devilishly pleasurable

wind-tousled by the lamp post

2011-08-29T03:55:00.000+01:00

It's probably quite obvious that Burlesque is something D and myself enjoy quite a bit. This time we got tickets to La Bordello Boheme at the Proud Brighton Ballroom. Of all the different Burlesque-ish events we've been to over in Brighton, this one ranks as the best. Nevertheless, dressing up for it forms part of the pleasure itself, calling once again for feather eyelashes. A loose red pleated dress reminiscent of my mother's but worn with its straps down, a long silver necklace to mimic a toga look, hair pinned up loosely (only to be destroyed by the wind, as in the photographs above), and my dragon tights complete the look. Eyebrows that have been further darkened (extra-black waterproof eyeliner helps!) further channel the energy. . .

Zara dress; Mango silver necklace; my mother's chain belt; dragon tights via Ebay; Dolce&Gabanna triple-strapped MaryJanes; CottonOn/WishYouWereHere/Diva rings; Chanel handbag

a phrenology head in floral prints

2011-07-25T18:49:00.000+01:00

There's something extremely charming about shirts that are too big for you. They look fantastic when tucked into high-waisted shorts (a similar style last seen in my first-ever post) or short skirts. This means that those beautiful printed shirts you find whilst thrifting or as the last piece on the sales rack that are too big for you can actually be worn. It also means that you can happily steal your man's/brother's/father's shirts, and get them writhing in jealousy that their clothes actually look better on you, whilst cheekily retorting that you're doubling the mileage for their clothes ;)

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So, this is actually my grandmother's top. She'd bring us all to the textile shop to select patterns a few times a year, so she could tailor them. I love some of the prints*, so I took a few when she passed on-- it's a good way of remembering someone so very close to you and I hate to see clothes go to waste. Sometimes I find myself taking things no one else wants, whether stuff that's passed on or hanging sadly in the unwanted sales rack but I guess if you see meaning and/or potential in something, why not. For some time I wondered just how I could use them-- as the cut was more senior citizen than for 20-year-old-me back then-- and one day it struck me to wear them with very short bottoms. Voila. Wicked! On hindsight I should have taken them all because they were quality textiles and could be easily worked into any outfit. Anyway, I digress.

Large shirt (with sleeves rolled up and a few buttons undone) + high-waisted shorts + a few pieces of bold jewelry = chic summer look

And going out in bunches, of course. I love that look. Plus if you sleep with your hair bunned up high on both sides, you wake up with beautiful soft waves. Sometimes you just want to go out looking a bit mad.

*Which I helped select quite happily. You see, whenever my mother accuses me of being very vain, I tell her I am an extreme version of her and her mother (i.e. my grandmother) combined.

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top from my grandmother; Adam high-waisted shorts; Mango belt; Aldo shoes; Roccobarracco handbag; vintage bracelet; Accessorize earrings

This is basically me following my own Five Second Makeup Face routine. This is Face (a), achieved by a quick wash of eyeshadow. The Five Second Makeup Face is pretty much what I do almost everyday, unless I'm going out for a meal, a date with D, to meet some friends, or just deciding to play with makeup for the hell of it. But indulging in so little makeup has been refreshing ever since I gave up on foundation and mascara everyday. A simple skincare routine + sunblock + BB cream + eyebrow pencil followed by Five Second Makeup seems to suffice.

I love phrenology heads. D and I were once chatting about phrenology heads and then we started googling for them as well as 92891313 different concepts before realising it was 6am already. We both expressed that we wanted one, and the next thing we knew, we saw an original one by Fowler in a shop window the next day. Talk about madness. The mattress on the floor is a Thai Triangle Cushion, purchased recently for guests to sleepover on, because D launched an endless tirade against 'horrible, ugly blow-up mattresses that take forever to blow up, they are a joke". This has been a fantastic investment though (despite price differentials when compared with the blow-up mattress)-- a functional and beautiful piece of furniture that folds up into a neat pyramid when not in use. Of course, because it is so comfortable, it remains laid out all the time and I spend all my time lying on it.

your bespoke signature makeup step you must meet

2011-07-21T21:05:00.001+01:00

via here

Believe me, this will rank amongst one of the most worthwhile exercises you'll ever do.

Every girl who loves makeup or uses makeup will need this sometime. We've all got one of those freak days when we sleep past our alarm clocks before jolting up, grabbing the clock and shouting out loud, "Shit! Five minutes and I'm supposed to be out of the door or I'll be late!" in a frenzied squinty haze. During my first episode a few years back, I remember declaring somewhere, "It is now possible to wash up, dress and look quite made up in five minutes". In retrospect, that would never have been possible if I didn't know that one vital step of makeup my face loves. Five sweet seconds of eyeliner bliss, shading in the crease line of my double eyelid, and out of the door I flew. Whilst I can't profess to be as proficient as this or this,

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Set aside about fifteen minutes for this exercise. Begin with a clean face devoid of makeup. Pick one feature, and apply some makeup to it quickly. Just one or two products.

The rule: this must not take more than fifteen seconds.

For the eyes,
(a) A quick wash of eyeshadow on your lids
(b) A simple flick of liquid eyeliner
(c) White eyeliner on your waterline-- an instant I Look Awake trick
(d) Some white/coloured eyeshadow on the inner corners of your eye
(e) A single coat of mascara
(f) Using kohl to colour along the crease line of your double eyelids. This works wonders if your eyelids are not deep-set!

We will call each face according to its alphabetical assignation. For instance, I may try Face (c).

Take a good look at that face and examine if it has the right effect for you-- does it make your face pop? Does it make you look more polished or more awake. Take a quick photograph or two of that face.

Remove the product(s) you just added.

Try on another face. Repeat the same steps, including the photograph.

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Ideas for the cheeks and lips include: (g) blush on the apples; (h) blush under the apples of your cheeks to sculpt your cheekbones; (i) one coat of nude gloss; (j)painted red lips.

Brainstorm and come up with a list before you begin, and add to the list as you explore. Be sure to label each photograph-- or at least know which Face each photograph maps to.

Line up all the photographs on your computer screen. Or if you want, print them; or use Polaroids.

Pick out the one that has the Ta-dah! effect on your appearance. That will be the emergency look and the quick-fix within your bag of tricks. If you're greedy like me, produce a stellar lineup of your Top Three Faces.

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via here

Personally, I think this tip is useful for situations beyond emergencies. If you're staying in for a period of time, upset that you're looking frumpy because you're busy doing chores or rushing out certain deadlines. Just that magic five, ten or fifteen seconds can make a difference, if even to yourself when you glance at your reflection. Or, if you're away camping and want to look just a little enhanced, this could come in handy. Otherwise, take the lessons learnt from this exercise into knowing what to add to your current everyday makeup face when you're suddenly required to look extra-good. A surprise last-minute date? A meeting in which you're going to present your work? A friend inviting you for a party after work or school. . Go figure ;)

anatomy of a wicked summer picnic

2011-07-19T01:31:00.003+01:00

Oh, summer! The sun is shining comfortingly, the grass is lusciously inviting, and everywhere you feel life teeming voluptuously. So why not picnics? I love picnics. . unfortunately I only remember having a few in my childhood and never any more later, with no idea just why. So inspired by The Best Friend's picnic photos, I declared to D we must have a picnic, with work and general distractions seeing the months pass by, before eventually materialising in a very greedy, spontaneous affair up on the Tor in June. The Best Friend and her boyfriend were planning to visit Brighton for my birthday weekend, so like two happy chirpy girls, we decided that a picnic (and loads of photographs!) would be on the agenda. Within a mad flurry of messages exchanged via Facebook, we racked our brains for a theme-- and the excuse for a dress-- and like the vintage-lovin' girl that I am, suggested the 50's era. To say it was a wonderful picnic would be a massive understatement-- our amazing other-halves cooked a storm, provided delightful company and took us fantastic photographs-- here's to fantabulous picnics in the future, and here's how

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Pick a theme, and a dress!

Our theme was vintage. More specifically, 50s. Easy-peasy, with the number of 50s dresses available online, in the markets and in my wardrobe. . Denise was really excited about it, telling me that she immediately went to Ebay to scout for her dress. I was intending to wear this playful red-and-white polka-dotted dress when D presented me with this gorgeous floral dress on my birthday complete with a crinoline, telling me "You can wear this for the picnic!". . and it would be rude not to* ;)

And on a sidenote, I love crinolines since I was a little girl, always wanting to "steal" them off brides before the wonders of Ebay and Amazon made shopping internationally convenient, the prohibitively-high shipping costs notwithstanding. Living in the UK, however, I'd always end up buying other stuff other than crinolines, so D has been so sweet to get me one. Our dresses in place, Denise was quite upset that she forgot to pack her crinoline to Brighton. On Saturday, I happily quipped, "Why not buy one here?" and she went, "No, P! I'm not going to waste any money buying more crinolines". On Sunday, however, she told me, "P, let's rush down to town and grab a crinoline". Wahoo! It'd be the two of us bulldozing down the flat in our ethereally-light crinolines. .

So yes, pick a theme, and pick your dress. Execute a detailed plan on what you are planning to accessorise your look with the night before with your friend, and let your friend talk you into carrying a Chanel handbag for a picnic, because you just feel like being a little decadent. Nevermind if the men are not going to participate in the theme, even if D deadpans, "Shall we both be naked and in dicky-bows" because . . you know they're going to love the dresses and The Look. After all, it's that which adds to the fun and bonding with gurlfriends. . .

The dress and crinoline are by Hell Bunny; shoes from Dolce & Gabanna; handbag by Chanel; headpiece by Accessorize; and pearl necklace worn as bracelet by Diva.

*"It would be rude not to"-- as what D always says. It would thus be rude not to quote him.

A gorgeous picnic hamper-- with everything strapped in

I panicked a little when I realised that we had no wicker basket or anything pretty to put our food in. A cursory Google search revealed so many awesome picnic baskets, and then I found Fine Food Stores, thinking to myself that if an empty basket from them would set me back by about £60, why not top up £30 to get loads of luxury food. Denise replied me, "I thought a picnic was frugal! Like sandwiches!" and that ricocheted me back to earth. Oh.

No more caviar and smoked venison then.

Maybe I should get a regular wicker basket, I thought. Denise went to hunt for one but with no joy, and by Wednesday I had found a pretty cute and simple one at Bert's whilst I went shopping for kitchen organisation. Then D came home from his own kitchenware hunt and told me excitedly, "There was this shop, and this amazing lined picnic basket. Proper posh. I'll take you there tomorrow. You're gonna love it". Brighton really has the most amazing stores, I may never want to leave. Lined in mint-green cloth, its beautiful utensils, porcelain plates and wine glasses were lovingly strapped in leather. And there was a salt-and-pepper shaker. And a utility knife. I fell in love. It went home with us on Friday, where I gleefully unveiled it to Denise, who went, "P I thought it was meant to be frugal?" but she fell in love too.

As I told D, I had no idea picnic baskets are so cool. He explained that the British take their picnics seriously, and hence everything is beautifully strapped up.

Verdict: This beautiful and utilitarian (best of every world!) piece from England At Home is worth every penny. A picnic basket, is, afterall reusable.

Cook up a storm

Whilst Denise and I raced down various parts of Brighton to grab her crinoline and other groceries, the boys whipped up a storm in the kitchen, and we stepped back into a gastronomically-tantalising world that took over the flat. A failsafe food plan for picnics would include sandwiches, salads, cupcakes, dried and fresh fruits, chocolates, boiled eggs, and olives. Also, remember to bring lime and lemon for your drinks.

Part of our 'search' for food began the day before at the Brighton Saturday markets, where we hauled home biltong, fresh walnut bread, pretty cupcakes, chocolate truffles; whilst D proudly unveiled king prawn rings earlier that morning.

Otherwise, this guide provides you with 101 picnic recipes prepared under 20 minutes.

Throw in your favourite drinks-- wine, juice, ginger beer-- and even a canister or two of coffee and tea.

Essential notes

Cool bags (easily available from the 99p store, no matter how ugly) and non-leak tupperware are musts for storing your foodstuffs.

As are plastic bags for wrapping up the dirty cutlery and crockery-- you don't want them to dirty your beautiful picnic basket. Of course, never forget napkins and wet tissues. For the latter, a big packet of baby wipes are highly economical. Just in case.

Finally, a picnic mat where all of you can lounge on.

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Prime location and awesome weather

By the sea, in the park, in public gardens, on your roof garden, in a secret hideaway you discovered-- anywhere that catches your fancy.

D picked Hove Park, a sprawling beautiful expanse of greenery, and found us a shaded location under a few massive trees, away from boisterous children in other parts of the same park.

Set up your tripods!

Jason is an amazing photographer (who joked that he was invited for the weekend for his camera, which is not true!) and he came with his lenses and tripod, industriously snapping away, whilst D kept going, "We can eat first then take pictures later".

But,

(1) It is a sunny day and you don't want to wait for your makeup to melt in the sun
(2) Your lipstick will progressively fade away as you drink
(3) Capturing moments is what it's all about, too.

D shakes his head at the three cameras snapping photographs of everything, because the only other alternative would be to hire a photographer for the event, which would be less fun and more expensive and not to mention, over-the-top! I'm sure D is fast learning these principles. . .

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Food photography is mandatory

Because it helps you improve your photography skills. For a long time, I used to take horrendous pictures of everything, including framing a friend's shot so much so that her head looked like it was post-execution on a platter. My only saving graces were photographs of cats and food. Now after much practice with food photography, I think my people photography has improved by leaps and bounds. And of course, after picking up tips from friends and from D.

But that aside, food photography is mandatory because. . you can trawl the pictures up in the middle of the night and drool. And, you know these pictures will always evoke lovely memories.

Pictured: Salad with boiled eggs and Kettle Chips by D and Jason; D's Wicked Gourmet Sandwiches; pretty cupcakes purchased at below half-price (a.k.a. benefit of going to the market when it is about to close!); king prawn ring (we tucked into two); Crabbies' ginger beer.

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Feed the dogs

You know how in Mary Poppins, you are asked to Feed The Birds? Well, feed the dogs when you're picnicking!

Denise accidentally dropped the rest of the biltong* onto her dress and the grass, so she threw some onto the grass, and the olfactory senses in Buster (the dog in the picture) and his girlfriend Betty immediately went into high alert.

D took the whole packet and gave it to the owners, who joked if they could join our picnic. And four very happy dogs were wolfing down biltong. Karma Points for D!

*A type of cured meat from South Africa

Feed the humans

Extra Karma Points for D! ;)

(My hair is only so beautiful because Denise is a genius!)

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Pose with your picnic basket

Hold on to the smart-looking strap to balance!

