Moving home!

Hello everyone. =) After some twiddling around, my new site is up! Nonetheless, I’ll still be leaving this blog as it is. Please visit me at: http://valerietan.com. See ya!

A new season of shopping.

Fall is coming! Singapore is having their summer sale (for a while now) and the new season of clothes is coming in. Seriously, the bane of my life is… Shopping.

I spend a good amount of time (yet again) cleaning out my closet and re-arranging all my clothes. I love cleaning my closet because I 1) re-discover hidden clothes in my closet; 2) discover my changing body shape (be it good or bad with times); 3) realise my changing taste due to my changing lifestyle – aka from youth to young adult to soon-to-be working adult.

Now when I go shopping I have to keep reminding myself 1) to not buy t-shirts (I have stopped buying since a year ago); 2) start investing in dresses (it’s amazing how much I have accumulated since coming back home); 3) look for pants and suits! I’m even starting to look at blouses (something which I have not really done).

The result? It’s a sad thing that I have outgrown my ‘funky shirts’ phase that includes eccentric designs of emily. And now, I’m just sticking to simple clothes.

And it is scary that I’m starting to think dresses that are $100 are reasonably priced. Yes, it is becoming that scary. And, it is pretty queer that I’m starting to take on the likes of my mummy’s dressings of simple dresses. [Just imagine that my mum and I tried on the same clothes in the clothes shop today, and the reason why I bought the dress was 1) that it was good for work, 2) my mum liked it!] Though, I should not really be complaining because my mummy really does have good dress sense. Which I’m really proud of!

Oh well, nonetheless, the bane of my life is… Shopping.

Shopping in Singapore and beyond.

I was reading this comment by Shobhaa De that shopping in Singapore “is expensive, compared to say shopping in New York”. I totally agree. Singapore is surprisingly expensive to shop in given how much we strive to attract customers during our annually Great Singapore Sales. (Though I need to highlight at this point that shopping in KL is even more expensive and that shopping in Indonesia is even pricier). My only complain about shopping in Singapore is that, the sales sometimes is really not quite the sales as compared to the States.

I recall on my shopping stint in the Big Apple as being cheap, worth while and very exciting. Forever 21, is half the price of that in the stores in Singapore. Rather, the sales price of the Singapore merchandise in Forever 21 is the original price in the States’ stores. You can imagine how much I carded in the F21 in the States.

Close friends would be used to hearing me complain that, “it’s not that I do not want to buy things in Singapore, but rather there is simply no mood or atmosphere to buy things.” Honestly, I haven’t really been checking out neighbourhood shops because I can’t seem to match the price of the clothes with the quality or design of the clothes (A simple top cost $20!). It’s either I’m still living in the 90s or the shops are plain deluded with pricing. And, do you know how many times I walk into Mexx and being so absolutely disappointed that the designs are so auntie? Because I know full well that the Mexx outlets in Canada are filled with sassy outfits, even for kids! I know because I bought a pair of jeans and a jacket that cost me a bomb there! Grrr..

The second wish I really want to make about shops in Singapore is that it would be absolutely nice if they would just do something about their shop layouts or the way they display their items! Going into some shops really give me a headache. Like F21 in Singapore. (I can see the same top in the States and In Singapore and I won’t buy the Singapore one because it looks well ‘not properly displayed’). I know, I’m such a big sucker for layouts. But it is probably the reason why Zara has been scoring on my cards because they have great layouts – easy on the eyes and neatly arranged clothes. Not to mention, great fashion sense. Antipodean in Holland is good too, with their clean slate look, topped with very exclusive pieces. Max studio seems to be scoring points as well, because they have awesome sales assistants.

Having said all that much, I’m not trying to say that it is totally useless to shop in Singapore. For starters, I am a big fan of local designers like – Woon Hung. I’ve been a big fan of her feminine designs. Or how about Dave located in Tangs. His jewellery is worthy of my drools. I’m still not that rich to buy his designs yet, but trust me when I get frequent paychecks, I’m pretty sure I’ll by a piece or two. Shopping in quirky places like Arab street is always a joy as well. I would like to think that the items I buy are unique and arty. Afterall, Arab street was given new life after a famous jap brand ‘kamikazee-d’ there.

Now, I’m just waiting and longing for one of my favourite brands to come in – Club Monaco. I just wish other brands like Abercrombie and AE would just come into Singapore.

Oh, and just for some quick tips, Boston is probably one of the better places to shop when it comes to sales. They always have stock for petite sizes and they are like half the price of the sales price in NYC. Beat that.

My love for dresses

I have a soft spot for dresses since I was 5. My favourite piece was this english inspired knit dress with colourful threads at the chest area. (Though oddly I have no picture taken with me wearing it). I couldn’t understand why girls had to wear jeans or pants till I was 12. And boy, did it take some mind washing to down a pair of jeans.

18 years after my first love for dresses (it’s dress and not skirt), I rekindled my love for dresses when I went for my grad trip. I bought 3 sun dresses. And not to mention, that I went on a last minute hunt for the perfect grad night dress to wear (which thankfully I finally found it). There after, accidentally chancing upon a green casual dress from studio m and another black dress from the same label. And, today a really really cute blue dress from People of Asia.

It occur to me that, perhaps I have always been fond of dresses and that love for dresses never really went away. It was just that I was too young for most of the pretty, decent looking dresses there were out ther (aka formal cocktail looking ones). Either that I was too thin or too filled with baby fats (at different points in time) to really make any of the dresses look alright.

Anyway, it is really difficult to find the perfect dress. So I was really taken a back when I found a couple of dresses (within such short weeks) that I really like and fit really well. As they all say and I truly believe in it (or maybe it was because I grew up looking at how my mum dresses so well for all sorts of function, always carefully put together), it is important to invest in good dresses because they will always be a classic item that suits most occasions.

