都是祝福

huat ah

the bow looks like the number 8, eh?  

geisha pearl

let you in on something: i spent $120 to ship off a dozen or more pairs of shoes and enuf clothes to fill up more than half a jumbo box to a bishop in the philippines. why not cart them off to the local salvation army at no cost? yeah, i could. i guess this is the best method to make me clear out more of my things at a faster rate. of course, the first primary objective was charity. sending the box directly just made more sense.

the actual total cost was to be $140, i decided to bear most of the cost since i was the one with too many things. i'd be lying if i tell you i didn't feel the pinch. ha ha. 

there's more: i'm waiting for a package from asos (can't remember if the order was placed before the above plan) and i just bought the above things.

febulosity!

^meet the most adorable bunny in the whole wide world^

those days

wearing socks was intentional. reason: i was visiting the big boss' place; there'd be many other colleagues there, so i was shy about exposing my ugly feet. and since i haven't figured out how to wear such socks with skirts or dresses, i wore the jeggings, which're tight. i thought i'd lost weight (someone observed so and i could fit into my cheongsam comfortably). jeggings and socks weren't exactly advisable in today's heat.

wearing the hasbeens lookalike wasn't that intentional. it was between a pair of maroon 9wests and the naturalizers (or is it more like hasbeens resemble naturalizers?). i got in and out of a few outfits before  settling for this one. the tunic's never worn. so you see, there's no point in buying new clothes for CNYs. lol. anyway, the granny shoes looked better. truth be told, i'd prefer to wear the 9wests. reason: i didn't wish to look typical. i mean, everyone seemed to be doing vintage these days. i was honestly not keen on looking too common.

ever since i entered the blogging world, i'd gradually toned down the vintage vibe in the way i dressed.  and i wasn't already doing full-blown vintage in the first place. the naturalizers had been ignored for sometime now. and frankly, wearing socks with such shoes could be potentially embarrassing. i'm not talking about being teased for looking like a granny. you know how socks could be slippery? now go imagine the scenes of embarrassment.

but i know it's self-contradicting. think about it: some, or many of us, would like to declare that we don't like to be slaves to trends. so we invest in classic clothing items. so there're many of us who'd end up looking exactly like each other. and isn't classic = vintage?     

baru

the mustard on either photo is not colour-true. cos the phone's acting up. but it's a great colour, yes? 

i wore the skirt for the first time so i was actually practising partially the custom of wearing new clothes on the lunar new year. so lame, haha. i've stopped following this practice for donkey years.

初三

minimal white?

chinoi

the problem with wearing cheongsams is obvious. if it's too plain, you risk looking like wait staff in a chinese restaurant. if it's too elaborate, you'll receive no end of questions and comments from others (the dress wasn't even elaborate but painfully plain). it's funny that it's the case for asians, eh? do caucasians experience such 'discrimination' when they wear these garments?

i do not have a pic of me wearing the above dress. it's been a favourite for years. i recycle my cheongsams (a total of 4 in my entire collection, most of them sleeveless) like nobody's business. i had a cream skirt suit that's become too risque and tiny for me. i custom-made it numerous suns and moons ago.  i have a set of ao dai somewhere in the cupboards. i'm too chicken sh:t to wear  them, they're the colour of candy pink and pure white. an ex-colleague got them for me when he toured vietnam.  

i wish i'd tailor-make some dresses or suits when i visited shanghai 5 years back. i could've had all the uniqueness i'd wanted w/o having to pay too much. i'm liking some of the dresses made by this store. i'm too chicken sh:t to wear some of the colours. except on my digits. haha.     

fluffy

source

today we got a new member at the reunion table. 

technically she was already created way before last feb.

i wish everyone a great year of the bunny!

  

鱼熟了hor?

^expression of a mother's heart

the other customary thing we've maintained for the 春节 is the congregating of relatives at either my ma's or my eldest cousin's house. we'd take turns to host lunch/dinner on either the 1st or 2nd day of the new year. it's really an evolved practice. by doing so, we do away with two or three visits -- to the relatives' homes. 

the large fish couldn't fit into the pan so my ma put it into the microwave. but the plate fit in barely as well and the tail kept stalling the turntable. and it came out and into the microwave twice because some parts were still not cooked through. one of my nieces got really skeptical when the dish was presented the 3rd time. you sure it's cooked? lol. the fish was almost forgotten in the fridge. each year, my ma would forget to cook something she's prepared. this year, she forgot about the sliced cucumber and garnishes. lol. 

some "funny practice" for your viewing pressure:

i'm so not going near the train station at peak hour.        

除旧更新

yesterday's the last day of the year of the 牛(say 'new'. yes, it sounds exactly like the word) on the lunar calender. on this day, family members 围炉 (gather around the stove) to partake in 团圆饭 (reunion dinner) .

   ^modern day stove. it's steamboat again. 

^iirc, it's the 1st time we did salmon, and possibly cuttlefish. me and my bro usually prefer our salmon raw, eaten the japanese way--with wasabi. we cooked the fish the shabu-shabu way. no wasabi but blended spice jam. shiokadoo.

as years went by, we've stopped observing most of the 'standard' traditional practices, except the reunion dinner. i've told my family they really needn't give me ang pows anymore. but i know they're not giving them because i'm unmarried. still. lol.

十十f十       十十f十       十十f十       十十f十       十十f十

脱去旧人，穿上新人
（弗 4:20-24）

忘记背后，努力向前
（腓 3:13-14）

 i sorta witnessed the Lord's healing on a woman today at church. it's somewhat familiar yet i couldn't help being amazed when i heard the intensity of it. as i started giving thanks for His perfect workings, i began to experience some healing for myself too.

btw, i didn't wear any new clothes for the new year. the birkenstocks i wore to church have been worn twice only - considered new? lol.

happy valentine's day to all as well! 

dong dong qiang

@colorich

next up in the festive period lineup shall be the lunar new year. it falls on valentine's day. it's customary to buy everything new for the new year, right down to your negligee. so that means more reason to shop! lol. i've stopped following the custom for a long time (right down to my negligee). some shops are already blasting out 咚咚呛music. my friend refused to enter a shop when she heard the noise from outside. lol.

i wasn't lemming for the shoes but tried them on as they went well with the drop-crotch asymmetrical bottoms i was eyeing. i didn't get any clothes nor shoes in the end. just too expensive. the pants fit better than the ones i bought from the same shop sometime back, what a shame. i hope to continue with less wastage in 2010 - sounds like a new year's resolution that can go either way..

asymmetrical pants

^friendly studs. 

if i were in the xperimentos phase again, i'd probably get the wedges. the left pair looks like a pair i got from HK many ions ago, minus the bling. there was a time i'd wear chunky ah lian platform shoes; some were from HK and some bought locally. what's stopping me now? my age and the fact that they're too trendy (and too common.. shh!) :P

BUT. i lied and spoke thru my backside (again). i got me some accessories. i dunno why i lapse into this phase time and again. i just buy and hide them away anyway. i still have those i bought from HK many ions ago. chunky necklaces are trendy again so i should let them see the light of day.

 

^i was mostly attracted to the grey and brass colours.

  

^i'm thinking of clipping the brooch to an elastic headband. too cutesy? it might just sit in my boudoir again, lah. i'm not into bejewelled stuff, never was, but i go weak when i see transparent cubes. heh.

i should keep track of my expenses diligently again. i think i will get myself a set of new drums.