Take fun photographs

The more WTF!?, the better.

Celebrate friendship

It's one of the most beautiful blessings ever. What more when these memories are captured in picture-perfect moments, and in matching crinolines to boot.

Take beautiful portraits

It'd be criminal not to, when you're all dressed up. .

Celebrate Love

Again, I secretly quipped to Denise, "I'm so happy we both found chefs". Although we do know it is beyond the Chef Factor :)

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Take a nap

Loads of love

We could have done without the fanciness but not without the love. It's the company that maketh the difference. .

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Have you had any picnics this summer? Do tell your experiences and your tips for the best picnics! x

best face forth & stop traffic with those gorgeous legs!

2011-07-14T00:40:00.002+01:00

image of Dorothy Malone via here

So yes, I am giving a guilty little smile as I realise how my absence from Devilishly Pleasurable has been one long extended one. In between that all, I have been either very lazy or very busy, turned 25, had the most amazing 50s-style picnic over the weekend, The Chocolate Robber (a lovely staple on this site) has officially gone missing and is presumed dead :(, am quite happy with how The Lair looks like now, in the thick of summer and relishing the last two-and-a-half months before the last three years of school life officially begin. . . Cooking up new ideas and directions for the site as well as other projects on the side!

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Gorgeous summer glow!

Every girl has got loads of unwanted moisturisers, eye creams that don't work that well, and in a nutshell, a little lake of lotions and creams building in her collection. Especially when (1) you can't wait but try every pot or tube at the same time (2) one works better than another (3) something makes you break out slightly on your face (4) you have sachets of samples from magazines, friends, the beauty counters, etc

And then there may also be those bottles of liquid foundation and perfumes that you don't really use lying around collecting dust. Else, they are in the wrong shade. Personally, it pains me to see all these go to waste. Especially when you've spent £15 on some tube of moisturiser that your facial skin doesn't like. But, these can be co-opted rather ingeniously for a gorgeous all-over summer glow (or even winter, if you so desire!)

All you need is (1) a large dispenser bottle-- a gorgeous one would be lovely! (2) your growing stash of creams and lotions (3) some foundation and/or bronzer and/or illuminator (4) a few drop of perfume/essential oils.

Painstakingly decant and squeeze your creams and lotions into the big bottle. That would be 15 parts. Add 1 part of foundation/bronzer/illuminator-- this can be less, depending on how much tint you want. Bronzing powder will also do. Another good idea is to add in some anti-aging cream so your mix can do double-duty.

Then squeeze in a few drops of your favourite essential oils or perfumes. Mix whatever scents your nose loves. Spicy yet refreshing? Try black pepper + bergamot. Mysterious and sexy? Frankincense + ylang ylang. Or orange + vanilla + cinnamon to smell like pancakes and ice cream soda. Shake the bottle vigorously because you are concocting an amazing witch's brew of a cocktail. Give it a final stir.

There! Place your gorgeous bottle somewhere in your bathroom or bedroom where you will always remember to use it. Now slather it all over your you, feeling like your favourite Goddess, before going out to stop traffic with those gorgeous legs and a head-turning smile, smelling absolutely divine.

In a nutshell, this is the perfect way to smell divine, have glowing skin, cover some little imperfections (like those bruises you may get from knocking into corners all the time. . well, at least I do), eliminate wastage and clear clutter. Plus it will also be enriched with the properties of the lotions and creams you add in.

Don't have any such creams but are keen to try something like this? Buy a large bottle of unscented lotion and concoct away!

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image via Liz Earle

And, for a quick facial perk-me-up, masks are de rigeur. But sometimes, they take a little too long. One of my favourites is an "instant mask" by Liz Earle, the Brightening Treatment Mask that never fails to impart instant radiance. Containing camphor oil and toning witch hazel, as well as soothing aloe vera to boot, all you have to do is massage it onto clean, dry skin for 30 seconds to a minute before wiping it off with a warm muslin cloth. A quick-fix that makes your skin oh-so-smooth, letting your makeup glide on beautifully!

and summer puts you under its spell. . .

2011-04-23T02:40:00.004+01:00

Summer is approaching and the beaches are filled with people. Brighton is bustling, the flowers are blossoming and it is teeming with life everywhere as the sun starts to shine brighter, the days get longer, and life gets a little warmer. In the meantime, I have been holding my breath and crossing my fingers and toes till they start to spasm, going through rounds of interviews in the fight for two (or maybe one) places, and having a high fever and bad cold on the day of the final round itself. . and finally got word that I got into the course of my choice! This autumn marks the beginning of my last three years of studies. D keeps calling me Dr P prematurely now, and we have a mighty good laugh about it. . and I think I can finally start to blog properly now that the suspense and stress is over, whilst remembering that I still do have loads of winter shots swimming around in my hard disk. Some pictures over the weeks. .

The day I got my offer letter-- I guess I will forever remember 20 April 2011. . I remember how I was fretting non-stop when I was awaiting the outcome of my Masters applications back in 2009. And here came another round of fretting, to be finally broken into a smile. .

H&M striped dress; Dolce & Gabanna shoes; vintage snake cuff and Warehouse cuff; vintage navy leather belt; vintage earrings

And of course, the amazing D will always convince me to be able to have breakfast even if it's 10 more minutes to me going off to work :)

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Stark contrast to the more proper-looking outfit above. The sort of things (i.e. clothes that have been worn previously for a couple of hours) you throw together on a lazy, sunny Sunday afternoon when you're about to walk to the supermarket at 5pm only to realise that all the shops are closed. . . Eccentric shades complete the look.

Charlotte Russe dress; Zara Men denim shirt; Diva bangle; vintage green leather handbag; Accessorize necklace; Aldo shades; vintage clip-on earrings

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The Rambling Red Rose seems to be a staple. Whether on cold nights or warm evenings, whether eyes are lined with colours or shaded in a style slightly inspired by racoons. .

Superdrug red fabric rose; vintage faux fur coat

Primark floral dress

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I am somewhat guilty about how much I am The Flower Destroyer. I.e. of buds languishing in vases in pubs and restaurants. I cannot help but 'help them to bloom' before making art out of them. I remember watching the man in Art Attack make his ingenious mosaics, and perhaps here's me trying my hands at it.

When the weather warms up, The Chocolate Robber visits less. Clearly, all she wants is a warm sofa. Biatch! Here's her quite happily having leaves fall atop her. I always tell D cats are the best creatures to learn from-- all you have to do is display yourself somewhere and people will fuss over you. .

One of my student's mother baked me an amazing fresh cream cake with fruits studded in the sponge. . Needless to say we devoured it in two evenings. . .

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My favourite human being and myself. . enjoying the sunshine as it streams into the flat. The one who has been rooting for me, supporting my mad decisions, and telling me to stop fretting for the past few weeks. And the one who patiently escorted me to London for my last round of interviews when I was down with fever and a cold. .

Discovering that jackfruit is available here in tins! Gosh, I love its flavour. Tropical fruits (durians, rambutans, lychees, jackfruits) have got such a deep flavour and are so satiating that I can never have enough. I will always be a tropical girl at heart. .

Whilst teaching I discovered this gorgeous place with amazing grand buildings, and overlooking a magnificent park and the sea. Plus their bathrooms are twice the size of my living room-- it got me fantasising a huge chrome bathtub, loads of plants, a dedicated makeup counter, a hugeass sofa, and ornate mirrors leaning against the walls. I am officially jealous and am now plotting to get a place there. . You see, the building even comes with those ancient lifts with doors you have to twist open yourself and a metal gate you have to push with all your might and strength to enter-- charming! Perhaps I sound mad now, but I remember how the first (and only other) time I came across these lifts was in some old building in Cambridge with June. We were half-afraid it wouldn't work. . and then we vowed to return for photos, but never did.

Blooming daffodils. . .

And gorgeous Brighton/Hove. Have a lovely Easter weekend everyone! :)

the devil is a teeze, and the lady is a vamp

2011-03-28T21:12:00.002+01:00

It's been a little break I've taken from Devilishly Pleasurable, the clocks have adjusted, and in the thick of an extremely busy week leading up to a huge make-or-break event for me, I have fallen sick. My head is in the clouds and everything is dancing. Which is really bad news. Once every few days, the devil standing on my left shoulder whispers into my ear, "Blog! Those shoes!" and then the angel standing on the other coos, "Blog! Those shoes!". And so I've caved in while sniffing away. So yes, Those Shoes. Bordello Teeze in red and white polkadots. The most comfortable six-inches I have ever worn-- after all they are made for dancers (whilst I pretend that I am one).

One Thursday night D told me about some event called Lock In At The Rock Inn and I said, "ooh I can dress up!".

"That's what I told the friend who recommended me, 'The girl would be so excited to dress up!' ". And dress up I did. This beautiful vintage dress I got from Cambridge but had never worn thus far got belted up with my mom's awesome soft red leather belt. But prior to that, I had wandered into a shop and found a black bob wig which looks a little like the pink one Denise wore for Halloween. And I danced around the flat pretending to look like Catherine Zeta-Jones in Chicago, stuffing my thick crown of hair into it. Recently, too, we stumbled upon this brand of feather eyelashes called Stargazer. If you thought that my previous feather eyelash exploits were mad enough, this brand carries those with enough flamboyance to end all flamboyance. Although the base is a little flimsy, the lashes are SO huge I feel like there's a glamorous arachnid on my eyelids, flanked by sparkly gold tips. Funnily enough, the extra-large eyes as a result, coupled with the bob makes me look so much younger, and friendlier for a change. . With yet another new face, I told the lucky devil he had a new girlfriend for the night. Normally he calls me P44124, P92738 (kinda like Stargate planet addresses haha) and then that night we reverted to my real name, for a change.

Strangely enough, the contrasting Flower Of Life pattern tights from Pamela Mann (which he picked out) worked wickedly with the shoes. It was an experiment-- as was the contrasting of the blue with the red-- and I accessorised with some diamond stud earrings, a large gold necklace and a red Diva fabric rose ring, before slipping on a red trench coat and a quilted Chanel handbag. Off and ready for the night! Unfortunately, the event was extremely bizarre and it was slightly discomforting when people started asking me, "Are you going up to perform?". Still, we had a good time chatting over drinks after the event, and then headed back into Brighton town proper for some live music. . And of course, D had taken me more amazing photographs I was drooling over. .

Meanwhile in some underground bar, some girl came over and asked to take photographs of my legs/shoes because she was rather amazed by it. Actually the whole night, I was approached by many girls regarding my shoes/tights/wig (shiny hair!)/feather eyelashes, and I had to explain that I went to some event earlier on. And that I don't normally walk around looking like that (even if that isn't necessarily a bad thing). So she happily snapped away, and took some for D and myself. Following which I became trigger-happy documenting my shoes too. .

"This is like some CSI crime scene shot with a disembodied leg"-- D. Hah!

And of course I have to thank D for helping me decide on the colour of the shoes. I was having a tussle between black/white and red/white, where this Rational Practical Self keeps telling me I need practical shoes (or at least practical colours) because once in a while do I look at all my shoes and realise I have no practical ones save for knee-high walking boots. And he convinced me to accept my Real Love for the red/white pair. . which I keep prancing about it indoors. Hey, it's my first pair of new shoes in more than half a year. . and also a reward for an entire week of non-stop hard work earlier this month :)

I hope to be able to drop by your sites when the mayhem of this week (and the illness) blows over. . Have a glorious week ahead xxx

do you hear the people sing

2011-03-04T22:29:00.001+00:00

D and I found this pair of Wartime Secretary Pants during the Zara sale and I had to try it on because it was so cheap. It fit like a glove so I bought it, but unfortunately they ran of sizes for the matching jacket. We then discussed a French Resistance look-- I think he gets the kicks out of all the different looks that I like playing around with. And I remembered I have a green beret, bought years ago from ASOS, that I knew I would wear someday, and lo and behold, it's gone one full circle and has been used in the UK itself.

My mother's gorgeous red pussybow top was kidnapped by me. . and I've worn it quite a few times over here. It's so soft and silky, and it fits very well-- I love its classic look. Of course you'll need more red here, so on goes Chanel Passion slicked on the lips, and the red Dolce & Gabanna pumps which I wear everywhere. Other items are: vintage gold earrings (Mom's); Diva ring; long black satin gloves; green Miu Miu bag; green ASOS wool beret.

And somehow everytime I think of Revolution or Resistance, I think of El Che and his fighting spirit (I named my cat after him, unfortunately he turned out to be a bit Sissy-ish, so I now call him Ernesto Che not-Guevara) and how sexy he looked smoking his pipe. Someone used to laugh at me for 'liking dead men' but I think he was just jealous. Lol. I think of The Boxer Rebellion. I also think of May 1968 even though I was only born in '86. And then I also have the song Do You Hear The People Sing from Les Miserables blasting in my head, getting all roused up. That's one of my favourite songs, I think I once shocked my mom one night when she came downstairs to see me all engrossed in that song which I play on some nights. If you have seen how Alex DeLarge looks all musically-intoxicated everytime he listens to Ludwig van in A Clockwork Orange, that's the effect Do You Hear has on me. One day I really must go watch Les Miserables, having read Hugo's amazing piece many times over, crippled my fingers practicing the pieces on my piano when I was much younger, God I love the story and music.

Have a fabulous weekend! x

morphing chameleon

2011-03-03T01:49:00.002+00:00

I think I experienced some metamorphosis of sorts at the end of 2002. Since then I have always been told that my face is always changing, which I never realised until I started taking photographs with a vengeance. D says he gets confused sometimes, "It's like you come out of somewhere and you become another person altogether", swearing that even my mouth changes when I so much as remove my glasses." Sometimes he makes it sound like I have an assortment of facial parts that I can remove and wear at will like false eyelashes. It is quite hilarious, and he'll label each look "Girlfriend 75", "Girlfriend 483", etcetera. I actually enjoy this constant change in the face, and play it up with makeup. Here's eight faces in the last three weeks. .

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The Assassin, of which the word's etymology is derived from "Hashashin", a Nizari branch active in Iran from the 8th to 14th centuries. I've met at least ten people who've told me unanimously I look like an assassin, especially when I'm in my Spygirl getup of tight black jeans and long black top, complete with boots with shiny buckles. Someday if I ever write a novel inspired by my days as a private investigator, that will be the cover look. Even D's friend thinks I look like a ninja assassin. There are two assassin looks though, even if both have a general uniform of black-- one has hair bunned into a high ballerina knot, an evil stare and nude lips. In that look, I remember how when I used to tutor or handle animal adoptions, suddenly my student/client would burst out, "Miss do you know who is Tomb Raider? I think you look like Tomb Raider". This one requires bold red lips, hair let down, fake bangs, and loads of mascara.

