I had Korean barbecue again for dinner tonight!!! Gawd, seriously. Good food can make me so darn happy. This time round, I had it with Lorna, one of my many editors from London. The other great thing about having good food? Introducing it to someone who’s trying it for the first time and loving it too! The meat was getting charred quickly and we (I) were starving so we ate quickly and didn’t speak much. Just stuffing and stuffing.
We had a two-person serving and after we finished all the meat, I was still a little hungry but Lorna was full so I couldn’t convince her to go for another 2-pax serving (the minimum, as I learnt, in most Korean barbie restaurants!).
A while later, after the food had digested, I wasn’t hungry anymore and I reckoned it was my usual gluttony at work. So I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t reorder. But tomorrow’s my last night in Seoul and I’m hoping to have Korean barbie again for my last dinner. Hehehe. GAWD! I’M SUCH A PIG!
I think I’m more obsessed with Korean barbie here in Seoul than shopping, which is a nice change… But that said, I’m not saying I didn’t buy much in Seoul… Will share them in a later post.
Today was shop visit day with Lorna and Gina and we were just exploring Apgujeong-dong and there are still more discoveries to be made! After Lorna and Gina took off to check out places I’d already seen, I went on on my own little discovery tour and saw these lovely lovely buildings!
The 5th pic is a salon/spa where, apparently, Korean celebrities go to. Isn’t the exterior just beautiful? The barren tree and guess what made up the wall of the building?
I’ve a lot more pics of the interiors of some of these places but I’m being kiasu and keeping them for possible stories so I’ll share them in future ok!
I also came across a pretty Repetto store:
It's times like these when I wish I'm a ballerina.
So I haven’t got the chance to see the original store in Paris but this will do for now!
It’s back to the Seoul Fashion Week venue tomorrow for more shows and it’s a tad disappointing to see the womenswear collections. The fashion week kicked off with such great menswear collections and my expectations were blazing high for womenswear and so far, I still think the menswear trumps.
And to round up this entry, Char, this is for you:
Funny hor? Hur hur hur. At least the 'stupid' is very subtle. hahaha
Please to have Korean barbecue tomorrow again! Kthxbai!
Literally, I swear. I don’t know what’s up with all the static on my body since I arrived in Seoul. It’s seriously puzzling and I asked Matt last night and he said something about my body temperature, blah blah blah. I’m really not sure what he said or meant, I’ll ask him to clarify again.
But in the meantime, as much as I’m rather amused by it (cos I can literally hear the bzzzt sound when I’m changing), it’s driving me crazy! My hair keeps sticking to my face and my fringe, which is supposed to be straight bangs, keep sticking up or sideways and refused to budge until after numerous attempts to adjust it.
WHAT IS UP WITH MY BODY?! Then yesterday, I pressed a button on my MacBook’s keyboard to restart it and I got a shock that sends a buzz through my hand and my hand was a little numb for a whole minute.
Andddd, so funny. I was trying clothes and the dress would be perfectly ‘normal’ before I tried it and after I changed out of it, I can hear the bzzzt sound as I removed it and when I touched it again, it has that static sound.
OMG! Maybe I’m turning into a superhero. Hur hur hur. Who can shock evil people to death or lights up electronics. I would be such an environmental person! Who needs electricity when you have Yi Lian?
Ooohhh or maybe I should become a rival to the HK Power station. I charge everyone half of what the HK government charges them and I can retire and just send electricity to people’s homes and offices.
Ok, my mind is running wild again… That said, I don’t even want electrifying powers. I just want to teleport, that’s all. So I can save time AND money. No need to pay rent in HK. Just teleport myself back home to Singapore every evening after work. Can eat my mum’s cooking!!! And get to snuggle up to Matt every night… :/ And go disturb my niece and nephew and play hide-and-seek with them, except Kiks can probably never find me cos I would teleport myself away. Hur hur hur.
Saves the company money too whenever I travel for work. I can even be the company’s courier whenever they need to send documents to London… Ok, I’m babbling again…
I’m not feeling too good right now. My throat is dry and itchy and I fear I may be coming down with something. Blame the Koreans! I just don’t understand but EVERYONE seems to be coughing and sneezing around me!!! And they’re so uncouth that they don’t even cover their mouths and noses! It drives me so mad!!! Well, the Koreans aside, I think the weather probably has a lot to do with it too… I’m just not used to this cold weather.
