Long Weekend Fun

This past friday was Vesak Day...meaning we go the day off! Thank you Buddha for this holiday...i'm not sure what this buddhist holiday is all about...but I love long weekends! I had plans to do fun exciting things...but I ended up just taking it easy and staying in air conditioning.

I finally got to go to another flower arranging class...and made this "inverted T" design. I will show you it the intense too frou frou way my teacher made it...and the way i like it. I did everything with the flowers and my teacher added all the branches afterwards (one of the tall flowers fell over on my ride home...its supposed to be more centered but you get the idea!)

so this is how i like it...actually even better would be without the sticks on the side.

this is a little bit much...but still ok...the branches of stuff really accent the shape of the T

AND this is what my instructor added to it..all these crazy branches...its a bit intense right?

Anyways this weekend was great...lots of chill out time and yoga time. I went to double yoga class one day...and it felt great! Until I was crazy sore the next day. I wanted to go find the ice rink with W but ended up being too lazy too...so we are going to find it next weekend. I really miss skating...I wonder what it will be like to skate in rental skates..I will probably eat it just trying to get around the rink.

O and I bought these 2 rings like a week ago...what do you think?!

I really want one of those large rings that take up your whole finger...I just love how they look but so far I can't find any in Singapore....these are BCBG...love them!

Anyways...I bought 2 books today too! Eat pray love and hunger games....both are recommendations...and I hope they are good. I can't wait to start reading them. Until next time lovelies!

The Great Singapore Sale

So on a much lighter note that my last update...I had a great day today! It is the last day of the week bc of the public holiday  tomorrow. I saw sex and the city 2 with V and C, which was amazing! I hope that I will get to do fabulous things in my life one day. The clothes were a bit outrageous...but so beautiful!

I want to visit the UAE now! and I love all of their dresses in this picture...i love dresses...the lazy girl's outfit

perfect lazy girl dress..cute and comfy looking

and i just think this dress is amazing! i also loved the jacket she wore with it in the movie..

Anyways, the Great Singapore Sale also started this week. And I have officially fallen off the no shopping bandwagon. All my fave UK brands had giant sales, and of course everything I wanted was available in my size. This great singapore sale deal is supposed to last 2 monts! How am I going to get back on the bandwagon and save money for EXPERIENCES like I wanted to?! The only thing I can think of is to not carry my credit cards around anymore and just keep enough money for food/taxi rides with me. I bought a few things yesterday and went lunchtime shopping today! So um I am just going to tell myself that this was all a birthday present for myself to justify it. What do you think of my purchases?

I love the beading on this dress...it makes me think of 1920s/ gatsby+daisy

as you know i have been really into the "lazy" dress, my go to outfit...but this was just too cute to resist

you guessed it...another lazy dress. but in my mind this would look super cute under a menswearish black jacket...too bad its soooo hot in singapore!

cute tunic to wear with leggings...my other lazy girl go to

so I bought the black dress underneath...and this is the outfit i made for myself today (the first in a long time) but wearing the denim shirt just made me hot...and i was wishing the whole time that i was just wearing the dress on its own. dressing cute in singapore is just too difficult.

this is the dress by itself/how this lazy girl will be wearing it from now on  : )

So I have just realized that I have lately been writing tons about shopping...and thats super materialistic and ultra boring. But honestly, there is not that much to do here...and with the weather as crazy hot as it has been there is even less to do. I was doing soooooo well with not shopping and I have no idea what happened. Well I am definitely going to try to not buy any more clothes in June.

This weekend is a long weekend and I want to do fun things...but I cannot think of anything that won't be crowded or hot. Hopefully I will think of something...and will finally post something that doesn't involve my shopping skills. Until next time, xxoo lovelies!

Getting Older

I am not sure why but turning 23 is really freaking me out. My birthday is next week and until now, I always thought that my age sounded young...even the age 22 sounds like a young adult fresh out of college, ready to conquer the world. But 23, that sounds like a real adult...some people are super successful by then, have traveled the world, have won olympic medals, invented some crazy amazing thing (like the facebook inventor), or at least are well on their way into following their dreams. And where am I? In the middle of Asia, forgetting that time is passing me by.


I find myself often dividing my life into 2 parts: my real life (ie my life in the USA) and my singapore life. I feel like I try so hard to convince myself that this life in Singapore, where I have spent so much time being unhappy and wishing I were anywhere but here, is not reality. At the moment, on this cusp of true adulthood, I often find myself thinking, "when I grow up I would never be one of those people that moves far away and only sees their parents/friends once a year if that". BUT reality flash Stephanie, I am one of those people. I am a grown up and have not set foot in California in half a year, and it might be quite a few months before I do. My real life is here in Singapore...and my other life is in the past. My grown up sojourn into asia has lasted 10 months!