Photo taken on a Saturday night during an Italian dinner following which two mad drunk women were making a ruckus and were hauled out. Drama for that night.

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What I do best-- The Cheeky Face. Probably how I look like on most days-- hair messily knotted up, lips au naturel, and a light wash of eye shadow. Complete with The Most Vocal Cat In The World who loves to scream in photographs. God I miss her!

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Tuesday's face. I woke up looking a bit Oriental, which doesn't always happen. Since I was 17, I realise a rather annoying pick-up line is, "Are you mixed. No you can't be Chinese". Some even fought with me insisting that I'm not, which gets me really upset because I know what I am, thank you very much. Then from University onwards, I got accosted by "Hello, are you foreigner" and had to insist that I am born and bred in Singapore-- as though I would lie about that! It got so bad that I started biting back, "have you ever seen a foreigner in your life?", I can't help having a Question Mark Ethnic Face. My father has really tiny eyes with a single eyelid (and no eyelashes, as I like to tease him) and my mother has thick double eyelids. Somehow I came out with thin double eyelids and long lower eyelashes (that's from my maternal grandmother) but the biggest eyes in the family. In fact they even used to bulge a little probably due to early myopia my father would joke that if I kept progressing towards looking like a goldfish he'd put me in a tank, which scared the hell out of me. Lol. On some days my eyes look smaller than usual, so I play them down even more. All that's needed is pale eyeshadow, a thick line of liquid eyeliner with a Cleopatra flick, two coats of mascara, some blush, and nude lips. And maybe a pearl earring.

Looking a bit Oriental does scare me a little here at times. You walk down the streets and people go in some odd sing-song voice, "Heeeello, Orieeental", and then they think you can't speak English at all. Or worse would be people calling you "Suki", telling you "Mushi mushi" or "You're the first Japanese I've seen all day" which really makes my blood boil because no, I'm not Japanese. I even remembered arguing with some guy in Melbourne who insisted I am Japanese and kept asking me about cherry blossoms when I kept insisting I'm from Singapore and am ethnically Chinese. I speak three Chinese languages-- as though I wouldn't know what I am. Pffft. As you can probably guess, I have strange encounters with people, including having to insist on what my ethnicity is.

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Wednesday's face. Looking a bit more like my regular face again, i.e. the face I know and see most of the time. Although D would tell you there is no such thing, I insist there is. One slight wash of eyeshadow, and clear lipbalm, and I'm no longer the girl I was yesterday. With this face I get less people accosting me for reasons of playing Guess Your Ethnicity game. Really, sometimes I think people are too free. But I will shut up now. Not going to complain about people too much.

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The deceptive faux sweet girl face a.k.a. butter wouldn't melt in your mouth. That name also made up by D, whenever I insist I look innocent. Taken in Singapore, based on this post. Makeup here requires loads of dark washes of eyeshadow blended meticulously together, some liquid eyeliner, three coats of mascara on the curled-to-death upper and lower lashes, NARS blush, and nude lipgloss. Sometimes I am amazed at how friendly I can look, because I like to insist there is not a single sweet bone in me.

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Bold lips from my Polesque Cabaret night. The general look here is red/maroon lips (or purple if I want to look like a Demonness or Vampiress), loads of dark washes of eyeshadow and boldy-lined eyes, and highlighter on my cheekbones. Generally involves feather eyelashes too. Also one of my favourite looks, and a little like my Vintage Pin Up Girl look.

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This would be the Cyber Gamergirl look, where I feel like I've just emerged from a computer game. I love computer games, except that the moment I start playing I won't stop until I reach the highest levels or break my old records, which translates to a most almighty waste of time. The look here is nude matt lips, cheekbone highlighter, high hair and fake bangs. Eyes are done with loads of gold and Mermaid shades of teal, green, aqua, and sea foam, before lining them very boldly with a mixture of liquid and gel eyeliner. Accessorised here with the Upper Echelons necklace that I made

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Another nude matte lips look, with colourful eyes, involving shades of gold, green, blue and purple, many coats of mascara, and kohl eyeliner. Complete with blusher. Colourful eyes always make me feel like a peacock (although technically peahens are plain), and I love this t-shirt with a rather naughty-looking girl illustrated on it.

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Hope you're having an awesome midweek so far, and thanks for all the sweet comments on the previous post! xxx

burlesque and cabaret by the brighton pier

2011-02-26T06:04:00.001+00:00

I often like to muse aloud that I'm living in Kinky Brighton. Besides its reputation for being The Happiest Place In The UK, other things it's known for range from Gay Capital of The UK to Place Where Bosses Would Take Their Secretaries To For 'Meetings'; even the gorgeous Royal Pavilion was built by the Prince Regent for affairs with his mistress who was a married woman. Slightly risque dressing is therefore a-ok over here, much to my delight. In line with how much I love the Burlesque style and channel my inner Vintage Girl sometimes, whilst drooling like crazy at the sheer array of artsy vintage delights over here, tonight we went for Sirens, a burlesque-meets-poledancing cabaret show. And hence that cheeky opening shot ;)

Fans, feathers, poles, tulles, chocolates and ribbons and loads of happy people channeling their inner Showgirl/boy personality. . .

After it was all over we walked in the drizzle by the pier, and took some photographs, before watching the sea roar majestically. . Boy was it windy, but the fine mists drizzling down coupled with the waves crashing in the foggy moonlight felt amazing. You have to love an excellent elemental experience.

I wanted to go for a more elegant and classy look rather than simply tiny dresses and short hemlines, so the black woolen skirt with the silk sash that I wear for formal presentations came out. Because we were doing Sirens for the night, I thought, why not inject a teeny little bit of naughtiness with a sheer top, whilst covering it a little with my blue-and-gold Oriental print collar, which matched a beautiful clutch that I bought during the recent sales. And you'll always need more lace to finish it off-- blue lace floral stockings and black fingerless lace gloves, whilst wearing rings that just get bigger and bigger. . .

Since I've yet to own maroon lipstick, I mixed purple lipstick with red, inspired by how my mother always mixes her colours and paints them on carefully with a lip brush. And the feather eyelashes with the long tips at the side came out again . . .

vintage sheer polka-dotted top; Gemma Eve collar; Accessorize lace stockings; Charles & Keith signature pumps; Sara Sturgeon skirt; Accessorize clutch; vintage pearl earrings; Diva rings; Tivoli honey faux-fur coat

Have a glorious weekend everyone! :)

it was an itsy bitsy teeny weeny. . .

2011-02-22T01:35:00.000+00:00

Chinese New Year was traditionally that one time of the year when people of my parents' generation would have new clothes, being financially-impoverished. My parents recount many stories of how they would look forward to more food on the table, their yearly treat of soft drinks and everything a child would love. Today we have much more to the point of excessiveness; nevertheless, new clothes are still purchased (some even make sure they have brand new undergarments and socks!), whether to mark a new year or as an excuse for more. As for me, CNY is a time of togetherness and tapping into my roots, and a time of gratitude. The obsessiveness with excuses for new clothes that I used to have is no longer around. This was the only new piece I bought for the occasion, because I decided to stop getting caught up with reasons and excuses. I saw this dress on massive sale at the Oasis website, and purchased it. Upon confirming my tickets home, I decided this would be for the New Year. My mother fell in love with the dress, so I left it back in Singapore for her :)

It was an itsy-bitsy teeny weeny yellow-polkadot bikini. Gosh, I can still remember myself dancing around as I blasted the tape on the cassette recorder and sang that song (a little of a tongue-twister that liner is, isn't it!) as a wee toddler, and then my brother doing that six years later with the same tape. These yellow-and-white polka dotted shoes always make me think of that song and those memories. . . and of course I love the silver heels :)

I realise that in Singapore do I hardly ever use lip colour. It's only upon being in winter climes and looking at pallid complexion do I do that. And possibly how I started really falling in love with red lipstick and discovering my Showgirl side ;)

These photographs were taken in my back garden-- do I miss that jungle so much! Over the months as I dig out old shots of Singapore will you probably see loads of it too. .

Oasis dress; Pleaser shoes; YSL clutch; Diva leopard cuff; Diva ring; m)phosis belt.

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Whilst I was in Singapore, my mother informed me that two pieces had been rendered unwearable. Which is really saddening. I was telling her my fantasies of wearing a particular top with a certain skirt, and she was laughing at me for having my wardrobe planned out in my mind already, but that's how you don't overpack! Here's some memories of They Who Have Since Died. . . as well as some snippets of Singapore across the past few years. Looking at these also make me realise how much my style has changed. . .

one.

This happy, vibrant floral number was my mother's, something I hated when I was younger, then grew to love as my fascination with florals and prints took over the diktat that trends rolled out. One thing I really adored about this high-waisted number was how you could wear it as a halter-dress or fake a jumper with it. (Pictures taken back in 2007)

And this was the morning the official letter from UCL came, saying I had been accepted into their program. That meant. . I was leaving the country after my graduation! I was so excited! I was jumping around the house, texting D (who said, "See I knew you would get it, why were you so worried") and then changed into this happy floral number with Happy Colours all over. The skirt was worn high-waisted rather than as a fake jumper. The next night, my status on the online Cambridge system (which I checked every few hours) had changed from "Application made" to "Offer", and I was dizzily happy. So yes, this skirt is associated with "I Am Going To The UK". (Photo from April 2009).

two.

Another happy riot of colours here. This cheery yellow Marciano top has since breathed its last, as the material spoils really easily, despite the fact that my mother is such an excellent carer of stuff her things last forever. I bought this top for her, and loved the scalloped edges. This photo was probably taken in October 2008, when on some late mornings, my father would go, "Let's all go out for lunch before you go to school" (I always call uni 'school', much to the amusement of everyone). I loved days like that, all happy and warm, and stuffed with food. Those were the days when rings that size were considered large, and I was making my first forays into the world of Cocktail Rings. And the pretty knee-length skirt? I wear it quite regularly, and it was about 20p from the SPCA (Singapore) jumble sale. The Postman Bag also has many memories. It was the schoolbag for the year I was 16, whilst doing my O-Levels. Many years later, it is still going strong :)

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And there've been the clothes that traveled back to the UK from my wardrobe in Singapore. .

one.

My retro wallpaper-print dress that I fell in love with at Mango. My mother took one look and said, "That's the sort of print your grandmother would buy" and I replied that was precisely the charm. The first shot was from late-2006, worn on one of those rare days when the weather was cool, and I'd gleefully wear my knee-high boots. Together with vintage Indian necklaces in all sorts of stones belonging to my mother, a large gold-buckle Aldo belt and my grandmother's Doctor Bag, it is a combination that works for me. The second look was taken in mid-2009, next to a dirty umbrella, in brown stitched leather wedges, a Guess? clutch with multiple feline prints, loads of other feline-related bangles, a leopard-printed belt and a leopard-printed hairband-cum-scarf my student gave me. I'm envisioning wearing this dress as a light summer coat too, because it is a button-up piece.

two&three.

A red-and-white printed camisole and a blue abstract-paisley print Concubine Top, the latter looking a little like the undergarments ancient Chinese emperors' concubines would wear, and hence my name for them. The first was found in some factory outlet in Perth (WA) for about AUD$2 and you can imagine how happy I was because I love the colour, the slinkiness and the print. Both photographs were taken in early-2007, probably within two weeks of each other, and I realise I look like two completely different people there. Sometimes I have problems recognising myself.

four.

This floral print green-and-pink silk dress from GG<5. I was taking my aunt-in-law M from Perth whom I'd met only the night before for a shopping trip around Singapore and had passed by the display window, drooling at the dress. Dresses there were quite expensive for me back then, and I told myself to forget about it. Later on, we passed by there again, and I took a deep breath and walked in. M said, "I saw it too just now, and thought you'd look really good in it". Dang. Walked into the dressing room, tried it on, it fit like a glove, took a deeper breath and bought it. Worn with the Indian bangle I've had since two years old, and my first pair of Nine West shoes which have since died too. Photo taken February 2007.

five.

Oh, this beautiful orange-toned printed halter-neck dress! This Fashion is a budget brand. So it doesn't have the best name, but sometimes, like The Best Friend says, you 'can find flowers in shit piles if you dig hard enough'. I used to take a walk around Level 3 of ISETAN shopping center in town whenever I needed motivation to study for my examinations. On that floor was Shelli Segal's Laundry, where dresses are well, at least £300. Completely out of my price range. So I'd tell myself, "Okay study hard, do blardy well, and wear such clothes in future!". Two days before going to TF with a classmate to 'dig for roses' (which they do have!), I saw a beautiful orange-printed dress. Then, I spotted a similarly beautiful one in TF. Oh goodness. There was only one piece, and it fit like a glove! And it was only £10! I clutched it tightly to my chest and paid for it, feeling extremely triumphant. This was Christmas 2006, with my Pygmy Christmas Tree decked a little eccentrically (I love to buy Christmas decorations!). Worn with über-large Aldo earrings, beige snakeskin-style VNC pumps, free L'oreal clutch and Forever 21 earrings worn as bangles.

July 2009. Another version of me wearing this dress. This time with an elaborate necklace I designed myself out of a spoilt bracelet and a thick gold hoop earring. My friend Vee and I held a Wire Party where we brought forth all the pieces of broken trinkets and things we'd never wear again, complete with her tools, and she taught me how to string things together. So we sat down, configured the design, and she helped me put it all together with a thick loop of wire from the hardware store :)

six.

This is a better view of my Lady in Red (cue Chris de Burgh's crooning!) dress you saw here, except that it has been hacked much shorter today. But of course, I kept the hemlines folded because I know I would be unable to pull off the über-short one day, so it'll go back to that old length then. I was so tanned in that photograph only because I'd been badly sunburnt during the cruise. I also remember that pair of red heels fondly too. I had been looking for a pair of red patent peep-toe heels with scalloped edges for ages-- you know how when you have that exact image of something in your mind, everything else fails to deliver? One day coming back from school, I walked pass this boutique Pazzion and saw it! They fit really comfortably, so I bought them. And I probably overwore them too, at least twice a week, pounding down the pavements of various streets in them. Ensemble also accessorised with bangles from Mango and the Singapore Zoo (seriously!), and Chloé handbag.

seven.

This Charlotte Russe dress was bought at some factory outlet in Bintan, Indonesia. I love the summery feel of the dress. It was worn for one of those occasions when the girls and I would book a room at some hotel/country club, take photos all day, eat and indulge, have a slumber party, and talk till we fell asleep. We termed this day/night The Runaway Housewives AGM (because it's their aspirations to be housewives, not me lol) and also took our own graduation shots then. And why the backpack? I picked up my brother's army cadet backpack and filled it with stuff for the 'overnight trip', thinking it'd look amazing with the dress and heels. The lush greenery that you see in these photos were taken at this gorgeous place Little Bali where we helped ourselves to many large platters of Thai and Indonesian food whilst reveling in the amazing and tranquil surroundings. July 2009.

eight.