On the first day of my arrival, it was 0 degree. Yesterday was 1 degree and today’s 3 degree. But for some reason, I keep feeling like everyday is colder than the day before. :(
I think I shall stop my exploring after the shows till I get better. It’s fine at the Seoul Fashion Week cos everything’s held indoors and it’s actually quite warm. But it’s the cold in the streets that has me cursing under my breath at the weather. I even make audible grunting noises cos it’s just so bloody cold!
Ok, stop complaining lah… Here’s some shots I took yesterday…
I made myself look for the metro station near the Seoul Fashion Week venue after the shows ended and made my way to Myeongdong. After much effort, I got to my destination. But the Koreans were so helpful! I was just looking out every time the train stops and would refer to my map to see how many more stops to go and first the lady next to me asked me whether she could helped and after she alighted, the guy who took her seat asked me if he could help too!
So sweet, these Koreans. Though I don’t need the help (how hard is it to take a train right!), I let them tell me where I should drop at anyway. Since they were so helpful, I didn’t want to turn down their offer.
But I do get scared by how some of the gaps between the trains and platforms could be. See my foot in the above right pic? The gap is pretty sizeable and I swear I could fall in if my body is straightly aligned.
Then I spied two nice trenchcoats that I like on two Korean ladies:
It was only after I took these pics that I realised every single bag in each shot is a Louis Vuitton! Koreans are, as most of us know, very image-conscious. I think they’re on-par with the Hong Kongers and Japanese. Wait, nobody beats the Japanese. Hahaha
South Korea is supposedly very badly hit by the global economic downturn but by the countless Chanels and Balenciagas I’d been seeing, it sure didn’t feel that way! I also got shot by this Korean online street fashion photographer so I thought I’ll share the pic…
It’s not very clear but I was just taken in by my new hat, which only costs me S$24. I think I’m changing my tune about hear gear… They’re really fun and they do add an edge to outfits, methinks. So, when I was in Myeondong, I went into Forever 21 and bought a beach hat. Only S$11!!! Do itttttt
Oh, I’m also wearing my new thick skinny pants that I was talking about earlier, two entries ago. See? Not bulky at all! But it keeps me snug and warm, except I should be wearing covered shoes but those Converse just can’t be worn without socks that are not thick enough…
In the pic, I was also wearing my new boyfriend blazer:
I’ve been in love with blazers forever and I’d also been searching for the right fit forever. If you’re like me, come to Seoul’s la la shopping land. I was in Dongdaemum (where I didn’t get a single thing! Gasp! Oh, only a cute little dress for my vainpot niece. Expensive ah, that small piece of clothing!) after Myeongdong and they have every fit and cut imaginable. Mine actually fitted me perfectly and for the first time, a boyfriend blazer that doesn’t overwhelm my skinny frame! The material is also soft to touch and is crumple-free. How great is that!
Dongdaemum meants 'East Gate', which is the name of this Korean monument.
And for the second consecutive dinner, I had Korean barbecue again. Hur hur hur. I was damn determined. I searched for close to an hour before I found a place:
Minimum order was for 2 pax and I went for it anyway and erm, was close to finishing everything.
But no more till my throat feels better! I was good tonight and had Vietnamese rice rolls instead and they were really yummy too!
Ok, gonna get knocked out now. I really want to feel better tomorrow. Night world!
Every time I step into Harvey Nichols and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong, I would always make a beeline for the accessories section to perve on the fancy head pieces. I know I have no use for them in my everyday life (but that said, who says one can’t wear that every day?!?! Maybe I should start…) and I’m not one who’s into horse-racing but these head pieces are such pieces of art that I really wanna own them all.
I guess the next best thing is to make them myself so I might just cos I honestly can’t see myself parting with at least S$300 for these designs. And they’re all handmade anyway so I don’t see why I can’t DIY. Yayy, new projects soon!
Susie Bubble‘s recent entry was about Le Tour de Force and I was delighted to see a heads up on head pieces cos I recently tried to do a google search but couldn’t find anything.
See these fancy pieces!
