Christmas Wishlist

So I have been totally neglecting this blog...well I have a big post coming up on my trip to bali last weekend...but I have been a bit too lazy to upload all my pictures. I am not sure why, but my laziness has reached all time epic high! The first weekend of December I spent the ENTIRE weekend in my apartment...only leaving once to take out the trash, which is across the hall way from me. It is pretty pathetic, but i quite enjoyed myself. This weekend while I did leave the house...I made excuses to come back early and lounge in front of the television while rewatching Gossip Girl Season 3. I blame it on the fact that I am so used to being off around this time already for school...and I just need a break from work and singapore!

Anyways I decided that since I am in Singapore (which is devoid of real christmas spirit) until December 24th, to get myself in the Christmas spirit I would make a Christmas wishlist of 10 things I wish I could have for Christmas (if I had tons of money)!!

1. India Tiger Photo Tour...I have become obsessed with Jetsetter.com. It is a site that has different hotel deals throughout the world...kind of like groupon but for hotels. I love looking at it and thinking of all the places I would go if I had time/money! Anyways for christmas instead of just hotels, they have vacation experiences! And one that really struck a chord with me was this Indian Tiger Photo Tour:

"Explore the dense jungle and grassy valleys of Kanha and Bandhavgarh National Parks, both in central India, in search of the elusive tiger with Baobab Expeditions, a London-based travel outfitter renowned for its wildife-oriented itineraries. Along with the majestic tiger, spot other rare animals and birds such as leopards, gaur (Indian bison), sloth bears, sambar (deer) and the paradise flycatcher. The 12-day, 11-night Indian Tiger Photo Safari invites photo enthusiasts as well as novices to capture the natural beauty of these parks and the creatures that call them home."

How exciting does that sounds?! To travel India in search of tigers...how exotic and exciting!

2. A Mulberry Bayswater Bag...because I am a grown up now! And grown ups need grown up bags.

3. Nooka Watch...its a spin on an analog watch+ digital watch and for some reason I love the uniqeness of them all. This one is a particular favorite...but they also have a collaboration with spongebob squarepants!

4. A KitchenAid Mixer...this just seems like the ultimate do anything kitchen appliance...and perhaps having it would somehow turn me into a domestic goddess like Martha Sterwart (probably not...but one can always dream)

5. Brian Atwood Drama Pumps...I adore shoes...the higher the heel the better! And these are just the sweetest pair. Don't you think they would look so grown up with my grown up bag?

6. Yoga/Wellness Retreat...ever since starting to do yoga this year I have been obsessed with the idea of going on a yoga retreat. To spend a week doing yoga, getting massages and just focusing on yourself seems like heaven. And I have found my dream retreat in Sri Lanka! Ulpotha is this dreamy sounding yoga/ayurvedic restrat in Sri Lanka. Not only does it look beautiful, but it doesn't involve intensive yoga or some weird detox cleanse so it sounds perfect! its $1250/ week which inclues all your meals, accomodation, yoga, massages and excursions! Sounds like a steal right?!

7.  Letterpress Business Cards....one day I want super cute business cards! I am not sure when/why i would have such cutes-y business cards but I just know that now that I've gotten the whole exchanging business cards awkwardness down...I wish my cards were cuter! I found this cute seller on etsy Invited Ink. I just love etsy...don't you?!

8. Rosetta Stone Spanish...if you have been reading my blog you will know that my venture into trying to learn spanish in Singapore this year failed horribly! But I still really want to learn spanish (hopefully minus all those singaporeans who can't name a single country in Europe when practicing)! I know that knowing Spanish will be so useful whenever I make it back to Los Angeles, and lets face it I am never going to be able to read/write Chinese so I should just focus on another language I can actually learn.

9. Cute leather gloves...ok so I live in Singapore, but I am going to be home for 3 weeks and eventually I will be in back in North America. I remember coveting a pair of red leather gloves from Coach a few years ago, but my mom wouldn't let me buy them...well now I have the perfect outfit to wear at home (yes I have been planning my winter outfits in advance...i dress for summer ALL year long...so this is very exciting!) which requires some sort of mid length gloves. Good thing Coach still makes cute leather gloves!

10. Kate Spade Book of the Month Clutch! I don't see my favorite one on their website anymore...it must be sold out. But i love that this clutch is a replica of my favorite book The Great Gatsby. Can I tell you a secret? It is one of the two required reading books I ever actually finished reading for school (from high school- college....I am pretty sure I was a model student in middle school...or the books were easier to read)...that's right I used to just skim through the books and read online what I needed to know. But anyways...how cute is this clutch?!!

Well I officially feel like its almost Christmas! I am soooooo excited! Mostly because I get to finally get a break from all of this Singapore craziness! What do you think of my list? Any other ideas for items I can covet next year? Well until next time, xxoo!

Thanksgiving = SPA

Soo this is the first Thanksgiving that I've not been home...granted my family and I don't really do thanksgiving, but we do do Black Friday! But this Thanksgiving I had planned to visit my friend in Australia, and then somehow it ended up being cancelled the day before I was supposed to leave...and I was so bummed and upset and stressed that I decided what better way than to reward myself with a day at the spa.