Besides this psychedelic dress that you saw over Christmas, I also designed this colourful halterneck dress. The cloth was remnant material, so I probably got it for less than £2, which was a steal. Photograph taken in mid-2008, with Accessorize earrings and VNC heels.

nine.

Finally, a pretty printed silk dress, loved for its delicateness and the way it flows. I first wore it for Lulu's 23rd birthday four years back-- those days were the beginning of a steadily-growing friendship between us both, and I brought her to CHIJMES, a beautiful fairy-like place in Singapore, where my old convent school used to stand in the heart of town. Today the grounds been refurbished into one with various restaurants and watering holes, whilst the old chapel is used as a venue for weddings. The laidback vibe in the heart of the bustling city does feel like an alternate reality. The top photograph was entitled 'running away from the nunnery' by us both, and the bottom right was part of the desserts for that night. The bottom left one was probably in mid-2009, accessorised with silver heels and glass beads.

Am definitely looking forward to wearing these dresses in the summer! xxx

celebrating sapiosexuality with a hint of film noir

2011-02-18T03:03:00.001+00:00

You have to love Sarah not only for her elegant sense of aesthetics but also for the education you get from her. I learnt what 'sapiosexuality' is-- getting turned on by intelligence-- and finally felt at home knowing what I am. So I decided that Valentine's Day will be the day of celebrating sapiosexuality because up until things started kicking off with D, I always thought it was gimmicky and a grrrrrreat day to profit by selling goodies. Then came the day when my mother called me up whilst I was busy processing animal adoptions, telling me some anonymous bouquet of flowers with a cryptic alliterated message had shown up, and I knew it was D, because he was the only one I gave my address to (besides forms and gurlfriends). And who else would send such embedded messages. Funny how things can take a different twist when you finally meet Your Match, whether in terms of cheekiness, Talking The Hind Legs Off A Donkey, speed, greed and way more. Then by a bout of cognitive dissonance or Übermensch-ism*, I decided that I would celebrate it for our own special meaning**, an excuse to perhaps receive presents***, a reason to dress up, and of course, an occasion for f-o-o-d. Oh, the joys of utter gluttony! And also because I can't be an ingrate, right? This year, we were dead busy rushing deadlines but he mentioned dinner, albeit a late one because he had tai chi classes and I wasn't even sure if I could make it for dinner, sitting away at my Mac firing my fingers and neurons away. Eventually, I finished at 830pm (time of his class), managed to convince the restauranteur to keep the table for 1015pm, and had exactly forty-five minutes to take an attenuated version of a Holy Bath**** and dress up. . .

* Nietzsche's Overman who destroys socially-constructed, taken-for-granted meanings, splices them, lives them, thinks them through and with a great force of conviction, creates his own meanings. A bit like Max Weber's impassioned "Here I stand, I can do no more".
**kinda like how Christmas means family and warmth rather than blind festivities which obscure religious syncretism borrowing from Horus' birthday, for starters.
***because I still find it strange accepting presents
****what my friend Lulu christens my long baths as

One amazing thing about D is how he always indulges my requests for 'take photos of my shoes!' :) Even if I have gorgeous shoes (if I say so myself lol), it takes guts to be taking them in public. Either that or he's given up on me. .

I had set the camera mode wrongly ('night portrait' doesn't like me!) and so the photographs turned out strange. Nevertheless, playing with extreme contrast and making them black-and-white imparted some kind of Film Noir feel, which I love. .

It is always with a mix of excitement, trepidation and flow as I happily kneel in front of my dresser mirror and rediscover what I have, dressing up spontaneously whilst wondering how the experiment will turn out. This time, I had brought my paper butterflies from Singapore, purchased from the Kids' Section, and decided to wear both in my hair. Bunned hair, simple mascara and red lips, rather than my flamboyant feather eyelashes because I wanted to go as P (if there is such a thing). I'm not sure if I've shown this stunning heavy wool vintage coat before, but it is a total beauty. Never in my wildest dreams would I think of full-length coats, imagining them to be frumpy (me eating my words again. Yum!) but this one flares out from a slight nip at the waist, dancing as I walk. Plus it keeps one most warm too. The classic cut and the fact that it fits like a glove makes me feel so lucky to own it. I'd also refrained from wearing those printed tights (from the same range as my snakeskin one here) because I always assumed the pattern would be hidden. Imagine my surprise when I finally wore them with the red pumps I am only too addicted to-- partly because you can wear those pumps and walk for hours in them despite the 5-inch heel. I'm also learning how much I love long-strapped handbags-- the sort that my mother always uses, that I used to think was a little old-fashioned as 'my time' was one where straps became short and bags were to be tucked under your armptis. In this overall look, I feel a little like Dita von Teese sashaying down the streets. Such are my delusions of grandeur ;)

Us both looking slightly menacing in all-black. .

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And now, the part I know you all love ;) FOOD! I am such a Singaporean at heart, always talking about food. We greet each other with, "Have you eaten?" instead of "how are you". (Unless you are anorexic/dieting/missing out on life's pleasures). . .

Going through my wardrobe, I decided on this red halter-neck dress with happy flower prints. I know, I know, it's a little crazy to wear a halter-dress in the middle of winter, what more in chilly Brighton, but all's warm with the coat. I also wore a snake cuff (seen better here), one of my two 'snakes'. Snakes are such elegant creatures (I love them!) and represent wisdom and protection (e.g. in Greek mythology or Buddhist scripture), or even temptation (in the Abrahamic faiths) which gives another layer of charm and mystique to their invertebral elegance as they slither and hiss. Otherwise, consider me some kind of taxidermist with a twist, adorning myself with animal-inspired pieces. .

Mango dress; vintage wool coat; vintage snake cuff; Accessorize butterfly clips; vintage Elle tattooed stockings; Dolce & Gabanna pumps; Chanel handbag; Diva ring

We dined at Sahara, a North African/Moroccan/Arabic restaurant, with very reasonable prices. These were spicy potatoes and vine leaves starters. D was teasing me "I love to eat vegetables" when I asked him why he didn't order a meat starter, as usual in response to his horror that I don't buy vegetables. I told my mother (who eats veg with the fervour of a rabbit) that D strategises 'cooking vegetables in ways to make you eat them' and she sounded very happy. And he sounded even happier to know that she was happy about it.

Mains for myself was an awesome spiced rice with herby lamb and him, a mixed kebab. "Why didn't you order the mixed kebab?"/"I knew you would order it". And cardamon tea is so amazing, I had to risk being thought of as madder than I already am mixing cardamon tea with shiraz.

No matter how full you might be, there is always the Dessert Compartment. That is one lesson D has learned (or is still learning). I had a moist apple and cinnamon cake and he, the most amazing banoffee pie I've ever tasted, made with quality toffee and short, tropical bananas (i.e. my favourite type of bananas). Whilst we spent dinner laughing, camwhoring, and launching into all sorts of strange debates, it's amazing how time flies by when you're having a good time. I ordered another round of banoffee pie, and the head waiter thought I was joking at first. And then, by the time I ordered the fourth round, he was absolutely stunned but indulged us with a super-large portion. . . We walked home in the cold and stumbled into the door looking like two pregnant people with big bellies, which haven't subsided even though it's Friday morning at present.

Right now The Lair is undergoing some transformation of sorts-- not because I'm too free to keep redoing it. . but expect more photographs and the story soon! It's starting to look like some Grotto of an eccentric designer (which is what D is) cum Lair cum Opium Den and I just hope we've time this weekend to work on opening up all the boxes and putting things together. As well as put up loads of amazing artwork. And then for me to put together the photos from Singapore, and all the other older photos. Sometimes I wish I could blog via telepathy! Have a glorious weekend xxx

celebrations

2011-02-13T01:35:00.000+00:00

Hello! Hope you're having a fabulous weekend so far. It's my friend Lulu's wedding dinner tonight and so I drew her a card, depicting her as an Indian Goddess in a Chinese cheongsam because I always joke that she's my Chinese friend and I'm her Malay friend in terms of palate. Both their names start with 'Az' and I find it so cute! I was half-worried I wouldn't be able to deliver the card on time (rather than a speech that she asked me to record!) as I had pulled my muscle and felt like a handicapped unable to use my hands. Today, however, it is much better so I sat down to sketch and paint it digitally. My sketchbook is back in the UK but there was no space for art materials so all creations continue to be digital. I'm a little surprised at my 'digital abilities' and can only conclude that working on the blog design for Devilishly Pleasurable has taught me loads of things thus far :)

the garden of earthly delights

2011-02-09T00:41:00.008+00:00

Hello from Brighton! I reached home yesterday after a long-haul flight, a take-off delay and a series of rather distressing events. Nevertheless, I bought myself two nice tins of hot chocolate from Whittard before stepping back into a most comforting flat, and D made me amazing enchilladas. Complete with lovely memories of the ten busy days in Singapore, I say, screw the bad. Or let the bad screw itself. Being in Unpacking Mode got me busy organising the flat again (makes me wonder if I might be unknowingly Virgo sometimes!), starting with errr, organising my teas and then The Dresser upstairs (last seen here). I can finally, safely, and proudly say it's now complete! And looking rather much like My Garden of Earthly Delights.

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I used to approach many things in a rather utilitarian style, especially when it comes to furnishings. Perhaps due to a general lack of proper budget as a student, the only thing I really cared dressing up was myself. And other people, whenever hired to style them or give them complete makeovers. Or when starring at them and blurting out "This __ would look perfect on you!" Sure, I dreamed of beautiful rooms catered to my own taste, but somehow never managed to execute it. My dorm room in Cambridge was utilitarian too, with some attempt at spicing it up with monochrome vintage print-outs all over the walls. My first (real) own home at Brighton has given me the opportunity to learn how to furnish a place, and from the start I did believe that my dresser would be quite plain and simple-- just a chest of drawers with a top where I'd store my stuff. Then Sarah (of Cloud of Secrets) kept blowing me away with her delightful aesthetics. The way she stores, arranges and displays her beautiful possessions wheedled its way into my subconscious and made me start to rethink everything. It said, "Hey, it's not just about beautifying yourself and other people! It's the little things! Even the way you store your earrings!" Perusing Apartment Therapy almost everyday made me realise how much I always dreamed of storing everything beautifully, and that I was not the only one in this world with childhood fantasies of having a refrigerator with uniform and beautiful storage even-- that the innards of a drawer or a cupboard are as important as the outside, because what is the point of having pristine appearances and being chaotic and disorganised and unable to find your stuff?* I love to pull drawers open and see everything beautifully organised.

So I kept rerererereading Penny's post on her dressing table, her inspirations and her tips, and had to do something about mine. I wanted mine to be decadent, a place to display my beloved trinkets, and with pieces that evoke a smile in me when I look at them. Two days before leaving for Singapore, I found a Chinese store in Brighton with loads of oriental pieces. At the entrance, however, were buckets full of glorious faux fur. At reasonable prices! I ended up staying for half an hour (as compared to my normal five-minute-Grab-And-Go), chatted with the lady there, and went home with a few new pieces. Then I headed to my favourite vintage consignment store Snooper's Paradise and came out feeling like I was floating. . . Back in Singapore, I rounded up some more goodies from home (a.k.a. the things that I left that The Mother wouldn't use) and had fun manifesting The Dressing Table Of My Erstwhile-Unknown Dreams in a state of flow**. . .

*This philosophy also applies to the way I see life too. Inner cultivation as key, before outward appearances, even if I happily apply my mascara everyday.

**a.k.a. my favourite way to function

I bought myself two vintage martini glasses and a cut crystal vase over at Snooper's Paradise, and decided to fill them up with pearls-- which are too pretty to be left hanging on my wire drawers. The Indian bangle has been with me since I was two years old, and I still wear it today, whilst I picked up the vintage brooch from Singapore that my mother gave me eons ago. I love how its tassels stream down from the glass. The rose corsage was made by me whilst I was studying for my A-Levels economics paper-- oh how do I succumb to distractions all the time! I wear it pinned onto the straps of tank tops for that extra oomph, and putting it on display will remind me to use it. Rather than hide amongst all my other paraphernalia, only to be discovered with great relish every few months whenever I dig into my possessions.

The pearl brooch was a gift from Lulu's mother for me to use during formal dinners at Cambridge. Whilst that never happened, I did wear it for Kris' graduation. The grey-feathered headpiece was picked out by D during a recent Shopping Expedition, and the white lace piece is my mother's, recently brought back, for pinning onto low v-necklines for that tantalising combination of seductive lace with alleged modesty.

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I added more fake flowers that I normally wear in my hair to the pink feathers adorning the vase from D's mother, and the painted jewelry holder was given by my mother during this trip.

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I ~~nicknamed~~ christened the perforated white leather gloves draping over the white resin bust as Molestation, adorned with a gold necklace I wear very often. I love the simplicity of the concentric circles. The white orchids were given to me by my mother when I was about two years old. They are actually made of real orchids, plated with gold and paint. I found it back in 2009 in a box of jewelry my mother gave me to play with as a child, and hauled them to the UK, using some faded pieces for jewelry creation, and breathing new life into the other beautiful pieces. Wearing it during my holiday back this round made my mother exclaim, "Hey! I forgot about that! I wore that during my honeymoon", and we had a good laugh about The Jewelry Collection she gave me as a wee toddler. And the beautiful large pearl earrings that I wore here? From my lovely friend Vee who handed them to me during dinner, telling me, "I know you always stock up on Diva when you come back, so I'm helping you with it!"

The bronze snake is actually the last piece of a arm cuff I saw in Diva, and bought it. Because it's too large, I wear it around my neck instead. Hanging down my mirror, I imagine how the mythical snake in Genesis might have tempted Eve whilst slithering down the tree bearing The Forbidden Fruit. And hence the name The Garden of Earthly Delights. The green chinoiserie purses were just brought back from Singapore too-- they belonged to my late maternal grandmother, who had so many little purses and stuff. I think I picked the larger one up from her house as a child-- something she wanted to throw but somehow I liked it too much so I brought it home. Even though it continues to be as ink-stained and tattered as it was twenty years back, it channels memories and I will learn how to restore it or at least mend the rips. The shiny circular green thing next to the purses is a very large ring. The biggest I have owned to date.