My personal favourite
I really like all of them but if I have to pick one, I’ll go with Antoinette. But if I can pick three, I want Dada Bells and The Blue Grapes! I saw the online store and these pieces are not that expensive. They start at 88 pounds but the ones I like are at an average of 128 pounds each. With the pound so weak right now, they will probably cost me S$250. I’m contemplating to get one as I can’t DIY these sorta designs. But well, let’s see how long I can resist the temptation…
No update on Seoul tonight cos I’m exhausted (again)… I managed to explore quite a bit more today but that explains my need for the bed right now… Night world!
I’ve died and gone to fashion heaven in Seoul!!! I have! I have! And I’ve never felt more guilt-free spending money on shopping!!! WOOT!
I’d been good so far by stirring clear of those designer dresses with their labels cut. I don’t know what’s the deal with the label-cutting but I don’t really care cos they’re the original designs anyway and as long as they fit, look great and are tiny fractions of the original prices, cut away!!!
Butttt although they’re still an average of S$100-S$200 per dress, which is a good 20% of their original prices, I’ve still been terribly good by avoiding them thus far. I only got local designs at an average of S$50 per piece.
I even got a hat! I’m not even a head-gear (except those fancy headbands, which I love love love) girl to start with… It’s the whole shopping bug. I also got a boyfriend blazer, thick skinny pants (an oxymoron but you’ll know what I mean why I show you a pic of it being worn), a deconstructed white tee and an awfully feminine basic white cotton dress.
The surprising thing was that I only got basic pieces. I’ve been obsessed with basics lately. They’re just so trusty, practical and timeless. And during bad economic times like now, they’re the best pieces to invest in, no?
Seoul’s fashion is really affordable high-street deconstructivism at its best and I think that’s the reason I’m so gaga over the shopping here. Normally when I travel for work, I avoid shopping at all costs and to be honest, I’ve been really good in all my past trips.
But I was very honest with myself about my expectations in Seoul. Yep, let’s go crazy!!!
I met with my Korean colleague, Gina, today and managed to cover the story in my to-do wish-list today. And also got to explore a lot of the Apujeong-dong area for possible story leads.
Seoul is such an inspirational city! I wish I have more time to cover more groundwork to get a better feel of this city so I can contribute more work-wise but from tomorrow onwards, it’s gonna be a full 7 days of Seoul Fashion Week so I have to see where I can find the time to do more exploration. Probably only two hours in the mornings and squeeze some more time in the evenings if the shows don’t kill me by then.
It’s gonna be an exhausting week but at least I’m buzzing with enthusiasm! It’s freezing at 0 degree Celsius here!!! The coldest I’ve gone was 8 degrees Celsius so 0 is an all-time low for me! But surprisingly, it’s really not as bad as my wild imagination had thought.
See the pic of me at the top? I was in my rather-thin dress, layered with a cashmere sweater and Nic’s winter coat, topped with a neck muffler. That’s all! Just leggings and open-toed sandals! The sandals were not a smart idea but I had no choice as my Converse sneakers had been giving me blisters. Like seriously right, who the hell wears Converse and gets blisters?!?!
And my beloved red Topshop boots were forgotten and left in Singapore over the weekend so sorry feet, suffer a bit ok? Anyway you were made to take some beatings. Hur hur. Or it could mean that I NEED to buy some footwear out of necessity… Hur hur hur.
Ok, some pics to end the entry! I’m seriously ready for bed after the torturous flight early this morning. I did the most disgusting thing and for the first time in my life, went to bed at 6.15am this morning with makeup on my face cos I was JUST. TOO. DARN. EXHAUSTED.
A colleague from London forwarded an email about some photographer’s work and after seeing the photos, I really ought to stop complaining that my 450 sqft flat is small…
This photographer took pics of these 100 sqft flats, which are apparently the smallest in Hong Kong and are also in the city’s oldest estate. What you see is really what you get, no hidden corners that the camera couldn’t capture!
Ok, off to the airport in a bit to catch my midnight flight to Seoul. Why did I pick the midnight flight? Seriously, what was I thinking? Moreover, I’m not the sort who can just fall asleep on planes. What was I thinking?!?!?