I think the hardest part about getting older, is losing the things that once defined you and trying to find the things that define you now. Growing up I was always there were so many things that always defined me, made me who I was. I was the vegetarian/picky eater, the figure skater, the nice-ish one/the one that easily made friends, and the cute dresser. But in my 22nd year on earth, those things are no longer the ones that define me. I have not skated in a year...that was thing that used to make me feel so unique. And I know that this break from skating will not be like the one I had from age 18-19. I won't be able to just jump back in and skate the same as before. I can feel that my body isn't as young anymore. I am also not such a picky eater any more. I am still a vegetarian, but in these 10 months I have tried so many more food I than I ever thought I would. For instance, today I had a mushroom crepe. I used to hate mushrooms, but now I don't mind them as much if they are mushy. But like who is this person?! And living here has also made me a bit mean/bitter. I am surrounded by drama/work politics and I am not sure why, and drama makes it hard to be nice. Maybe it is Singapore or maybe its me, but I also find it so much harder to make friends now without school. And I no longer bother even making outfits! Its so damn hot that I can't be bothered...i just through on any dress and go. So i guess what I am trying to say is, if I am no longer any of these things that made me who I was for 22 years, than who am I?

I have to admit I never wanted to grow up that badly. I really enjoyed childhood. Although, I guess I had pictured what my life would be like after college, my "grown up" life, but this grown up life came so fast, I wasn't prepared. It is scary to imagine that childhood is really over. I never thought about all the things I needed to do to get to where I wanted to be. I always thought the interview question about your 5 year plan was ridiculous. I mean who plans their life out 5 years in advance? But now I envy those who can.


This year has gone by so fast...it feels like just yesterday that I was home doing something I was really passionate about, working somewhere that actually made me happy. But in reality that was last year, and I have just spent one year wandering off the path that I knew/know I should be on. I keep trying to convince myself that this is just a means to an end, and I keep using the economic recession as an excuse. There are no excuses in life, and I don't want to make excuses for myself anymore. I have to find a way to get back onto my path in life...that is my goal for age 23. No more excuses, this is the time to be the person I want to be, to pursue something I am actually passionate about. I won't let the fear of the unknown keep me back anymore. (I feel like that is easier said than done, but half the battle is saying it aloud, right?) Until next time, xxoo!

REALLY?!! do people really think this?!!

there are no words for this...i read this quote in a magazine while getting foot reflexology! i hope its not too blurry for you! i took a bunch more pictures of crazy quotes from singaporeans in that magazine but none of them as ridiculous as this..and the rest are kind of blurry...

This is the quote "The event that struck me most in 2009 was the announcement that the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Barack Obama and the fact that he did not reject it. This shows how corrupted the entire world of man has become. The United States is the largest exporter of weapons of mass destruction and shipped out almost $30b of it last year. Barack Obama should have rejected the Peace prize and told the panel of judges that until he can stop his country from this activity he should not be nominated for one. I am disgusted with the dishonesty of Man."
 
The words corrupted and dishonesty stand out the most. What would the US/Obama have looked like to the world if he turned down the Nobel Peace Prize?! Of course people are entitled to their own opinion...but they do seem to publish a lot of negative things about other countries here.....see the attitude of singapore. That doesn't seem very fair...but I guess the world is not fair. But its ok...Singapore I still love you for giving me a job and letting me live the good life...until next time, xxoo!!

PHUKET!

So last weekend I left straight from work to the airport so that C and I could go to phuket for the weekend. Then i got back into singapore 2am Monday morning and went back to work at 8am! As fun as travelling was...it took me a whole week to catch up on missing sleep and exhaustion from travelling. But I had a great time!!