The gold bird with the glittery body, and feathery tail is the counterpart to my fuchsia bird on the shelves downstairs. It was sitting too sadly on my table back in Singapore so I put it in a bag, hoped it was well-cushioned and she now perches proudly on the grey-and-white fur lining my dresser top. The heart shaped trays are from the same box The Best Friend gave me my 21st Birthday Cookie Cake in on the cruise-- whenever I see it I remember those days :) As seen from the first picture in this post, I also have a gold snake cuff and a leopard cuff accompanying the pretty gold bird. Complete with rings of rabbits, snakes, Satyrs, rams, and lions on the white resin hands, I think this is one crazy dresser after my own heart!

This brooch was recently brought back too. I remember ordering it from a blog shop in Singapore back in 2005. They had limited quantities of each creation and I loved how this felt like some emerald queen of the sea.

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The bedside has finally been done up too! White faux fur from the same shop line the side of the bed, together with hats that I just brought back-- white for me, black for D's. I also recently found the incense burner in the symbol of the Tao, a constant reminder to seek Balance in my Path, whilst opium scents the room. D asked me why there was the transparent "NARS" card on his side. I told him it means he is a Narcissist, because when he first saw my NARS blush he said, "NARS stands for Narcissist isn't it, and appeals to all narcissistic peacocks". And I had to correct him that it is Francois Nar's surname.

This silver box contained my first ever Stila purchase. I was in junior college back then, and saved up quite a bit to get it, as Stila is very expensive in Singapore. I am still enamoured by their illustrations and the whimsical nature of their product packaging. This box contains cubby-holes, which is perfect for storing four different chain belts that I own-- two are my mother's, one is my late paternal grandmother's waist belt (practically an antique!), and another a charm belt from Guess? Standing behind it is a leopard-print vanity that Lulu gave me for my 22nd birthday-- she popped down specially to my neighbourhood whilst I was perming my hair just to give me that :) Just like the way she surprised me with a glorious 50s-style dress in the mail for my 24th birthday.

The border between the bedside and the staircase. Here you can see my jewelry box, a stash of books kept partly-organised in a damask-print letter holder, a Moroccan scarf hiding a suitcase, and a pretty pink wool jumper with a ruffled collar and pearl buttons from the lovely Dora. I have yet to wear it, as I am waiting for a day with amazing weather where I can showcase it in its full glory. And that proud hat with weaves of chiffon and suede? Also from Snooper's Paradise-- something I had to get!

the happy rabbit

2011-02-05T20:21:00.002+00:00

Greetings from Singapore! It's my last night here, so I thought I'd post something up. I will definitely be back to visit your blogs and catch up on all that I've missed, although I do wonder if I might have to sleep for ten days in the UK to recuperate from the busy-ness over here! It's been a full-on but enjoyable time, and betcha you're missing the food over here on Devilishly Pleasurable ;)

As you may know, it's now Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, traditionally celebrated to usher in the spring season as well as to mark a new year in the Chinese calendar. This calendar follows the Zodiac, with a cycle of twelve years. Each animal represents a year, and I'm a Tiger. That was last year, however. This year is the year of the Rabbit. That morning, I woke up and helped with some spring cleaning (for a change), and went to meet my good friend K to catch up on ten months' worth of news on each others' side. She had just finished work, and I saw a pretty girl in a beautiful dress lugging a cardboard rabbit. . . Following which we proceeded to hunt for a place to eat in the crowded mall, and finally settled at Haagen Daaz, partly because they had seats. And my, were the icecreams fabulous! I used to get vouchers off my mother and lug some friend off to HD so we could pig out to our hearts' content. HD has become so expensive over the years, it is best afforded only with vouchers and special deals.

I've also been wearing my mother's clothes to my hearts' content (whilst buying her more of course ;) ). . somehow I just love what she has, even though she thinks I am a bit crazy for wearing them with great relish. . I remember her wearing this beautiful flowy red dress when she was pregnant with my brother, but it is too gorgeous to pass up ;)

I got the house ready for guests as well. Chinese New Year lasts for fifteen days, although only two days are designated public holidays. This year, however, coincided with a long weekend. There is the tradition of home visiting or 拜年 in Singapore, originating somewhere in the 18th Century when the head of a Gentlemen's Club had his birthday coincide with Chinese New Year. As a result, people from all over the island would come and pay their respects, and thus the practice spread over the years. Families buy goodies and lay them out on the tables. These include awesome pineapple tarts of different varieties, jars of roasted nuts, tins of loveletters (a wafer-like pastry rolled into long cylinders), and a host of other delightful treats that sweeten the deal for the young and the old alike. Of course, modern additions such as boxes of truffles, 'mochi', and newfangled creations like 'chocolate cereal cookies' have been incorporated. I have vivid memories of how my grandmother used to squat for hours on end fanning a charcoal stove whilst baking kueh bolu, loveletters, and make kueh lapis in the corridor area outside the flat where I grew up in. During Chinese New Year when I visited her house, trays of goodies and preserved condiments would be on the table, whilst pussy willows leaned softly from tall vases. Then I would sit down and sip the cheng tng she had painstakingly prepared and brewed for at least a day, eating the agar jelly she made, and the ngo hiang which she prepared from scratch. Going over to her home for Chinese New Year lunch on the first day after mass was awesome, and I'd tuck in to a large spread of food on the table-- perhaps about 17 different plates of dishes were presented for one to eat to one's heart's content. And of course, there is the famous bak kwa or sweet barbecued pork that you can find in almost every house. So yes, it was awesome just to prepare the home for guest visits, whilst alternating with our own trips to others' homes. As you might guess, I love having people around, helping to cook and hosting good company.

Succulent Mandarin oranges are given in pairs to the homes that you visit, and you get another pair in exchange.

The Eve of Chinese New Year is known as Reunion Dinner night. Family members come together for dinner, and those residing overseas fly back if possible. Perhaps the concept of CNY has lost its appeal with Generations X and Y who choose to fly away instead to avoid the crowd or 'nosey aunties asking when you will get married' but I still love the warmth and festivities. To me, it is a time to get together, a time to celebrate bonds and the people you love. And hey, you can always avoid those you dislike ;)

Reunion Dinners can be held at restaurants or at home. A common practice is steamboat-- a large pot of bubbling soup with a free-flow of meats and vegetables to immerse in it. Perfect for the cold winter days too, actually. Otherwise, cooking at home is a great idea too. I used to spend my Reunion Dinners steamboating with the paternal side, but after the death of my paternal grandmother, this stopped. Large families are difficult to gather together, and in that side of that family, I am already a grand-aunt! Reunion Dinners at my maternal grandmother's (she brought me up) followed, but she passed away in 2007. My parents invite my uncles and aunty over these days, and we all help to cook. As you can imagine with the spread of food always on this site, food is in my blood. My father cooks extremely well, and so does my mother. In fact, my younger brother demonstrated a proclivity at it as a very young child (a pity he doesn't bake anymore at 19!). Likewise, my maternal uncles have their own specialty in cooking. . Sunday lunches over at their home with their generous use of ingredients make me drool. This year for Reunion Dinner, we had a seven-course meal-- oh so decadent and amazing. And heartwarmingly home-prepared. There were so much leftovers we had them for days, whilst concocting new creations with them. Shown above is clear soup brewed for hours. In it is fish maw, abalone, mushrooms, cabbage, chicken and prawns, topped with Chinese parsley-- a most extravagant soup!

Then there were the large prawns which I happily polished off, giant pork ribs, and a ginormous 1.25-kg white promfet steamed with shitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic and sour plums. There was also roasted chicken and duck, which I ate with great relish. . and my father thinks I'm crazy for taking photos of all the food, to which I just smiled and nodded, acknowledging my insanity and telling him I love to look at these photos when I'm craving them in the UK. Although it is just part of the story. . these are lovely memories to keep, and with the ease of digital cameras, let's snap to our hearts delight! But I digress. On the top right is South East Asian-style chicken curry with chunks of potatoes and of course, chicken. My youngest uncle takes about 6 hours to make it, loaded with loads of bua kalak, yellow ginger, chilli padi, curry powder and all sorts of other spices. This extravagance, however, is not commonplace nor an everyday affair (even if D cooks loads for me). Historically, chicken and duck were a yearly luxury for peasants in China-- the proliferation of meats as easily-accessible everyday items partly account for weight gains across the years. And so it is only with such celebrations that we indulge in such excess. Of course, without wasting anything :)

And here I leave you with a photo of the gorgeous Ms K who seemed to be doing a Yes Sir, No Sir, Three Bags Full salutation at the time of the photo taking, only for me to realise she looks like a Fortune Cat who is supposed to usher in loads of money. Chinese love to say 'Huat ar!' during Chinese New Year, meaning prosper (money!). Then a friend pointed out that it's the wrong hand that she's raising, but this hand brings luck. So I wish you all loads of luck this year of the Rabbit. . and promise to stop by and say hello. . and reply to all your comments! Thank you for your continued presence here :)

russian spy and full moon ritual

2011-01-29T18:34:00.000+00:00

Hello from tropical Singapore! After three hours of sleep due to the Takes Forever Process of finding the cheapest (and most efficient) way to travel to Heathrow, I worked for a few hours, went back and finished up my packing and made the beginning of my trip out of the cold and into the hot. I was a little stunned that I fitted everything, including a spare duffel, into my tiny unexpanded luggage, which was a shocking 12.7kg when weighed at the bag drop-- contrary to all the times when I make the limit by the skin of my teeth or try to smile my way through. As I hugged D goodbye, The Chocolate Robber appeared from nowhere and tore up the stairs into the flat, so the busy man has some other feline company* whilst rushing on his projects.

At 630pm on Friday, I landed in Changi airport after a most comfortable flight due to ample legroom as I managed to secure front-row seats by the exit. I also literally conked off the moment I sat down, and had to be awoken by the kind lady next to me lest I missed my meals-- most strange behaviour exhibited by myself given how I love being wide-awake and bushy-tailed whilst flying. As they opened the airplane windows after our 'night flight' and served us breakfast an hour before landing, the sun was shining in the sky and I couldn't help smiling to myself. Zipped through the automatic customs for citizens in the gorgeous Changi Airport**, and boy did it feel good to be home! After picking up more presents for my father at Duty Free, I spied my luggage on the conveyor belt, ran towards it, and then my brother mysteriously appeared out of nowhere whilst my parents were smiling. Oh yes, I'm home. And I couldn't be happier, although a part of me does wish D could be here too***. Then there's been food, food and more food, with loads of Chinese New Year goodies everywhere and me going, "Slow down, I can't eat everything at once!" Haha. I happily unveiled dresses and lipsticks for my mother which she was happily trying on, and hugged my cats who were meowing away to some most lyrical chorus whilst dancing around the room, true to their elegant nature.

This morning I showed up unannounced at the SPCA (where I spent six years of my Saturday mornings/afternoons) and it was awesome to meet up with my friends there and see their delighted faces, whilst giving as many hugs as I could to all the gorgeous animals there. This post was half-written whilst I was in Brighton, and I'm filling it up as I lie on my bed and hug my familiar pillows, whilst reminding myself to buy fatter pillows back in Brighton. . .

*Since he thinks I am a cat.
**The airport is so pretty and with so many shops and food that people go to the airport for fun
*** Even though I kinda think that if he goes house-visiting with me during Chinese New Year, everybody will think I'm married and won't give me red packets (containing money)-- oh the perks of being young and unmarried!

I always feel an inexplicable sense of restlessness on Sunday evenings. Actually, I start getting bored and then restless if I'm indoors between 730pm and 10pm everyday, before getting either insanely productive or wildly creative. No idea why, but the restlessness then degenerates into sleepiness; and the problem is intensified on Sundays. It's been this way since I was a wee child. So this Sunday, I found my fake fringe. Rather than to look in the mirror and snip off my bangs the way I did back in August, I played with a fake fringe instead, which I bought to pretend to be a stranger when D was due to visit in Cambridge one Friday. Set a location to meet, wait from the bookstore opposite and ambush. Okay, I play too many jokes on people but can't help that. Anyhows, I decided to sweep the bangs sideways and Play Pretend again. This time, continuing on my weekend theme of Russian Spy a.k.a. Evelyn Salt. No idea why but it keeps running through my head. Huge fur collar over the existing slip I was wearing, pale pink lipgloss, and vintage perforated white leather gloves later, I was feeling it. "Are you playing dress up?" he went, all amused, "I saw you prancing in front of the mirror!". Fine. I thought he was busy writing music and didn't notice, all happy with new toys. So I put on more clothes and we went for a walk, telling D I am his new girlfriend (since he insists I look different again), still feeling like a Russian Spy. It must be something in the stars.

The other shots here are that of the Full Moon nights. I love to light a few candles-- this time I've got a big red 'bomb' candle from Habitat and vanilla-scented tealights. You have to love sales, or you'd go broke from purchasing candles. Pillar candles at the end of their lives are good 'tealight holders', whilst the flat gets scented with a mixture of frankincense, black pepper, ylang ylang and sage.

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This was another of D's Breakfasts on Wednesday before I left. He's always asking if I have to go to work "so I can cook you breakfast". These basil mushrooms were wicked. I feel very very very lucky because it is one thing for a man to treat you to fancy meals, and it is another for him to prepare them himself :) Although he loves to joke that I'm with him because he can cook since I'm a greedy girl.

The night before I left, he even went out in the cold to get extra ingredients so he could do the lamb Moroccan-style. I had no idea he was planning on something so elaborate, because he was dead exhausted from working so hard. There was roasted lamb marinated with Middle Eastern spices served on a bed of cous cous with dried fruit, dressed with spiced Greek yoghurt. On the side was a three bean, tomato, shallot, spring onion and white onion salad drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice; as well as a dollop of humus to go with the pita bread.

Off to bed now. . Hopefully we'll see a Singapore post up within the next few days. . I do suspect I might be so busy over here I'd end up conking off when for days when I get back to the UK! Catch up with your blogs soon, and thank you as always for stopping by xxx

i saw three ships come sailing by

2011-01-27T21:02:00.000+00:00

I'm just about to fly back to Singapore and this is a timed post. I'm guessing that by now, I've taken the 2-hour ride to Heathrow, checked in three hours early, and then am waiting to sit on the 13-hour flight back. My second leg of the return ticket was expiring soon, and after the ordeal last December, I finally got the passport back and stopped feeling like an alien. So one more big expenditure (why are flights so expensive!) but I'll be home for Chinese New Year-- a time of warmth and festivities, and not to mention awesome food. 2009/10 was the first time I spent CNY and Christmas away from home, so I'm really glad to go back this time. Presents were bought on Monday (I think they're all gonna love it) as compared to the last round when it was hasty and I didn't buy things for many people. Funny how being caught in a sort of financial bind can make you slightly more generous, but it's for the people I love. These pictures were taken on my last trip back in April-- a 1.5 week trip that I extended to 3+ weeks because my students were sweet enough to ask me to teach them despite the brevity of the vacation. As usual, Lulu was the mastermind behind these gorgeous shots, taken on the beach near her sister's seaside house which we stayed over at, with many fond memories of us studying for our political sociology paper there, a PJ party and loads of camwhoring. The dress was new, purchased when us four went on an impromptu shopping trip after a Rice Table session and slightly traumatised by lecherous-looking people who took our photos without permission at dinner; but we picked up pretty summer dresses after that before embarking on a mad Durian Fest by the roadside and a crazy night of non-stop yakking. Lulu and I were left by the next day after lunch and threading, and I can't wait to see her again. It was a little strange how my hair was oddly straight that morning, and I did not pack a belt into my overnighter bag, making the look a little not me, and what Lulu called "Pocahontas".