I had been wanting to try out Spa Botanica on Sentosa for a while. So I booked myself for the Tropical Glow treatment which includes a jasmine and corriander scrub, a vichy rain shower, papaya infused mud wrap, mini facial during wrap, scalp massage, 60 minute massage and a sandwich lunch. AAAH soooooo amazing!!

But more than on the treatment later...first a little more on the spa facilities. Spa Botinaca has amazing spa facilities for Singapore...while nothing can compare to my old work Canyon Ranch which was just unbelievable in terms of facilities, Spa Botanica was nice in a completely different way; it is very nature-y and all outdoorsy.

The floatation pool...with these awesome floating mats

The mud pool...the little tub in front was filled with this awesome clay mud that you rub all over yourself...and you lie down for 20 minutes and then wash yourself off in the pool...soo cool

The pool...and across the amazing spa restaurant!

It was just really relaxing to be there...the spa was not crowded and I definitely tried the mud pool and laid out until lunch time. Lunch at the spa restaurant was delicious!! I got this delicious garden breadstick to start with that was served with chive butter..it was just soooo good. Served warm...mmm

and then i got this delicious veggie and hummus wrap!

I love spa cuisine! Next it was time for my treatment...which was booked in an outdoor pavilion. The best way to describe it is getting a massage in a private garden outside. It was so tranquil with the sound of running water. This is the only picture I could find online:

I have never had a vichy shower before...we sold it as part of packages at Canyon Ranch and I always wondered what the fuss was about. Basically you lie down on a flat table thing and there are 7 jets on top of you which spray water at alternating pressures and remperatures. Sounds not that awesome...but OMG its like heaven. Although I did feel bad about wasting sooo much water...this is the actual picture I saw at spa botanica of their outdoor vichy shower...but i totally stole it!

The whole day was sooo relaxing. My stress melted away. Even though I spent the day by myself I didn't feel lonely at all. This was one of those splurge days that probably won't happen anytime again soon, but I after the week I had I feel like it was totally well deserved! Until next time, xxoo my lovelies!!

Haji Lane

This has been an incredibly looooong week at work and my one day off has just not been enough. I  can't believe sunday is over so fast! But on Friday I had a great afternoon at Haji Lane with A. I have been to Haji Lane a few times, but honestly I don't think I have gone back in almost a year even though I love it. But it has almost completely changed since last year.

Haji lane is the street filled with adorable boutiques and interesting little places that seem to change every time I go. My favorite store at Haji Lane is Soon Lee, which in the year I haven't gone has moved from this cozy second story shop to one of the biggest shops on Haji Lane. It reminds me of anthropologie...with a little bit of everything which is why I love it. I bought a great clutch and an interesting looking book there.

This book is described as "going deep inside the workings of profit margins and market share to discover the fate of real luxury". Sounds incredibly interesting...and the kind of book you would only ever notice/buy at a shop like this.

I also bought this great clutch and some fabulous clip on earrings (at another shop). A and I spent maybe an hour in this shop trying on earings. They said that the earings are all vintage from europe...which I am not certain I believe. But if you know me, the holes in my ear closed and one has a keloid (bump) scar so I don't think I will get to pierce them again. So I haven't gotten to wear earrings in a while. But this store had the most amazing collection of clip on earrings. So I bought 2 pairs and have been wearing them around the house all weekend to see how long I could wear them without my ears hurting. And suprisingly they don't hurt that much! They say they get new stocks every few weeks, so I can't wait to go check it out again!

inside of the clutch..super handy and it came in 7 colors...i wonder if i should go back to get another?

So after a bit of shopping, A and I wandered into this 2nd story bar and dessert cafe called Bar Stories. It is just completely adorable and super cozy.

another pic i found from their facebook site.

This would be the cutest place to to grab drinks with friends before heading out...however since its so small I wonder how crowded it would get.

Anyways Haji Lane is one of my favorite places in Singapore! I am not going to stay away for soo long again! Until next time, xxoo!

Club Street

So this weekend I wandered around from Chinatown to Club Street to the mrt station next to my old apartment. In the year I lived there I had nooooooooooo idea I lived so close to Chinatown and the amazing that is Club Street.

Club St!

Club street is filled with cute shops in shophouses (my favorite kind of shops in old buildings with creaky stairs and often times very boutique-y) like this adorable book shop..it was a 3 level book shop filled with stationary, antique trinkets, and books. Adorable!

cute antique typewriters going up the stairs

traditional shophouse building

Secret garden in the middle of the city...on the way to...

PS Cafe!! I think it must've just opened here..bc I definitely do not remember this location being on their website...sucks that i don't live at the sail anymore. This would just be a 15minute walk away

 

love spiral staircases!

ditto

picture perfect..who knew?

I have lived in Singapore for 1 year and 3 months and have basically seen the central business district area and Sentosa...there is soo much to explore but not that many people to explore with. Going out today on my own was fun...I got to just wander around freely! I am not sure why I don't do it more often. But now i think I am going to plan a few trips to see all the places in Southeast Asia that I want to see before I leave Singapore for good...until next time, xxoo!



