rubbish things i post because i'm so pissed i have so much work and i can't have a proper holiday.
this was one of the best dresses to wear for cny visiting. it's loose enough and there are pockets big enough to slot in and hide the ang paos collected without having to carry around a bag to hide the red packets in. plus there is so much detail.







the best remover of waterproof mascara. after trying so many (chanel's smell great but it's not good enough; neutrogena smells too sweet), this one is the best make up remover of them all.


to fake higher cheekbones, high beam works anytime.


sammie gave me this for christmas. it works!


dwell's a good magazine. i might get a suscription next time. but priority is monocle and elle decor.


audrey poster from ying


perfume in a beautiful bottle.


furry pouch from sharon with a beady zip accessory.


something i bought to keep for reminders and to lend potential architecture kids.

lots of cake.

yesterday at dinner we celebrated hann's birthday with chocolate cake. last week it was my boss's birthday and mf ordered a cake from this special shop in riverwalk and the cake was black sesame and wasabi - exquisite and interesting and pretty to boot.

the week

on thursday i met hannah for tea at novus cafe in the museum. it's a nice and quiet respite from the city on a weekend. we had a nice conversation, fruit juices and a lime pie which was great.




cny in a nutshell

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
e.e. cummings (1894-1962)

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,mysweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the rot and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

"He must increase, but I must decrease."
- John 3:30

"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;"
- 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

i had tea with hannah today at novus cafe in the national museum and we had some good conversation in which there was the reminder that we can't do it on our own strength and the less we think about ourselves, the more love we can give to those around us and the more we can overcome our weaknesses.

chinese new year

wedding titbits



while doing wedding research online i've made so many nice discoveries - so many websites with inspiration and nice ideas for weddings that have links to cool fashion and design stuff and spaces; initially i thought i shouldn't stress so much about the wedding but i figured i'm only going to do this once in my lifetime and i can indulge as much as i want ogling at all the pretty things online; it ain't stressing over the details as much as putting a little more thought into things.

the wonderful thing about this engagement period is we get to do all these projects together and in the midst of it he still says all these wonderful things to me and he still looks at me in that way, and more. "i love you till my heart aches", he tells me; and we soak in the quiet of our soon-to-bedroom in the moonlight/lamplight/neighbours' house lights with the upstairs neighbour's twine-y plant hanging down outside our window against the newly painted walls; we hold hands and walk from room to room over and over, in the dark and in the light; the space is perfect; the sounds are perfect; the view are perfect; i still think how amazing it is this being intuitive and ability to read each other's physical/visual/verbal nuances and just being in tune; awesome. the fun in the mundane - finding a new peephole (stainless steel) for the cheapest price - i'm proud of you my man; maybe you know you are in the right kind of love when it you're not protective of it; instead it makes you want to give more love, not just to your significant other, but to all that you meet; sometimes intentional, sometimes not. this is because you're always assured of its exisitence, in the now and in the future; and you're comfortable in it; it's made up of you and him, not just you or him. i think that's beautiful and i'm grateful i can feel something like that.

some quotes from rilke while i was flipping through one of his books; he never fails to startle my heart and mind with his words, even in translation;

“If your everyday life seems poor, don't blame it; blame yourself; admit to yourself that you are not enough of a poet to call forth its riches; because for the creator there is no poverty and no indifferent place.”

This is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love; the more they give, the more they possess.


nice chairs.

today we watched 'bridewars' after church at shaw cinema which was very empty because today was reunion dinner day. i think it's really fun looking out for what the actresses were wearing in the show - not merely the bridal stuff that was fun to watch.

reunion dinner at granny's place was two people less cos the two older sisters are now married. it wasn't so bad. the conversations were pretty alright and the food was nice.

saturday lunch for hungry brother; and shoes.

nice

two time



so anyways i really like it when mingyao picks me up from the airport. we took an earlier flight which i prefer so mingyao won't have to be home so late after he sends me back home. we had dinner at the foodcourt - he had bought me two bo lo buns from the crystal jade cakery for breakfast the next morning knowing how much i love them - and we cruised to take a look at our apartment. in kl in a forty minute shopping spree i managed to get a pair of satin ballet flats with a wooden base from zara to replace my black flats whose base had broken into two - can't wear heels everyday and it ain't easy to find something i like so i didn't dwell on it very long- it's so pretty. blue.

this is going to be a long week - i have a lot of homework to do but it will be nice being able to sleep in if i want to - have to use this week to get back to track -try to sleep early eat healthy and go for efficient runs plus spend some time doing wedding stuff like designing the church invitation and taking hui to make a bridesmaid's dress at the tailor's; read some poetry and draw a kitchen for third uncle; meet mingyao for a movie - to be decided: the bride war or rachel getting married. maybe the former. my brain need chilling out. one day i still wanna watch ali macgraw in love story.

bro comes back tonight from his ns thailand trip - he's been gone three weeks. it's nice having the little sister at home nowadays before she flies back to melboune. mingyao: your sister learns all the crazy things from you - or something to this effect - me: yeah and she gets all the responsible traits from the other sisters.

the end.

You'd be so nice
You'd be paradise, to come home to and love

listening to vile bodies.

just do it







i bought new shoes. the old ones finally ka-putted. the sole came off and i super-glued them back with a whole baby tube of elephant glue - it stuck on rightly so but didn't do good to my knees; i could feel the lack of cushioning. so in kl last thursday i was at the mall and i saw this dark-coloured one to replace my black and pink one. the design is smart. look closely. the tongue is smaller at the top and that is good cos the typical one keeps going to the side when i run. this one won't. the heel is translucent and that doesn't make it look so heavy. plus i dig the ticks at the toe of the shoe. the black and blue pair were my favourite. but this season's only purple.

let's see. we'll try to wear this out by next january.

crab saturday

yesterday i went with my collegues for a steamboat dinner and we went to blue jazz pub at bali lane after that - a lot of thai architects hang out there. aim and force from my office were very happy meeting their chulalongkorn uni classmates and seniors there. it's a chill and unpretentious place and the weather was so breezy last night.

today ee jie and mark the other brother-in-law treated us to crab at long beach for helping out with their home. pepper and chilli. crab is good. mantou is great! mingyao and i went to our place again to check on some things. it's so breezy.

today the light is nice. i took photos.

so it is valentino red!

hey.




"Where you lead, I will follow
Anywhere that you tell me to
If you need, you need me to be with you
I will follow where you lead"

carole king. song.

apartmento!







i chanced upon the magazine in kinokuniya and immediately bought it! it's quite quirky and cool, and i love the size and texture of the paper. it's got some random stuff too! it's only issue two. ok another magazine to add to the collection.

on a separate note, i think the picture i found online, below looks so cute! i think wedding prep is kinda fun in the internet age because there are so many chic funky wedding websites/blogsites! it's so inspiring and super chic!