I hope I'll be able to blog from Singapore, or at least put in a few filler posts in the meantime! See you soon xxx

lethal weaponous silver dancing nails

2011-01-26T03:41:00.000+00:00

You must be bored of my shelves and dresser and miscellaneous Lair exploits by now, so this will probably be one of the last few! I think I've finally gotten my glass shelves downstairs sorted out-- isn't it funny how upon looking back you feel that the old iterations look terrible? Anyhows I suppose all these take time to build up. The dresser stands like this for now, with a white resin bust and two white hands bearing my rings. Like Penny showed us here, my dresser in my tiny flat is actually a chest of drawers, but I love it nonetheless. I am still thinking something's missing here. I continue to peruse the gorgeous options Penny picked out, and hope I will soon be satisfied with the dresser!

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I am really loving the shelves downstairs right now. They look and feel right :)

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The velvet bust finally arrived so I could shift my candles to flank the gold mirror. It was slightly smaller than I expected, but I love the character it exudes. AND, I found the Thai Dancing Nails hiding in my mini vintage trunk by my bedside. I bought them when I first moved to the UK, convinced by Lulu and loving the sensuality behind them. Unfortunately, D thinks they are dangerous and weaponous. He thinks I keep buying weapons. But they are too beautiful to not display. So I got myself another black resin hand, stuck the nails on them, and voila. Pleased as punch, and purring like a mad cat.

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how to make everyone drool over your winter coat

2011-01-23T17:51:00.001+00:00

original images via here and here

I used to fantasise about winter coats all the time. The Best Friend and I would nip into Zara, try on all sorts of coats and drool. Whilst knowing that my limit would be buying sharp workwear when I was a student, or fuzzy cardigans in tropical Singapore, it would be massively insane for me to splurge on trench coats. Not even for vacations. Perhaps just a simple coat or a puffer jacket. Then in the dizzying chain of events between March and October 2009 where I received my acceptance letter and subsequently prepared to ship myself off, I assembled a 'starter kit' of trench coats. That collection, of course, expanded in the first two months when I landed in the UK. One year later, I think I am slightly wiser about Dressing Up The Winter Coat-- THE piece de resistance of your outfit. Because sometimes, you never remove it, nobody really gets to see what's beneath. So, puff up your shiny plume, dress yourself up and amp out the outer beauty ;)

original images via here, here and here

Not all coats fit properly. Sometimes we find such irresistibly-beautiful ones in thrift stores or via other miscellaneous sources online but they might be that tad too big. Here's the belt to the rescue-- for a nipped waist, and a more flattering fit. Besides, not all of us look good in straight-cut clothes so the belt feels like sweet salvation. The best belts for coats, to me, are chain belts. They hook on and off easily, rather than having to deal with buckles. For a starter kit, a gold one and a silver one would suffice to match colour palettes and jewelry. And, the best thing about these belts is that they can be found easily in vintage or charity stores.

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Hosiery is icing on the cake when you speak of winter wear. Sure, sometimes it's fun to go mad with thick, opaque tights and socks of all sorts, but for a distinctive look, the wicked devil lurks in the detail of your hosiery. I learned quickly enough that it is the Gorgeous Factor of your hosiery that can make or break the wow factor of your coat. This pair of dragon-tattoo sheer tights ranks amongst one of my favourites-- fierce, dramatic and energetic. Other types you can try would be net patterns, floral patterns, faux-suspender ones, or amazing printed ones from House of Tights. In particular, I am loving the following from them: Black & Red Abstract, Motel, and Italian Ornate.

When it came to trawling for pictures of hosiery, I uncovered one particular incident that sticks out in my mind and makes me laugh. I have a tendency to end up wearing the same colour combinations unanimously with women (and men) I hang out regularly with. Sometimes we even buy the same thing and almost wear the same thing without knowing it. So one day, I burst out laughing when meeting June for coffee and cakes before class. . . because we were both in a red coat, black dress, and black boots. Plus I almost carried my black leather bag, only changing it at the last minute. These photographs were taken to commemorate the death of her umbrella which she adamantly used 'to protect against acid rain! Bad for hair and skin!'. God I miss that girl I met on the first day of our Masters class and gave me a shock with the words, "I am a policewoman".

vintage M&S floral netted tights; black Topshop lace-up leather boots; black Milla Jovovich for Mango dress; red Henne coat; red Celine handbag; Diva cocktail ring; gold Forever 21 hoop earrings.

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original image of Dita von Teese from here

I think high heels are so sexy with winter coats-- nevermind my insane preoccupation with hoarding a collection of knee-high boots having been deprived of them all my life. Still, whenever I can, I love to wear my winter coats with heels as high as possible. Suffice to say I bought a vintage full-length coat in late November, and just received it-- the nipped waist and length, complete with high heels, looks and feels like a vintage dream!

And, when you don't feel like being ladylike, heels dress up a pair of shorts and a big fuzzy (faux) fur winter coat! (That was probably me looking all sleepy after research class, June and I going to reward ourselves with some shopping! The perils of having your institutes smacked and interspersed within the shopping zone. . )

vintage brown winter coat; Nichii pinstripped shorts; vintage vest; Mango black turtleneck; Aldo men's pendant turned ring; nurse's stopwatch turned necklace; Marble Ink black leather handbag; no brand grey tights; Charles & Keith heels; Celine silver chain on handbag; Primark silver hoop earrings.

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Devilishly Pleasurable's Vintage Secretary look, Winter 2009/10.

Vintage gloves (or gloves in general) can make a whole world of a difference to an outfit. They are easy to find on ebay or in charity shops, and often have impeccable detailing. This one above is a white leather pair with delicate perforations. I used it for my Vintage Secretary look last winter, where I tucked a white satin ruffled blouse into a baby pink oversized jumper, paired them with a white skirt and nipped the waist with a white leather belt. Then came the finishing details--a smart fitted trench coat, delicately-flower-patterned tights and vintage tan-and-white shoes.

You can probably tell how much I love gloves from the way I keep wearing them, whether in lace, leather or satin (see here, here, here, and here); and my main inspiration behind my glove rampage would be Nini, whom I've been reading for years. I still want extremely-long leather gloves that extend beyond my elbows, which are a little too pricey for now. In the meantime, I continue to stud my own gloves.

Nichii blouse; Topshop jumper; vintage skirt (my Mom's); vintage belt (Mom's); Karen Millen trench coat; Elle printed tights; Bally shoes; vintage gloves

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original image of Oscar de la Renta ensemble via here

Whilst I don't generally recommend this look for winter all the time, I am known to be a bit foolhardy and to go out in the winter cold in cardigans and sandals. I reckon it might take me five years to learn, although I still wonder why I freeze to death in Australian autumns and pile on the layers, and don't feel that cold in the infamous English winters. Nevertheless, I love the belted cardigan look because it can make you look ladylike and proper. Otherwise, it makes your large, long cardigans look like bathrobes and kimonos-- a look I really love.

Two Devilishly Pleasurable Belted Cardigan Looks from last winter. .

Left: George long black cardigan; black Victoria Beckham for R&R drainpipes; burnt orange Charles & Keith Signature heels; vintage red ostrich leather handbag; vintage white leather belt (Mom's)

Right: George long black cardigan; Nichii pinstripped shorts; no brand burgundy tights; Charles & Keith heels; red Celine handbag; free Elle magazine charm-bracelets-turned-necklace; Wish You Were Here antique silver ring; assorted men's chunky silver bracelets; Primark silver hoop earrings.

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original image of sari here

I once found an entire bag of beautiful saris at a jumble sale in Singapore for only S$1 (£0.45) back in 2007. So I carted the entire bag home, to my mother's dismay at my growing hoard of stuff. I always planned to use them somehow as large scarves when the weather permitted (i.e. travelling and my life-long goal to emigrate) or as sarong wraps. This finally materialised. Besides wearing this multi-way sari as a skirt, the rest are traditional saris. So have I been happily piling them on in the cold, loving the beautiful materials, designs and colours. By wearing such scarves of gargantuan proportions, you can actually not button up your coat at all.

And this style was pretty what I wore to school at Cambridge most of the time during winter: sari, skirt, coat, summer top, boots.

Daiso men's white singlet (only £0.80-- why spend loads on white singlets!); Mango white miniskirt; Charles & Keith taupe suede boots; vintage sari; Karen Millen powder-pink trench coat; black Marble Ink leather handbag; shot of hot chocolate in hand

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original image via (IN)decorous taste

As the genius behind (IN)decorous taste has shown, fur collars and related embellishments can amp up even the simplest of outfits, transforming them to look like a million bucks. This principle applies to dresses, jackets and of course, winter coats. Therefore, it is important to identify, know and build up your collection of Decorations-- pieces which seem to have no intrinsic functional value apart from aesthetics*.

*Even if D classifies all my clothes under 'Decorations'.

Some of my favourite 'Decorations' a.k.a. layering pieces:

This Karen Millen wool cardigan (on the right, pictured with a giant pancake on an equally-ginormous plate) with its detachable faux-fur collar is one of my favourite layering pieces. It is versatile enough in Spring or Fall with a high-waisted skirt, and keeps me warm indoors. And it adds even more mileage to my winter coats, whether cashmere or faux fur.

I also love layering this pretty Banana Republic cardigan under large fur coats-- when it peeks out with a pearl brooch, it makes the outfit look even more beautiful.

Leather and fur is also a good bet-- there is something I adore about juxtaposing fuzzy (faux) fur with the hardness and shininess of leather.

Chinese Laundry buckled boots; Dior handbag; Victoria Beckham for R&R drainpipes; Daiso men's singlet; Diva lion ring; vintage black leather jacket; faux fur scarf from Ebay.

I count this Karen Millen cape amongst my treasured possessions. Here, I also wore my "Always be desired and never possessed" Coco de Mer scarf as a belt, and you can see another of my favourite cape look here.

Ruffles are also great layering pieces-- you can find them anywhere. Collars, boleros or even a light summer top. Just wear them beneath and make sure they somehow stick out from your winter coat in a flamboyant fashion. (Top right look here and bottom look here)

Finally, a large faux fur scarf. I loved the way Evelyn Salt looked with all her big fur embellishments during her voyage back to Russia in the movie Salt. Therefore, I kinda sought to emulate that look yesterday when we went to a neighbouring town Lewes to pick up a keyboard to tinker about with. Outfit post to follow soon :)

Beyond these, other forms of Decorations I can think of would be: bright lipstick, feather eyelashes, and large decadent pieces of jewelry.

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When all else fails and your options feel stale, just wear a pretty dress beneath. This was Christmas 2009 (my first Christmas abroad and away from home!). I decided to wear an asymmetrical ruffled snakeskin-print Mango dress I knew I would wear someday when I bought it during one of the sales back at home. Slipped on a pair of floral-printed Charles & Keith pumps, decked on some Forever 21 gold hoops and a large Diva cocktail ring and voila, my vintage faux fur coat was completely accessorised!

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original image source here

Last, if you can afford it or know how to, tailor your coat. Nothing is more flattering than an excellent fit-- you know how men are particular about the tailoring as compared to many women who simply buy disposable fashions off anywhere, so it can be quite inspiring to take a leaf out of their book. I once read Eva Longoria who lauds about the importance of tailoring and that she even does that to t-shirts! And whenever I read about fellow bloggers who can tailor and sew such as Vix and Veshoevius, I always imagine them being able to customise anything they want. Then I remember how my grandmother could sew anything, and hope that gene is just dormant within me. . . so I can stop simply throwing belts on to make everything seem flattering.

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Let's hear how you make everyone drool over your winter look! ;) x

the vampiress' tale

2011-01-21T17:45:00.001+00:00

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Sometimes I wonder how bad can I get. These shots were taken eons ago, on the day I caved in to expensive haircuts in the UK and snipped off part of my thick locks since they were driving me crazy. The hair stylist (a really nice girl!) decided to give me a volumising-cum-straightening blowdry, which I had to take photographs of, because it's not everyday that my hair is straight. Walking back from the pub, I told D I wanted Vampire Shots, because of The Vampire Lipstick (also seen here). So he directed me to the dilapidated-looking estate (well, it looks like that in the dark), turned on the flash, took about ten shots and ran off before anyone could see us. Today I decided to atone for my badness and am hence posting another one, complete with some story I conjured. I've been awake for 17 hours, and am about to run off for the weekend. Happy weekend everybody xxx

Henne red cashmere coat; Dolce & Gabanna shoes; thrifted mini skirt; Mango top; no brand black tights; Diva ring; Marble Ink black leather bag.

stylish blogger award- thank you! x

2011-01-21T11:31:00.002+00:00

The lovely Dora of Vintage Passions Just Like Mine and Josceline of Succeeding at Failing conferred upon me my second blog award.

Here's what I have to do:
1)Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2)Share 7 things about yourself
3)Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers.
4)Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award

Let's see, seven things about myself:

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Ms K & myself since 2004

I love cats-- it is in my blood. Whilst you often see The Chocolate Robber (here and here) in my posts, the main feline love of my life is Ms K, my black-and-white beauty with the expressive face and the large puppy eyes. She who loves to scream in photos as though she is abused, watch out for me from the study windows upstairs and run to the door like my loyal dog, and must be stroked and talked to in order for her to eat her food. Here's what I wrote about her a while back:

" I have four family cats back in Singers. This is my absolute favourite, not because of her colour or the fact that her facial and hind markings are perfectly symmetrical (I'd only realised months after adopting her, which makes it even sweeter, kinda like how happy I was when I realised D is actually a cordon-bleu chef masquerading as a designer) but because there was that something in her. I met her on the first day of volunteer duties at the SPCA and I knew she would be my cat. But, my father is vehemently anti-cats. Week by week, every other cat got adopted, but magically, this cat somehow never got chosen. Which was rather mysterious because she was the best-looking cat there (seriously! and there were loads of ugly cats). 13 months later, I finally convinced The Mother to engage in a smuggling mission with me (needed her to sign the papers because I was underaged). Execute first, face the music later-- 先斩后奏. And one stormy Monday morning on the 27th September 2004, Ms K went home with us in a taxi, to the backdrop of howling winds and merciless rains. And beyond everything else of what a wonderful (sometimes snobbish, sometimes loving) cat she is, She Who Looks More Soft Toy Than A Soft Toy has a crazy knack for shoes that I find both amusing and endearing. When I walk in with a new paperbag nestling a box of shoes, she will wake up and charge towards me, knocking things over (she never does that normally) and paw the bag. She'll sniff the shoes with glazed eyes and look a little high as she marks her territory (and brands her seal of approval) on them. I've never met cats like that before. So sometimes I miss her reaction whenever I buy new shoes here. Luckily for me, D shares in my shoexcitement too."