I’m gonna stay at this place called Hotel Riviera for the next one week. The pics on Asia Rooms make the hotel rooms look crappy and the official hotel website’s photos are much, much better. Hopefully, the hotel’s site is more reliable!
Then off to explore Seoul’s retail scene tomorow! I’m quite excited about it cos I reckon Seoul is gonna be different and interesting… But I’m so not excited about the weather forecaset. According to Cathay Pacific’s website, it’s -2/6 degree Celsius today and the next week’s not gonna be much different. OMFG.
Please don’t let me freeze my skinny ass to death in that beautiful city… Cos there’s Krispy Kreme, midnight shopping and KOREAN BBQ MEAT!!!!!!!
Talk soon from Seoul! That is if I don’t fall flat asleep every night from work and shopping and walking and eating……
It was damn drama at the HK airport when I was checking in for my Jetstar flight. As usual lah, must wait so freaking long. I stood in line for a whole hour! I never understand why it always takes longer in HK than in SG. Anyhow, I was bored and listening to my iPod when this (really) fat dude started a commotion.
There were only three counters opened but as the time got closer to the boarding time, a fourth counter opened up quietly, only taking the second-in-line passengers. Then out of nowhere, this fat dude (sorry for the discriminating remark but he was such an ass!!!) swept in from nowhere and insisted to be served.
The poor girl at the counter told him politely umpteen times that she was only serving the next-in-line passengers. But he insisted to be served now, now, now. Then started shouting at her in his (I’m embarrassed to say) Singaporean English accent.
When I heard his voice after I paused my iPod, I was like “OMG, he’s Singaporean” and tried to hide my red passport. He shouted at the girl for a good five minutes in front of his two Primary School kids and wife!
His wife told him to be quiet but he out-yelled her, “You better keep your mouth shut!!!” Gross. He must be one of those men who beats his wife up at home. I was furious yet amused at the same time. Furious that he was so disrespectful to the staff and his wife and being such an awful, awful example for his kids. And amused that he had no idea at all how ugly his behaviour was.
Immediately, the video of that lady who missed her flight in HK came to mind and I really wanted to capture his behaviour on video but he was a bit too far and I didn’t want him to ‘Chris Brown’ my skinny ass. But seriously dude, it didn’t matter whether you went first or not, the flight wasn’t gonna take off earlier than the scheduled time! Dumbass…
On to happier things… I spent most of Friday with my precious niece and nephew. Kiks just picked up Singlish!!!! Much to Che’s amused dismay. Kiks’ damn funny when she said her ‘lah’. She would have this slightly shy expression so she obviously knew ‘lah’ is not a proper term.
Unlike consummate Singlish speakers, her emphasis on ‘lah’ was too strong. Che suspected it was Matt’s bad influence cos nobody speaks a single word of Singlish around her cos we make the effort to. But Matt keeps saying Singlish all the time with his ang moh accent and yes, his emphasis on ‘lah’ is very strong too.
I told Matt and he was so amused and proud of himself. Tsk tsk.
Anyhow, after some sisterly bonding time, Che brought Kiks to her Chinese class. But it wasn’t after some conviction. As a last resort, Che brought out Kiks’ favourite going-out outfit and Kiks was all “I wanna wear! I wanna wear!” Girls are so easy to bluff. Vain girls, especially. Hahahaha
Didi woke up from his nap shortly after his sister left so I had some wonderful one-to-one bonding time with him. Seth was so cute. He couldn’t quite talk yet, except for “nana” for banana and “duck”. He waddled to me holding his fave children’s book on a duck, saying “duck”. Hehe, he wanted me to read to him.
I got Seth a singlet with the print of a camera on it from Stanley Beach when Matt and I were there. I made him model it and it was a perfect fit! Matt thought it would be too big but women know better when it comes to such stuff!
As with all kids, Seth loves going out and kept looking out to his patio and the pool longingly so I brought him out. Brought him to the pool to play by the edge. Mummy was all “don’t stand so far away from him!”, “time to come in before the sun goes down!”. Hahahaha, Mummy will always be Mummy.
As I stood in front of Seth in the pool watching him, for a few minutes, I was truly living in the moment. I was just watching him and I could really feel the happiness from inside of me. (Cheesy!) Maybe that’s how motherhood feels like? (Scary!) Seth is such a simple toddler with no fuss and tantrums, unlike his sister (whom I do love to death ok!!!).
