P

I liked it so much that I ended up getting the matching wallet a few weeks later online :P

Proenza Schouler leather in orange

 

It’s in the exact size I like. What is it with all these gigantic long wallets these days?? They aren’t wallets, they’re full on bags!! So big, so long, than you need a giant bag to carry it in… Not to mention, they’re always super heavy. And then if you want a small wallet, you end up with this tiny coin pouch thing which is impractical too.

And for some odd reason, it’s hard to find a medium sized wallet? So I was really pleased to discover this one suited my needs.. plus it went all matchy-match with my bag ;) Excellent.

Neat and practical interior

 

My lil boy can differentiate between bag brands – he associates all LV bags he sees with my Mum, and all Balenciaga/Proenza Schouler bags with me ;)

 

This ring is special to me because Hunter spotted it and went “This one, Mama. Pretty.” How could I resist?

 

STAYCATION AT SENTOSA

31 January 2013 9 comments

We had a mini staycation at the club where Hunter’s 2nd birthday party was held. We did this at last year’s party too, and it’s always a fab idea because we have somewhere to dump all our stuff, and Hunter can have a good nap before the start of the party. Plus, it’s sooooooo nice to just go upstairs and crash afterwards! Best. Idea. Ever.

 

Checking in. I like those lounges!

 

In the bathroom. Hunter’s face just makes me LOL

 

Kiddies chilling out in the morning, watching cartoons

 

Morning, sunshine!

 

Just to be cruel, the weather was awesome in the morning.. which was just rude, considering Hunter’s birthday party the day before was such a wash out. It was bright, sunny, and gorgeous!

A wonderful morning

 

Soaking in the sun

 

At the breakfast bistro

 

Hi guys!

 

“Mama, sunnies please. TOO BRIGHT.”

 

Burping the munchkin

 

We went for a dip in the pool after breakfast, since it was still so sunny. The water wasn’t that warm though, since it rained the entire day before. Didn’t stop the kids, they jumped right in!

“Dig my floaties?”

 

Paddling away

 

Too cool for school

 

Walking laps up and down the pool

 

My Dad and Carter sitting in the water… before the Great Fall.

 

So, see the picture above? Carter was sitting on Dad’s knee, quite merrily enjoying dipping his legs into the water. I didn’t bring his swimmers though, so he couldn’t have a swim – a bummer since he’s never been in a proper pool in his life.

Well, Carter had his first swim after all!

Or should I say, dunking? ;)

Where Dad was sitting was a step, which he was resting his feet on. The jacuzzi jets were on, so he didn’t realise it was a step, and thought it was just a shallow pool. He got up to walk with Carter and…. *PLONK*!!

Fell straight into the deep water.

Holding Carter.

At first I wasn’t sure why Dad had jumped into the water.. especially since he’d told me just 2 minutes ago that he didn’t want to swim. Then I realised “EEEEEEK HE HAS CARTER! WHERE IS HE??” and then I realised he was carrying Carter, who had gotten dunked in with him. I think everyone else was just in shock!

Carter, quite unhappy with the shock of the cold water, screamed blue murder for a couple of seconds until we wrapped him up in a warm towel.

So the poor bub’s first swim probably wasn’t the most ideal. Hope it hasn’t scared him off swimming forever ;)

Poor bub after his unceremonious first swim

 

Giving the stink eye to the pool ;)

 

HOME SWEET HOME

17 January 2013 3 comments

Our flight back home to Singapore was actually pretty non-eventful. I’ve learned that with 2 babies, it’s best to do a day flight. That way, we just keep them occupied and if they do fuss or make a noise, other passengers are more forgiving since no one is really sleeping. Plus, we don’t feel the pressure to “QUICK get them to sleep cos it’s their bedtime!”

The flight was chockers with babies!! The lady at check-in counter said that it was practically half full with kids ;) And it was true. Every single row had at least 1 baby/kid sitting in a seat. Felt sorry for people with low/zero-tolerance of babies… and could practically hear their “ARGGGHHHH CRAP!” in their heads when they realised the plane was full of kids ;)

Well, happy to report that both of ours were on their best behaviour through the whole flight. Thank goodness!

SuperDad baby-carrying and pushing baby in stroller. As you do!