26 August 2008

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Most people who know me well-enough know that I am extremely cheeky. According to D, I always look like I am up to no good, which is not true. Then one day, I found old photos of myself as a child. I was always chuckling and looking naughty all the time. Even the above, at nine months old, has me looking all cheeky. Then, to my slight horror, I realised that I was an expert in posing for photographs since I was a baby, stretching, turning and changing my expressions before I could even stand properly. Also, I think that because I have four dimples (the first thing the nurse told my mother when she regained consciousness), I always look like I'm smiling.

Today, I continue to be cheeky and play tricks on people all the time, out of good humour. A bit of a minx and a bit of an imp, I think it makes life fun and light-hearted. I love making cheeky cards for friends, for instance in Lulu's birthday card which went, "School girls, behave!" (long story behind that) and D's birthday card which was based on a dodgy shot of him on the beach, complete with beer and smokes. And with the words "Draconian Chef" imprinted on the beer can. You should have seen the mad smile on his face when he opened the envelope.

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original image source here

Growing up, I didn't exactly have the highest self-esteem. I don't even remember it being remotely healthy. I think it was the combination of bad haircuts, gangliness and those hideous pink plastic spectacles with large frames that made everything worse. From 7 to 16, I was called every mean name ever imaginable, which took a great beating on the ego. I think, coming from a convent school (in Singapore, convents are known for producing alpha females, bitches and confident women who look you in the eye and speak well) for that same period of time made it worse. I remember being 7 and people I hung out with would go, "Yeah, (my name) is the tallest and . . the ugliest in the room. Hahaha" and they'd laugh. Kinda mean-spirited for seven year-olds, but I still shudder at the memory. When I was 15, I remember this girl going, "(My name) reminds me of a fat ugly nun. You're almost there, just not fat". Otherwise, I'd get made fun of for my skinniness ("your legs resemble chicken wings" when pointing to the thigh muscle cut) and all sorts of unpleasantries. I think the only saving grace I had were my brains, which I took time to develop, and those times gave me moments of reflection and introspection. Something happened when finished high school, my looks started to change, my cheekbones started to develop, and I began to blossom. Sometimes when I look back at those times and meet some of those mean girls (of which I was even asked, "did you go for plastic surgery"), I do think I look way better than them, and probably achieved loads more. But I think the take-home lesson here is that I don't judge a person based on prettiness/ugliness. And when I mentor or tutor a young kid who starts to insult others' looks, I make sure I sow in the seeds of not condemning a person for his or her face.

I often love to say, "When I grow up, I want to look like Angelina Jolie AND Penelopé Cruz". Because I am greedy and can't decide, I want the best of both worlds. And I like to tell myself I'm not grown up yet and therefore can still evolve. Recently, I discovered Claudia Cardinale, and have decided she incorporates the best of both worlds. Therefore, when I grow up I want to look like Claudia Cardinale.

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from original post here

I have a love-hate relationship with travelling-- most of the time it is the long (and expensive) trip to the airport that puts me off. I'm quite alright with squashing in planes though, probably because I first flew when I was 2 years old and have always associated flying with something immensely exciting.

One thing about travelling that puts me off is packed, hurried schedules and having to wake up early to pile into tour buses (read: The Father and 2813918239123 people I know). No, travelling, to me, should be loads of time for bubble baths and long mornings in bed. Sure, some sight-seeing, and yesh, I know you're all the way in a foreign place and must explore. I typically love to spend a few days just exploring a tiny place, getting lost and wandering about and chilling. Taking my time to eat and take loads of photographs. It's a crazy laid-back approach as compared to my usual high-strung self but it works for me. Also, I don't like to 'pile on the holidays' and travel for the sake of travelling. Some of my friends think I'm bit crazy having been to Europe for 15 months but having only travelled to some parts of the UK and then to Cyprus. But we also have to decide among food, shoes and travelling, right? Take my time, and like Billy Joel sings in one of my favourite songs Vienna,

Slow down, you crazy child, you're so ambitious for a juvenile
But if you're so smart tell me why are you still so afraid [...]
Slow down, you're doing fine, you can't be everything you want to be before your time
Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight. .

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I think I am an immensely-loyal person. I'll go all out for those I care for, and for those I classify under "My People" and most people tell me they can trust me with their lives; but if you hurt me, I'll cut you out of my life without bothering to exact vengeance because karma will get your big fat arse with a bite seven-times harder. Hahaha. Okay, this was not supposed to be so mean-sounding. I am very close to my family-- it's like a mad drama if you watch/hear/participate in our family dynamics, but I love it. I was brought up with my cousins by my maternal grandparents, and loved having so much love lavished upon me by my elders. I think my cousins also provided a good model for achieving academic success, drummed early into me. Nevertheless, I craved a younger sibling, so I begged my mother for a younger brother when I was five. She said her heart melted and then my folks changed their minds on their original intention to have just one child. The day my brother was born, was the day I was seen the happiest, smiling my toothy smile. I remember my grandfather who was warded in the same hospital where my brother was delivered remarking, "You've been smiling all day!". I also make it a point to maintain close relations with my uncles and aunties, especially after all my grandparents whom I was extremely close to have passed on. Every year on their death anniversaries, I light a candle or visit their graves/niches if I can. . in remembrance of the people who made me what I am.

And I'm also not sure whether it's because I'm growing older, or because I knew that I was leaving Singapore one day, that I became more aware of digging into my ethnic roots and extended family (which is very very large). Chinese New Year home visits not longer became a chore but rather one which I started to love, for the sake of knowing the people in my life and where I come from. Apart from that, "My People" is also reserved for the exclusive echelon of people who have passed the tests of The Suspicious Feline In Me. Can't help it, experience has made me that way! But am I grateful to have amazing support and a lovely network of people who respect each other and celebrate our differences.

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I think each of us has some sort of effect on others, and the major effect I tend to hear of is inducing experimentalism in others. From fashion ("you're the only person I dare to dress up or try on or buy these stuff with") to all sorts of subjects ("oh God I tried that! I never dared to tell that or discuss that with anyone. Why am I telling you?") to books ("Why have I never discovered that?") sometimes I worry if I might be bad influence. Lol. Even D keeps telling me he is getting more experimental with his cooking. I remember how he'd keep running to recipes all the time. . I actually like this more experimental and confident Chef more!

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I always think that you cannot choose your family, so they cannot classify as the best things that happen to you. Conversely, the people (and cats) who enter your life can, and D would be the best thing that's happened to me, even if he gets upset about being classified under 'people'. I think it's an amazing story how we developed and maintained a strong friendship over the years from the initial spark, knowing each other better, trying to downplay the magnetic attraction due to geographical barriers and individual circumstances/situations. It seemed impossible. Nevertheless, time gave us the conditions for knowing each other's brains (very important!) and delving into nooks and crannies of each others' personalities, being rather blown away by the ease at which we flipped from the deep to the frivolous. Years of entanglement made me think I had enough, and then one day we just admitted that it was inescapable. I revealed that I was applying to Cambridge, initially thinking he'd never go back to the UK and I'd be safe there. Now I eat my words and yum, are they delicious. Then he goes, "I moved back to the UK for you!". And so whilst we trudge our ways out of whatever difficulties (trust me when I say we're not rich and you wouldn't want to trade lives with me), as the light looks increasingly brighter, I have myself a wonderful lover, chef, intellectual and Absurdist sparer, and everything else. Someone to force me to talk when I love to keep everything in. And most importantly, first and foremost, a deeply-rooted friendship, developed over good times and persevering through the rough.

"I remember wishing for all these in a partner, wondering if it was possible, and you're all that and more" . . and I realised, that's what I wished for too :)

DP in Cyprus, 5 May 2010.

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Penny Dreadful; Vintage Vixen; Cloud of Secrets; Taxonomy of my Wardrobe; Tashrin; Leia's Delights; Elegant Bohemian; Pull Your Socks Up; Mis Papelicos; Grit & Glamour; Heels & Wedges

P.S. There are eleven here. Just because! x

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three hours of beautification

2011-01-14T06:27:00.006+00:00

Yesterday was an intense brain-draining day. After I was done with work, I was rushing a report out for a client last night, and ended up finishing at 7am. This meant that instead of sleeping tonight five hours after I awoke, I put on some jazz, lit the flat with candles, scenting it with ylang ylang, sage and black pepper, and kicked back to relax. Then I looked at the mess that I had made over the past few weeks-- deliveries since preprepre-Christmas that had just arrived recently due to snow delays, laundry hanging around the bathroom, the kitchen that looked like a bomb had just exploded in it. I shifted to Chambermaid mode*. And then I decided, it was time to kick off my decoration plans. I had pledged to stop buying stuff for the house pre-Christmas until finances start improving**. All I had were four new white feather boas, inspired by the restaurant we went to during New Year's Eve. With all the ideas ticking about in my head all the time, I rubbed my hands in glee and started shifting stuff around the house.

*My mother would be so proud. D was shocked that all my life I have magically evaded housework so I had to clarify that my (younger) brother knows housework, just that I started to earn and therefore paid him to do my share. "I am going to have words with your mother" he said, instead of offering to mop the floor when I admitted I have no idea how to do it and called the dustpan "small sweeping device". To which I sheepishly admitted, "I thought that when I grew up I would have maids" and he burst out laughing. In my defense, though, in the past year I have learned how to sweep the floor, wash dishes, change the sheets, do the laundry, etcetera amen. Vast improvement. Oh God, why am I justifying.

**But seeing that I will be a student for the next N years, it is hard to imagine just when.

The three-way gold mirror came downstairs. I got it from a Gumtree ad***, and picked it up the day I moved. It has since been cleaned and the horrible sticker removed. And ooh, I found a use for my Egyptian beaded headpiece I got from my bellydancing class back in Singapore. My teacher always brought back so many beautiful things from Egypt, every lesson I couldn't resist but buy something. . Those were the days.

***To this day, The Best Friend still thinks I am lying when I insisted it is £10 only.

I always feel like Cleopatra in that headpiece :)

The Black Shelf now has an Art Deco clutch I got from Past Times. Basically, the living room is now adorned with loads of candles, feathers, fascinators and whatever catches my fancy. . .

The pink rug was shedding too much upstairs. Coupled with my long hair**** it becomes a nightmare to clean the carpet up. So downstairs it went. I feel like layering rugs, and envision a huge black shaggy pile rug covering a large part of the exposed wooden floor boards. Let's just hope one will pile up on Gumtree soon. Also, I love how my boots match the chaise.

**** D always goes, "I look at you and think, how come you still have hair left on your head. You're like a cat".

Quite obviously, there's no longer any space left for the books on the shelves. Imagine if I brought my whole wall of books over from Singapore. I would be hapless. The Quadrivium just arrived-- it is an amazing and mindblowing number, courtesy of D. Yet another lovely addition to my eclectic collection. What cracks me up about my books is how the other day D's friend came over and later said, "I have never seen anyone with Nietzsche in their shelves before. You must be the smartest person I have ever met". And I burst out laughing, because. . just look at the amount of frivolous chicklit next to Osho, Hegel and Dawkins.

The lights from the Ficcus Christmas Tree are now wrapped around the yucca's trunk. Even though my grandparents were agrarian, and my parents love gardening, I keep forgetting plants have needs. Nor really notice their leaves and such. They're D's department. I love their energy, but . . well, it is not like an animal who wakes you up in the morning.

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And, this is what I am proudest of. The bedroom finally looks like a bedroom now. Those of you who have seen photographs of The Lair will know the bed is on a raised platform in the attic bedroom, complete with beams above, which makes me feel like I am in a yurt (childhood dream to own one!). I wrapped white feather boas around the beams, and changed the sheets. I love the combination of fuchsia satin sheets and white Egyptian cotton duvets-- feels divine! And when I go to bed I can open the skylight blinds and watch the stars above. . or open the window and feel the icy wind kiss my skin :)

The beam above the bed has a strictly-white theme. With white starry fairy lights-- the beauty of them is that they are battery-operated and only £1 (from Poundland). And then I found those white fluffy balls in one of my craft boxes. I remember them coming with some lingerie I bought back when I was 16 and saved them because I knew they would come in useful one day. And indeed they have!

The other beam has got black in it. That's actually a blindfold from Coco de Mer bearing the wisest message ever-- always be desired and never possessed. And then, a lace shrug I got from Ms Selfridge sales at £5 down from £35 or something ridiculous. I love how I can wear my furnishings and have my house wear my accessories.

The bedside is now streamlined and much neater. Although more storage boxes would be good for the other stuff I am hiding behind the bed, I am loving the look for now. The white lace shrug was also from the sales, and the cushions have migrated upstairs. A light-coloured vintage Moroccan scarf now covers my hand luggage (storage!), Arabic lanterns and an origami lamp now added, whilst my Indian jewelry box which stores my larger and more opulent rings has been shifted to the bedside. White sheepskin rugs lining both sides of the bed would complete the look. . but sheepskin is so costly!

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I am loving the dresser too. The white mirror and the porcelain vase moved upstairs too. I found the gorgeous feathers for a pound each at some local craft market and it hit me that that's what's been missing from the vase, besides layers of pearls. My necklace holders and resin hands bearing rings now sit on my dresser together with a grey-feathered hairpiece. I finally have a usable mirror upstairs!

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And, the one who brings warmth, cosiness and smiles to The Devilishly Pleasurable Lair-- The Chocolate Robber! I was shaking my rugs out of the window when I heard her meowing softly. She got all excited, trying to jump up to my window. Plus it's subzero temperatures outside, so I braved the cold and went downstairs to let her in. She now sleeps on the zebra rug which lines the bottom of the stairs, purring melodiously as she has her adventures in Sandman's Turf.