When Kiks grabbed a toy from Seth afterwards, that poor little boy’s face was just full of sadness. It wasn’t even anger. He was just pouting and looking like he was about to cry. Awwww, I hugged him and asked him if he wants to hear a story and immediately went on to read a book to him.
Seth, at fourteen months, still couldn’t speak fluently, but he could express exactly what he wants very well. He would walk to something and point at it to tell you he wants to play with this or eat that.
Some videos of him I took on Friday:
Che and Raymond asked me why I didn’t take pictures and videos of Kiks at all and I didn’t even realise! I felt damn bad, as if I was playing favouritism (I wasn’t ok!!! I love Kiks!!!) so I justified I took loads of Kiks when she was younger to make myself feel better. :(
And after Mummy’s home-cooked dinner (YUMS), I met Matt for a bit and went for his dinner with Gor. SEE?!?! He refused to lay off my boyfriend!!! We got home and Matt fell asleep almost immediately. That boy hadn’t been well.
Ru came round at around 10:30pm to finally return my Mango jacket (it’d been years! I even thought I lost the jacket!) and I think she felt guilty, so she loaned me her winter coat for my Seoul and Shanghai trips. Hahahaha. And it looks great so I’m satiated.
She very sweetly gave me a ride to Molely’s so we had a much-needed quick catch-up. I love this cousin of mine and always will!
At Molely’s, the girls and I chatted, played Guitar Hero and looked through scandalous pics and videos while they updated me all the happenings. It was just a normal chillax session and it was nice and comfy to be back in my girlfriends’ company. :)
I took off at 4am and crashed into bed at 5am after a longgg day. Like the night before, I went to bed to an already-sleeping boyfriend again…
Woke up at 9am the next morning. Gawd… Got ready while chatting to Mum. Naice. :) I love my Mummy. She’s typical as hell but she’s so hilarious but so doting and loving, I can’t imagine having anyone else as my mummy.
Went to meet the makan girlies at Marmalade Pantry and felt so happy in their company!
Kristy is soooo kayot right??!?! She’s totally nomable and the pleasure of feeling her chubby cheeks under my fingertips was hmmm... indescribable! PF told me she totally reads Che’s blog on Kiks and Seth and Che told me before she thought Kristy was damnnn cute and PF was like “Intro leh!” Hahahaha, that girl is hilarious. So Che, meet PF and Kristy. Feel free to leave your maternal comments on each other’s baby’s blog…
The session managed to run for a good four hours so it felt really naice instead of the usual deprived feeling after cos when we meet for dinners on weekdays, it’s usually just a two-and-half catch-up.
Afterwards, I went to Tangs to take some pics for work while waiting for Matt to knock off. It was 3:30pm and though I’d been back for two nights already, I still felt like I barely saw my boyfriend. :(
I went on to Gap and bought 4 basic cotton tops and dress while Matt finally caught up with me and was waiting in the boyfriend corner (aka. couch). I was happy to finally see him awake (hahaha) but I was secretly hoping he would just take another 20 minutes so I could run to Topshop…
I hate dragging guys shopping so I was willing to give up my Topshop dream and went home with him instead. I was just a good girlfriend! I didn’t even voice my Topshop hope! We headed back cos he still wasn’t in tip-top health. I made him showered cos he was in the rain even though he refuses to believe that being in the rain gives you a cold. But my mum’s nagging worked magic and off he went to the shower obediently.
We fell asleep almost immediately as we were both exhausted. Him being unwell and me only having four hours of sleep. After a mere 30-minute nap, we got up, ordered sushi, went to the shops to get him Chinese herbal teas (hur hur), returned home and sushi just arrived! Just naice.
After some family and Matt bonding time while I packed my luggage (again) and we watched a documentary on Tibetan Buddhist rituals on TV. Matt and I were like irritating toddlers who kept asking my parents and brother “why are they doing this”, “why are they doing that” and it was funny that my parents were befuddled with some of our questions. “It just is! Damnit!” Hahahah, no, they didn’t say that, of course, but I would if I’m them…
Matt then made me watched Ip Man again and still got excited over the same scenes… Why did I buy him the DVD?