 

All settled in before take-off. See that blonde-haired boy next to me? He was singing in fluent Mandarin! Couldn’t believe my ears…

 

WE HIT THE PARENTAL JACKPOT!!!! Both babies asleep for the last few hours of the flight *fistpump*

 

My little hipster. All cool and suave in his……. Sesame Street pjs.

 

Now belting out “Twinkle twinkle little star”, albeit distractedly

Hunter strumming his guiture and belting out “Wheels on the bus” at home

A DATE AT WATERS EDGE RESTAURANT IN CANBERRA

16 January 2013 2 comments

With the kids snugly tucked into bed and babysat by Chris’ parents, Chris took me out on a wonderful dinner date at the Waters Edge Restaurant. I was excited – it was our first (and last) proper date during our Canberra trip.. and the thought of us being alone sans kids was just so deliciously enticing :P

It started off pretty badly because actually, Chris had made the booking for their sister restaurant, Courgette. Unbeknownst to him, Courgette was closed over the Christmas/New Year season. So he dialed Courgette’s number, and it was auto-redirected to Waters Edge WITHOUT informing him. The waiter at Waters Edge restaurant took his reservation without warning him that this was an entirely different restaurant.

So of course, we turned out at Courgette. We were really weirded out to find it closed, since we had made the reservation. But because I vaguely remembered that they had a sister restaurant, I deduced that maybe our reservation was there instead.

We called Waters Edge to check, and YES, the reservation was there! No apology from the staff, however.

So we jumped back into the car and drove to Waters Edge. The service staff were friendly and polite, but very obviously understaffed. We waited half an hour for our order to be taken. When we mentioned we wanted to order wines, the waiter said he’ll put our food order through first and would “be right back”. A very long 15 minutes later, he came to take our drinks order.

I should also mention that they didn’t proactively refill our water glasses – something I consider a sign of attentive service in a nice restaurant. I asked them 3 times to refill.

We had to wait 20-30 mins for the waitress to come round with the bread rolls. I was bloody STARVING because it was 9PM by now and we had only just ordered our food, so Chris almost had to physically restrain me from tackling her to the ground as she strolled around the room slooowwwly.

They also completely forgot about our truffle mash, which we ordered as a side dish. When we pointed this out, he said “I’ll take it off your bill.” Damn straight you will, buster!! I actually expected, with the delayed ordering and forgotten side, they would offer a complimentary coffee or something – but nada.

Anyway, those were the bad points. It was annoying, but not really a deal breaker.. just that it made the evening a little less than perfect. We still thoroughly enjoyed our food and our time together just chatting and laughing. Our lives are so consumed with kids these days that it’s nice to have a little breather sometimes :)

 

My wonderful man outside Waters Edge restaurant

 

That whipped butter had the best texture, but tasted like smoked bacon butter. When we asked, he said it was “smoked apple butter”. OK whatever, it seriously tasted like smoked bacon!!

 

Spanner crab roulade, chilled tomato consomme, seeded mustard ice cream – the consomme was a bit of a weird combination, but loved the crab!

 

Quail and foie gras terrine, picked rhubarb, barberry and vanilla – eeeeek fantastic. Then again, I can never fault foie gras

 

Warm prawn cocktail with blood orange and spicy avocado cream – this looked pretty anemic on the plate, but the mix of flavours and textures (especially that gorgeous cream sauce) was excellent

 

Caramelised pork belly, boudin noir, crisp apple and radish – HOLY SMOKES this was perfection. Lusciously soft and tender, I wanted 6 more pieces of this.

 

Pan seared john dory, balmain bug ravioli, fresh peas, eucalyptus – so pretty a dish. beautifully cooked fish, what more can I say?

 

White pyrenees lamb rump, smoked eggplant, capsicum terrine, quinoa – this not only look good, it tasted freakin’ good!!!!!

 

Strawberry and elderflower shortcake, meringue, sweet cucumber, wild berry sorbet – this sounded so interesting on the menu! Beautifully executed and not too sweet, but that “sweet cucumber” was completely odd..

 

Cheeses with walnut bread, fruit and crackers – ahhhh a cheese platter at the end of a meal. How can you go wrong?

 

Lovely ambience and food, all washed down with a sparkling pinot noir. A much-needed date night out.. and we felt so reinvigorated afterwards :) Totally recommend this place for a date in Canberra, but just confirm you’re going to the right restaurant and go EARLY, or your meal will end up finishing past 11PM like ours did!