So ends three hours of intense cleaning and redecoration-- D is going to think he's come to the wrong flat! Have a wonderful weekend everybody! xxx

creationism in black and white

2011-01-07T08:04:00.000+00:00

I feel the urge to create coming back, beyond the card I illustrated for my cousin's wedding (which she used as part of her wedding presentation!) and the Tearing Wax Candle Holders I made. This is a welcome move as I had a dry spell for an entire year apart from a few random sketches where my pen surreptitiously moved inside my notebook pages. I got reminded of the long pair of gloves I studded sometime back in Singapore in preparation for Cambridge life (yeah right, more like I was being vain), and a set of photographs that showcased them. .

The emphasis being on the accessories here-- a faux fur collar and long black leather gloves. It's so hard to find huge dangerous-looking studs back in Singapore. Of course there was Ebay UK and US, but delivery charges were a bit insane for a tiny packet, I decided to practice extreme delay of gratification. I was so happy to find a children's Stud Your T-Shirt With Mickey Mouse set in a 7-11 store whilst waiting for my friend to pick me up from the bus interchange. Of course, I wasn't planning on having a silver Mickey silhouette on my tee, but I love buying crafting materials knowing I will use them someday* . And so when I found these gloves from m)phosis on major discount, I knew I was going to get Stud Happy with them.

Back to The Look-- bold eyes did the trick here, together with juicy coral lips (see first picture of this post for a better idea).

*Imagine when you decide to make necklaces in the middle of the night you have to source online and wait for delivery till they come?

Studding is done both at the base and then it radiates upwards from the base of your thumb towards your index finger to simulate a ring. Jewelry and accessories-- purrfect for greedy souls like myself.

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Finally, I arrived in the UK. Ebay delivery fees were £2 instead of £20. So I ordered myself a large packet of mixed studs. But I had no urge to create anything in Cambridge. Actually I had little urge for many things there. So the studs sat in my Craft Boxes, together with the millions of things that needed repairs involving hot glue guns, wires and pliers. Last night I remembered how I used to create stuff whilst watching the telly. You see, I stopped watching tv back in 2007 or 2008, apart from the occasional drama when I was sitting with my family whilst having dinner. They always say that family dinners with the tv is bad for your family as it reduces the dynamics, but in my family, everybody talks, laughs, discusses and gets distracted, telly time involves a lot of interaction. Okay, why am I talking about that now. It was scary that so much time gets eaten up with television. Say, you start at 7pm and then you end at midnight. And then you watch all the US drama serials freshly broadcasted on the internet for another few hours (I've never had cable before-- people think I'm poor for that lol), you have no more time left. Plus I also started working very very hard.

Quite possibly because yesterday was Epiphany, I had my own epiphany that our Stargate Atlantis marathons** were . . tv! And that I had ordered new soft leather gloves. . and that I had so many things I wanted to create. . and that I had finished up loads of work earlier before Christmas just so I could craft. Then The Bad Unjust Apocalyptic News hit. Then there was the holiday season. Then. . The Epiphany.

**I am going to become Fashion Blog That Mentions Stargate The Most.

So I crept into my storage cupboards and pulled out my tools. And assembled together likely designs. Finally I decided to Be Greedy. Et voila, asymmetrical gloves! Complete with a 'ring' on the right side. Because you should Be Greedy.

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And whilst we are at it, I also created this ruffled collar|necklace back in Singapore. Made of ruched black fabric, a silver chain across its center hooks it into place. I just realised it's perfect with the many turtlenecks one can wear this winter season. The photography is terrible, but it's the middle of the night and the light upstairs leaves much to be desired. .

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Instead of sleeping last night after doing up my gloves, I starred at my many necklaces hanging in my bedroom. Many of which, were sort of nice but not really my type. Sometimes snapped up during massive sales because I loved certain elements, at other times out of impulse. But as my style evolves, loads of them no longer cut it for me. Together with bits of broken jewelry in my craft boxes, ribbons, lace and other materials classified under 'Will Come In Useful Some Day', I laid many pieces on the floor, hung some up on hangers, and started to play around.

This was a ring that I hardly wear anymore, but love the design still. And therefore decided to incorporate it, together with a lace bow and a vintage brooch from my mother's box. I remember that box since my childhood-- a small rectangular wooden box from India with beautiful carvings and shiny bits on top. In it contained some beautiful brooches, of which she gave me a few. Whenever I think of The Mother Vs. Yours Truly, I think of her as stylish, polished and classy and myself as chameleonic, sometimes a bit cheap in terms of taste (i.e. high-street ripoffs) and then I hang my head down in shame like Tom Dooley. Whilst striving to improve myself, of which I do believe (and not in a delusional sense) that considerable advancement has been attained.

Definitely loving this creation of mine :)

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Technically, this is not a creation, but rather some inspiration that struck me like a bolt of lightning. These two necklaces would be awesome layered together.

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And my final piece of the past 24 hours-- an asymmetrical layered necklace. The curved silver bits came from a multiple tiered piece that was a little too delicate for my liking, so I decided to make it a little chunkier. As I assembled together chain links, pearls, silver cords and the large black mirrored gem (of which I modified the border from gold to silver), I started grinning to myself. This piece evokes the ornaments and embellishments that early humans in ancient settlements would wear to demarcate the social class they belonged to-- markers of differentiation that are deep within one's primal origins. Also, that today's symbols for vanity in accessorising has got much deeper roots. And hence I christened it Upper Echelons.

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Hope you've enjoyed this post. . Thank you for the New Year wishes . . and I definitely hope to meet at least some of you this year! xxx

friend friday: me versus you, us versus them

2011-01-07T08:01:00.000+00:00

image from original post here

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1. Have you ever looked at someone's blog and thought yours will never measure up?

Sometimes I do. The major blogs I started reading many years back were Agathe of Style Bytes, Fashion Toast, Karla's Closet and WishWishWish. They were big even back then. I thought that was The Standard. Other variables I've discovered along the years include amazing-ness of photographs, awesome lifestyles, expensive clothes, number of comments and readership levels. Then as I jumped into my own Devilishly Pleasurable project a few months back, I did want mine to be aesthetically pleasing but one that is enjoyable and personal, where I can pour my passion, energy and style into. Not a competition, a collection of comments or anything along those lines.

Thus perhaps, the only 'will never measure up' thoughts is in terms of design of my posts and visuals these days. That, however, might be more influenced by D who's a designer. I watch him anally scour the web for inspiration and spend days poring over a latest concept for a client, battling with 'every last daft pixel', whilst he turns around and asks "My Art Director" for opinions on his work. I have somehow become very concerned about the aesthetic. I never cared about grids, or much about specific typography in the past. Stuff were lopsided, pixelated and shoddy as long as they looked kinda pretty. Today I actually find myself enjoying these very much as I learn to play more with design.

2. Do you (did you) feel pressure to meet some kind of undefined standard for fashion bloggers?

Back when I had my now-dead old fashion blog, I realised the whole What's Trendy thing that mushroomed across so many blogs and look rather cool. Loads of skinny girls in the latest styles that everyone would laud and wax lyrical about. Sure, these girls and pieces looked extraordinary and I'd covet some of them. Then, the high street would dole them out, but sometimes you wonder if you really want to spend all that money for some disposable trends. But I did know that my style was slightly different-- i.e. the style that I wanted to develop, that felt in my blood and in my being. Slowly did I allow it to evolve and hey, I still get to dip into my Experiments With Latest Trends Persona once in a while. In that sense, I don't feel pressured any longer to meet unspoken fashion standards.

3. Many established fashion bloggers are also extraordinary DIYers, bakers, and crafty people. Do you think you need to combine all of these things to be successful at blogging?

I might raise my hand up at being a DIYer, crafty person and a bit of a chef, but the verdict is non-existent on whether I'm extraordinary at those ;)

Nonetheless, I doubt you need to combine those to be considered successful-- hey, then would you need to pretend to be someone else? I think most of these bloggers do these out of the love for their passions-- the ingredients in their personality. There are elements, of course, for success-- design, a strong voice, being good at certain trends, commanding a significant following, etcetera etcetera etcetera till kingdom come; yet I think one undeniable aspect is that no matter how much it is YOUR personality, don't forget you're writing for your readers too! Who are more often than not your friends as well :)

4. The most successful blogs are the ones that have their own personal voice - how are you developing your voice or how did you find yours?

Putting in elements from my life and peppering them with musings, sprinkling in the things I love and making friends with amazing people have helped me develop my voice and perspective.

5. Toot your own horn... what's one thing you do that is unique to you and your blog? What gives your blog an edge?

Devilishly Pleasurable loves luxe and decadent-- whether in terms of lifestyle or fashion. Whilst you might find almost no fashion reports here or latest high-street offerings, and whilst I may be 'behind the curve', the curve here is a devilishly pleasurable one ;)

What you find here now are: recipes; home improvement and inspiration; DIY and quick adaptations you can easily achieve; lifestyle pieces; tips on styling and blogging. And, you know you love The Shoes, sketches, creations, photos of feasting extravaganzas, ideas such as All Year Gift Guide For The Girl With Everything, and The Chocolate Buffet. Some readers enjoy my musings, which encourages me further to keep pumping in my own voice and stick on those feather lashes ;)

I also intend to bring in much more articles this year. . including those on Your Own Sensual Burlesque Style and living decadently whilst on a budget. Fact is, you don't need a million bucks (or anything close to that) for a Devilishly Pleasurable life!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

To join Fashion Beauty Friend Friday, contact Katy Rose of ModlyChic.

happy rufflicious twenty eleven!

2011-01-03T06:05:00.003+00:00

Life has been a bit of a crazy whirlwind since Christmas eve. Loads of feasting of every sort, as well as my Come To UK And Be A Teetotaller Fantasy mocking at me and saying "kiss my arse". Nevertheless, it's the New Year already! Twenty Eleven. . what a fulfilling the last year has been, in a very different sense from all my other years, especially in making me more resilient and certain about the Leaps I take. Here's another long PhotoFest of a post-- saying goodbye to 2010, wrapped up in the ribbon bows of beautiful revelations and immense gratitude; and a hello to 2011.

Brighton has so many restaurants we took it for granted that we'd find some place easily. Happily, we booked a place at Bali Brasserie online but did not bother voicing our mutual suspicion that it'd be fully booked as there was no confirmation call. I took my time to concoct an outfit (it's really hard in winter when you wear more than a layer as compared to my trademark Five Minute Dressing in Singapore), laying out possible combinations on the bed. As usual, D did his "You sure we don't need to order a taxi there" thing which got me retorting, "Do I look all precious and delicate to you like a Ritz girl" and he laughed saying, "Yes". Sometimes this whole You Look Like A (High Maintenance) Posh Girl irks me-- you have to understand that being misunderstood for many years by all sorts of people when I'll quite happily take the bus everywhere and shop at charity stores makes me quite upset. Bali Brasserie, however, was fully booked, and my fantasies of amazing Indonesian and Malaysian food had obliterated away. We walked loads, wandering in and out of various restaurants that were either fully-booked or in D's words, "too regular for the New Year". Eventually, we found La Fourchette, a restaurant we've always wanted to go to but end up going elsewhere, and settled in. . .

The tables were sprinkled with sparkly glitter and shiny celebratory embellishments, which I used as test ~~subjects~~ objects for my little digital camera.

And of course, another set of feathery eyelashes, this time with long bits at the side as compared to the extremely thick ones during Christmas. These look a little like tribal markings when I look downwards, and were the talk of the night, whether by passersbys, people jumping into the cab after us, and in the casino. Plus, layering The Demonness Lipstick over Stila 24K Lipgloss in Merlot gave me glassy lips with a tint of wine. The joys of makeup! (And of vanity!)

The food was fabulous. Five stars. D had oysters with garlic gratin served on a bed of coarse sea salt, whilst I had scallops with pumpkin puree decorated with a circle of chocolate sauce. Absolutely divine.

One of my favourite shots of the night. Pity my camera isn't fantastic, as long as it doesn't die on me, I'll love it.

I chose chicken stuffed with crayfish and leek for my main course, whilst D had an amazing beef fillet. He recommended la gourmandaise de la fourchette for dessert, suggesting that it meant 'feminine, delicate. . a selection, platter' and my eyes lit up. Purrfect for greedy people, a description which the head waiter laughed at. There, an opera cake, hazelnut mousse-y cake, raspberry layered cake and icecream with a coconut-eggish topping which tasted like kaya was unveiled in front of my eyes. Together with glasses of white wines, Shiraz, Singapore Slings and Ports-- what a yummy night.

We were given light sticks for the night. As well as loads of party poppers for midnight! "I am Obi won Kenobi. You are Darth Vader" D went, and I laughed because, I wanted to say that too! Sometimes we find it vaguely scary that lines like "It didn't materialise on this side of the galaxy" come out of each others' mouths at the same time. Unanimously, and for the first time.

The above shot was our "Happy New Year" Facebook photograph.

The Light Sabre Bands we wore all night. The whole restaurant burst into some celebratory Ring Dance, and convinced us to join them. Which I did, of course, after pulling D along. It was fun, a little insane but hey, it was the New Year! Spent with an amazing man with whom life is an open book, and an adventure that is both calming and exciting.

Loving the white feathers. . after white-toned fairy lights on the wooden beams upstairs in The Lair, this is definitely inspiration for doing up The Bedroom Which Feels Like A Yurt.

Guess who was waiting for us, perched gloriously on a low wall, as we came out of the cab. Bounded up the stairs, turned around for loads of strokes and loving and purred insanely like clockwork.

After so many hours, I was dead tired, but D kept delaying sleep in every form, by first going, "You're gonna like the breakfast, anyway!"

The first breakfast of 2011 ;)

And last, outfit details. Since this is first and foremost, a fashion blog ;) . . At least, for now.

As stated earlier, I took a little more time than usual to pick out an outfit. This beautiful champagne gold dress was bought from a charity shop at Cambridge. But somehow, I wanted it to be more. So I pulled out my black zip-up brocade dress from Reiss for the first time, and tied the gold dress' ribbon sash around it. I have a penchant for picking out Decorative Items and this ruffled bolero from Sixties Inspired back at Singapore was no exception. And voila, I faked a fancy long black coat! I'm also convinced that decorative tights make all the difference since the devil is in the details. This sheer polka-dotted grey pair was only a pound at Primark and looks divine. The shoes were from River Island, the long black opera gloves from Ebay, the necklace from Accessorize and the earrings my mother's. Channeling Queen Amidala.

Because I have feathered hair pieces lying around my shelves at home, I stuck one at the back of my hair. Pretending to be an exotic bird can be fun.

D wore light-coloured Italian flare pants and it was only upon looking at the restaurant photographs that I realised our colour schemes matched.

Happy New Year my friends-- may Twenty Eleven be big and momentous! And with even more time gone, I realise there's a bigger backlog of photographs. So look forward to more posts, more sketches, more creations and more food posts! Have a Devilishly Pleasurable rest of your lives ;) x