Turned in relatively early past midnight and we cuddled up through the night so I woke up feeling nice and loved even though we didn’t spend that much time together. And shortly after, we were at the airport again. And separated. Again. Hate this whole long-distance business… :(
Ok, damn long entry!!! Takes me like an hour to type this. Have to pack for my Seoul trip!
So before it’s over (even though Matt declared it’s a one-week celebration…), happy one-year anniversary to us!
But sigh, another day of celebration that gone past without us being physically together… :( But looking on the bright side, I’ll see him tomorrow evening, just before midnight. Something to look forward to!
And then seeing my precious niece and nephew on Friday – gonna be MAJOR bonding time. I’ll stick to them all day and make them play with me! Then the girls at night, the makan girls the next morning and then Matt and me for the rest of Saturday before I return to Hong Kong again in early Sunday afternoon… :(
The sweet boy sent me hydrangeas again and this time round, I was completely surprised. Karmen, my colleague, called my name and I was distracted on my computer so I was like “Uh…”, turned around and hydrangeas!
But the first thought was again “so expensive!” but I kept reminding myself to not dwell on that. I called him to tell him off (gently) cos we promised not to get each other anything. Seriously, I would be equally happy if he got me a bunch of whatever-flowers from the market for just ten bucks so isn’t it smarter to spend less and still make me equally happy right? Ok, practical Capricorn moment (which doesn’t happen when it comes to my shopping… O_o) over.
Me likes hydrangeas.
Ok, me gonna do some grossly saccharine-sweet thing by posting up my fave pics of us taken for the past 12 months. Apologies for the possibility of goosebumps on your arms…
March 2008: None cos we’d just got together right, so still shy to take pics. Hur hur…
April 2008: This is actually the first time we took a pic together. :)
May 2008: Some waterfall in Langkawi, Malaysia
June 2008: East Coast Park, Singapore
July 2008: Ritz Carlton, Singapore
August 2008: Having yum cha, Hong Kong
September 2008: Lantau Island, Hong Kong
October 2008: Manila, the Philippines
November 2008: Unglam roadside pic, Singapore
December 2008: At a da pai dang (SG's equivalent of a hawker), Hong Kong
January 2009: Sis' place, Singapore
February 2009: Cottesloe Beach in Perth, Australia
March 2009: Stanley Beach, Hong Kong
Ok, I know it’s not politically correct to say this during a seemingly sweet post like this… But I obviously look like I’ve aged… :’( The narcissist in me noticed the difference most apparent between July and August last year. Maybe the whole move to HK got something to do with it?
Erm ok, back to original programme: So this morning, I got woken up by a totally awww-worthy message from Matt. I’m pretty much stoked for the rest of the day, except I had a bloody eye infection and gum swell and sore feet from being on my 4-inch Eley Kishimoto for just two hours. I only wanted to look like I was part of the fashion crowd when I went for a couple of press events earlier but I seriously can’t do this heels thing in Hong Kong man… Seriously lose…
But gotta see the boy again tomorrow night so yayy!!
Happy anniversary again, baby. Hope there will be many more years to come. :)
Matt was in HK again (but it’s never enough!) over the weekend for an early anniversary celebration. He arrived on Friday afternoon and after dropping off his luggage, went to the gym immediately. Like seriously dude…
Anyhow, whatever to occupy him till I knocked off. It was a really nice feeling working in the office and knowing that he was just nearby at the Fitness First gym in the next building. When 6pm rolled around, I was ringing him to find out where he was when he appeared next to my desk. He met a few colleagues and chatted to them so that was nice. :)
We then went to IFC Mall, hoping to catch Slumdog Millionaire but the show was entirely sold out for the rest of the evening! We then browsed around the mall for a bit and headed back to Soho for pizza and desserts and back home for an early night.
We were just chilling in the flat, chatting about random things. I miss that so much! You can do that on the phone or via Skype but I swear, it’s never the same without the hugs and cuddles.
We slept in till the late morning and wanted to go to Shenzhen for a day when we realised he needed a visa to enter China. So mah fun… Went to Stanley Beach instead even though it was a freezing 17 degrees (for a beach visit!). Matt was such a sucker for the sun that he took off his top anyway while I refused to take off even my neck muffler.