Sephora Beauty Bazaar!

There are somethings that only happen in Singapore (well maybe they happen in other places...but when I am at home I don't actively look for things to do)! Like the Sephora Beauty Bazaar that happened this weekend...it was this giant beauty/makeup sale held at one of the rooms in the convention center over this weekend. Sooo great! Things were sooo cheap! And it wasn't nearly as crowded as I imagine something like this would be in America.

I bought some great stuff from too faced, urban decay and mario badescu. Everything at the sale was pretty much less than S$20! I just love the random fun things that pop up in Singapore, especially if they involve shopping! Until next time, xxoo lovelies!

PS Harry Potter is almost out?! How did i forget? I am soooosooo excited!



48 laws of power

So I was told about this book "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene. It puts "three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws". It seemed really interesting so I bought it! And its actually quite interesting...well the 4 chapters I've read so far. And it has really gotten me thinking...do nice people not get ahead in life?

While I don't necessarily think of myself as nice, I definitely don't think I am very cunning. It is a real eye openner to read this book. Although I do wonder if I can be as ruthless as some of these people described, but I think its good to know what ruthless things other people are out there doing. Well I keep you guys updated on the things I learn from this book! Until next time, xxoo!

Lights, Gala, Action!

Ready for a super long update? Well here it goes...

So singapore has been hosting the ilight at marina bay event for 3.5 weeks. They describe this as Asia's first sustainable light art festival to celebrate Singapore's nightscape. There are 26 art pieces scattered throughout the marina bay area (including near my old apartment), covering over 3.5 km. So for 2 weeks I was dying to go, as it sounded like one of the coolest things to happen in Singapore like ever. And  I finally got to go on halloween...and it did not disappoint! Here are some of my favorites:

Huge flower garden!

look its my old apartment! i miss you

So this picture does not even do any justice to how cool this is. But basically this is a huge display of tiles that are kind of a kaleidescope made by human projections of the people walking by this designated space in front of it. See next picture for a better explanation:

pretty cool right?!

thes human things changed colors and lit up brighter when real people got closer

how cute is this?

and this was my FAVORITE part of the whole thing. This performance piece by hammerhaus. It took place in a big open space and it was basically music that they wrote that was choreographed with light. What was soo impressive is that they covered the whole room with moving lights by using only 4 normal looking projectors...even the ceiling was lit! Sooo cool and impressive. I think a club like this would be so much fun.

walking around the marina bay at night made me realize how pretty singapore is at night

But asides from the ilights exhibit...last weekend was also the AmCham gala! I wish I could work on big events like this all the time! They are just sooo much fun. Here are some pics!

mid set up

me and intern during set up at our table

 

registration

finished product!

Anyways that sums up my halloween weekend! it was a great but fast weekend. Until next time, xoo!!

Holland Village + Chip Bee Gardens

Why do the weekends always pass so quickly? Its already Sunday evening but I feel like I was just at work...can't believe I have to go in again so soon. However I had a GREAT friday with A. A just moved here the beginning of October from Paris...and while my perseption of the french was marred by my disaterous time at ex-job...A is the perfect person to restore my perception. She is super sweet and great company!

It started on a high note when we got off work at 3:00pm (but even though that sounds early...i did go to work at 7am so its really just one hour less than usual but it does sound super early right?!) A and I headed to Holland Village to walk around before our mani/pedi appointment. I love being in Holland Village and can't wait until the mrt stop opens there. It just feels so quaint and cute and I love the pet shop! I should really carry my camera around more to take more pictures, but basically Holland V (as the sg-ans call it) is a little area of cafes/restaurants/shops.

One of my favorite places to get mani/pedis is this place in Holland Village that a girl from my college told me about. Its called Serenity Cove. And its just amazing...they feed you coffe/tea and cookies/chocolate and fruit, you get to choose from a variety of scrubs and lotions, they have hundreds and hundreds of nail polishes from opi, essie and orly, and best of all they have a TON of current magazines from the US (which may be my favorite part). Lately I have been loving this color from the Hong Kong collection...super sucks that I didn't buy it when they were selling it.

After that we wemt across the street to this area called Chip Bee Gardens. I never knew it existed until reading about this organic grocery shop there...and then discovered that its this area full of great restaurants. Chip Bee Gardens is basically a row of restuarants and cafes. They all look delicious and I can't wait to go back!

We decided to go to this vegetarian mediteranean restaurant called Original Sin. And not only was it cute, but I could actually eat EVERYTHING on the menu and it all sounded sooo delicious and had tooons of veggies in it. I seriously cannot believe it took me over a year to find this place. It makes me wonder what other places I have been missing out on!

After dinner we went to Orchard to do a bit of shopping. I introduced A to my all time favorite Charles & Keith! And then we went to watch The Social Network. It totally made me feel behind in life. I mean Mark Zuckerberg is only 3 years older than me and a billionaire...and I am not even close to being self sufficient and will probably never have such a direct impact on people. But nonetheless it was still a very entertaining movie.

Can you believe i did ALL that on a friday evening? Omg it was great...the rest of the weekend however was not hat exciting. Until next time, xxoo!