I’m definitely please that I have new selection of dresses in my closet. =)

Took some time to explore exotic Egypt, beautiful Greece and am currently touring Turkey. I must say İ am one reqally blessed person to be able to visit all these places.

Egypt sure is burning hot at 40 degrees. To think about it i cannot imagine how i managed to survive walking in the city fully clothed (in pants & t-shırt and sometimes with a jacket too). It was serious walking everywhere when we were there because Eygpt is mainly about ruins. İ developed a taste for soft drinks in Egypt because that was the only comfort we could take from the blazing heat.

İ have more things to say about Greece though, simply because I love Greece! The sun is shining, the people are smiling, and everythıng looks drop dead gorgeous. The vıew from Delphi is one of which İ hope İ’ll be able to keep in mind for as long as i live. I totally understand why the ancient Greeks thought that Delphi is the centre of the earth. İt is so gorgeous you would have thought you had a slight glimpse of heaven. The Greek islands on the other hand is insanely pretty. Mykonos in particular sure look like a haven for shoppers & dıners alike. We pretty much got lost in the little shopping streets and İ was always swooning and saying that everything was pretty & cute. And yes, I have finally gotten around to getting myself a bikini. All of us have odd tan line.  

Having this extended end-of-school journey has been rewarding. İt is like the perfect time to observe the world and wonder what is life really about. You meet people coming from different cultures & it sure is interesting to see how they interact with one another.

Well, let’s see how Turkey wıll turn out. =)

Off on my Grad Trip

I’m off on my Grad Trip! Egypt, Turkey and Greece here I come!

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Packing for the Grad Trip

By God’s grace, our travel has been extended by 4 more days! Woo hoo, now we have more time to explore exotic Turkey. =) By the end of the trip, I would gain a tan. Oh sheesh, to think I managed to become so much fairer after coming back from Canada.

I have never been on a proper bag packing stint before. Sure, I have travelled many miles with my trusty samsonite luggage bag, and even managed to acquire the art of packing for a week in 5 minutes. But, to stuff an entire month’s worth of wear in a bag, is really my first time.

The main consideration is really the weight. The second consideration is the bulk size.

So the first step that I took was to research online what is the proper attire in the 3 countries. WOW, it’s best I wear longs and judging that the places are like 40 degrees, jeans is out for me. I don’t even wear jeans in Singapore anymore! So, my next alternative is to find black long pants that look formal but yet are so comfortable in trekking in the heat. Skirts are good as well, and I managed to find 2 long skirts.

However, to solve the issue of bottoms is not as difficult as figuring out what to wear on top. In all the 3 places, it is inappropriate to flash your arms. So tube tops, tank tops are out. T-shirts need to be not tight-fitting, and it’s better to have the sleeves long. My solution? I’m still bringing 5 light-weight t-shirts, and just buy one localised top when I get to Egypt and wear that when the need arises. Bring along a scarf wherever I go so I can wrap myself when I have to.

Now, I’m left with footwear! Being totally dependent on my staple of birks and havaianas, I’m really slapping myself for not having invested in a pair of sandals, and that I have not really broken into my sport shoes either.

Oh well, I’m confident that we 3 girls would have a blast during our trip. Maybe missing Bing in the midst, but still we would have a good time. =) Now I just need to find those zip-blog bags to stuff my items in.

Florida Revival

I don’t really like to blog about religion, because I always think people are entitled to their own faiths. They can believe what they want to believe in, and to have a religious debate can really icky because everyone stands really closely to their own personal faith.

Having said that, I attended healing service last week and was inspired to find out the truth behind what the pastor was talking about – The Florida Revival. Pretty interesting happenings I must say.

Very long time ago, I remember courageously telling a close friend of mine if I ever get cured of myopia she’ll be the first one I’ll go to and she’ll of course accept Christ as her Saviour. I’m being fair when I say “no my degree is still really high”. But, I really still believe that I’ll get cured of my myopia one day. Or that God would create a miracle for me.

Having studied psychology, it kind of threw my faith here and there. Modules on social behaviour got me really struggling with my belief because, it got me thinking if faith in general is really just a belief system. It sets your values and lead the way you live. And (this is my opinion anyway) the Christians do preach good values too like don’t steal, don’t commit adultery, don’t tell lies. You know things that are in good faith. So even if you blindly follow these rules, and hoping for the better and look at life with positivity, you should still be able to lead a decent life.

Ah, now comes another part that I was thinking about. That humans can exhibit supernatural powers if they want to. For example, piercing during Thaipusam. Having pierced my ears before I know how painful it is to have any part of the body pierced. And during this festival, there are mass piercing by people. And they really don’t feel any pain at all. Probably a little bit of blood, or even none at all, but no pain. Or for example, hypnotism. Or even qi gong, where one is able to cut a stack of bricks with a punch. I believe that all of these are possible, and I also think that humans are made of the ying and the yang. I even believe in TCM more than western medicine. But you know, being able to manipulate the body to do something awesome and unexplainable and raising the dead is really 2 different ball games altogether.

14 people raised from the dead. A miracle or is it a fake?

To each his own. I however maintain that I still believe in spirits, ghosts and angels. Some things are simply difficult to explain in earthly terms. But 14 is really quite a feat.

Bagel

I really miss my Tim Hortons Bagels with creamcheese. I really really really do. I mean who doesn’t? The steamy bread with a quirky taste and smooth filling. It taste the best fresh from the oven and munching it on a cold day makes my life so much better.

Anyway, I decided I had done enough of procrastinating and decided to buy a bagel from cedele and make myself a bagel breakfast special.

The result? It makes me miss my Tim Hortons cream cheese bagel even more. *Sobs sobs*