So we never left the hotel...so I didn't see phuket at all and will definitely have to go back. But it was so nice to relax at the pool/beach all day. The resort was so beautiful...and I forgot how large/expansive resorts could be. There were 3 pools! including one with a swim up bar...and one was more than 7 feet deep! I love deep pools...u can just jump in/dive and its so nice! Basically our trip was like this: Saturday morning wake up to room service, walk around, go to the pool, eat lunch at the pool, continue laying out, walk to the beach, shower, dinner at a teppanyaki restaurant (yummy), village-y shopping, sleep. Sunday morning yummy breakfast wrap, lounge at another pool, lunch at the cafe, massage, lounge at another pool, dinner, airport. and now some pictures!

the garden of the resort

getting my zen-ness on at the lobby

C at a pretty zen den part of the lobby

pool number 1

pool number 2

oops i forgot to take a picture of pool 3...here's another of pool 2!

gorgeous spa...you got this whole room to yourself with a private dressing area, huge shower, huge tub, bathroom, and outside area for thai massages or al fresco massafes...maybe the best spa i've ever been to!

private outside spa..one for each room!!

outdoor shower by the pool...how cute! i didn't even know what it was at first

look how huge the donut is! bigger than cassies hand!! and mmm it was delicious..although it probably had more calories than an entire meal...good thing we shared.

life is sooo beautiful!

well now that you've seen a ton of pictures...i hope you feel like you were on this trip with me! i love travelling but i hate planes and airports...maybe that means i should travel by yacht! LOL, until next time!!

More clothes...

I LOVE topshop/miss selfridges/dorothy perkins/warehouse/any other uk brand that we don't have in Los Angeles! Why are their clothes soooo cute?! Now that I understand their crazy sizing...I seriously wish I had a bigger closet. And I know I want to spend more money on experiences rather than things...but I am seriously depressed at the moment (well semi-depressed...i'm sure things could get a lot worse). I like to tell myself I deserve it...but that's just not the case...so I'll have to say I'll try harder next time to stick to my goals of self improvement!! But until then...a look at some recent purchases...

tassels+studs= super cute (miss selfridges)

lazy lounge-y dress...my favorite kind of singapore outfit! (warehouse)

tie dye comfy shirt i bought 2 sizes to big to wear as a dress...(warehouse)

looove this vest...its 2 layers one waterfall-y and one structured one (topshop)

On the plus side all these purchases happened last week...and i haven't bought myself anything this week! i have such poor follow through at the moment...until next time!

I am obsessed

I am obsessed with this necklace I saw at a boutique called Front Row. It has the cutest stuff and reminds me of a cute beach/hollywood boutique. Anyways, there is this sillicon necklace from ek thongprasert (yes thats a name) that is maybe one of the coolest/ most stunning things I've seen thats not real jewels. I want it soooo bad! Here's a picture from their website...

I love how it looks!! Like its so unique and beautiful. I just covet it...and I know I am supposed to be less materialistic and stuff. But not shopping was way too difficult for me! I am like a drug addict who just relapsed...back into shopping. I love this store.

Here is another version of this necklace I found online....

At the same store I also fell in love with a brand called Flynow from Bangkok (the land of the most amazing shopping!!) Look at these adorable wallets...

A close up of my fave!

If dreams came true I would get this necklace, wallet and my dream future for my birthday...but I won't hold my breath.  Until next time, xxoo from Swingapore!

Flowers and more

Since we last spoke I've made a really difficult decision about my future....I can't talk about it yet until everything is settled...but I really hope I made the right choice! But anyways I've been really lazy to post these pictures of my last 2 floral arrangements. But here they are...I have to say they are much better than the previous ones.

Number 6

Number 7

Number 7 (take 2) without the cage looking thing

So I am almost done with my 10 class course, but I think I will sign up for the certificate course and take floral classes for approximately another year. I really enjoy it! The only thing is that I wish it was closer to my apartment...getting home with a huge flower arrangement whether by taxi or subway is really difficult, especially since people never ever give way in Singapore!

Anyways...I have been working everyday since my last post and it was exhausting! I'm so glad its the weekend now, but all I can think of is how near Monday is. Does a job exist out there that people look forward to? Because I can't imagine myself getting up for the next 40 years doing the same boring stuff everyday at work...no matter how well it pays. Life is so short and I do not understand people who can do a job they are indifferent to for their whole lives...that sounds like hell.

On a lighter note...I managed to go shopping once this week after work at New Look. What I like about Singapore is that they have all these European brands that we don't have at home like this shop New Look. There was a great sale and another thing I adore about Singapore is that they always have my size at sales! Back home, everyone is size Medium and a lot of people have bigger feet, however in Singapore I am the oddity! Therefore shoes always come in my size and the sales racks are filled with things my size. I really wanted to buy a lot more stuff but I reigned myself in checkout these cute things!

I love dresses like this...that are supposed to look like a top and bottom but aren't! So easy

I love bows!

And lastly this cute top. I feel like ever since i moved here I've been just throwing on dresses and calling it a day...but I really should practice making outfits and dressing cute again...I mean I'm not going to live in this humid hamsterball my whole life!

Anyhow, that's all I have for now...until next time, xxoo!

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