And for the first time in my life, I fell asleep under the sun. Terrible I know! Butttt I was wearing sunnies and pulled my muffler over my face and I was fully clothed! Hope my poor skin didn’t suffer much. Matt got burned as usual. What’s new…
I like to ask him spastic stuff and looking at his skin, I said: “Baby, why are you so white?”
Matt: *shrugs* Dunno. *looks down at his body* Sucks.
After two hours of lazing and laughing at silly kids’ antics on the beach, we strolled around the area and stumbled upon Stanley Market. Such a lovely area! We walked through the maze of street stalls to come out to a little town where there were restaurants, a hotels, temple, pier and mall.
We had a late lunch at a diner called The Boathouse and they have like the best wedges ever! Wasn’t cheap though but at least the food was really good. Stanley didn’t feel like Hong Kong at all. It’s filled with so many gweilos and the whole setup of the area reminded me remotely of Bondi Beach but not as beautiful lah, of course!
Cos the houses and apartments were larger in Stanley and they mostly had beach views, Matt was like, “Let’s move here in future!” Then we asked the restaurant manager and he told us average rent in Stanley is around S$10,000 a month and I was like, “Wah lau, I can buy TWO Chanel 2.55s every month!!!”
If Mid-Levels is the expat choice to live in Hong Kong, they obviously haven’t seen Stanley! But that said, it’s of course not as convenient as Mid-Levels. You definitely need to drive if you’re gonna stay at Stanley.
The next day, we climbed out of bed to go for our anniversary lunch at Nobu! Seriously ah, that black cod fish ah… Oh gawd. Matt was completely sold as well. But if you do go and want to chose between Nobu Signature Bento Box or Nobu Hong Kong Bento Box, go for the signature box! It’s better and cheaper.
We were stuffed but I managed to convince Matt to order the Chocolate Bento Box dessert. If I thought Jaspas had the best warm melted chocolate cake with ice-cream, I obviously had forgotten about Nobu! It was like S$20 for a single order of dessert but it was sooo good.
Matt insisted we walked off our full lunches and since Avenue of Stars was so near to Hotel Intercontinental, where Nobu was, we strolled over since we had never been to that touristy walk before.
Matt was gaga over the action stars as usual while I was counting which of the stars’ names I recognised. Jackie Chan was damn popular, we had to stand around for a bit before Matt could get his turn to take pictures with Jackie’s, erm, palm prints.
Late afternoon rolled around and it was time to head back for Matt to go to the airport. Sucks. :(
How long have you been together?
A year in 3 days’ time. :) The relationship feels so new though we both felt like we knew each other for ages.
How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Ehhh… This one is quite complicating ah… Hahaha, we had our first date 3 days after we met for the first time and thought we were just going out until he regarded me as a girlfriend 2 weeks later. I was a bit O_o but didn’t say a word. We never spoke about it till a week later when he asked me when’s our anniversary and we were both quite confused so decided on the first time we met.
Who asked whom out? He did. So formal!!! “Yi Lian, would you like to join me for a movie and dinner tonight?” Date, say date lah! Join… As if I said I wasn’t free, he would still go for a movie and dinner all by himself. hahahaha, I still tease him about that and he would put on his embarrassed expression and ignores me.
How old are each of you? I turned 26 this January and he turns 26 this July. He always call me ‘auntie’ and his mum called me a cradle snatcher!?!?!
Whose siblings do you see the most? Mine cos all his siblings are back in Oz. He’s like best pals with my brother man. A bit disturbing. There were times when I went back for that short weekend and my bro would still ask him to go to the gym or drinks and I had to literally tell my bro to buzz off!!! Hahahah, bloody hell.
Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? Managing a long distance relationship – biggest bitch to any couple! Hate it.
Did you go to the same school? No. I studied mass communication and he studied gross feet.
Are you from the same home town? I’m a Singaporean through and through and Matt’s a Brisbane boy through and through.
Who is smarter? Matt’s very textbook-smart. He graduated with first-class honours from his podiatry degree course and was on the dean’s list and all. And even streetsmart-wise, I think he’s smarter too. Buttttt EQ-wise, of course he can’t outsmart me. hahaha
Who is the most sensitive? We’re both very sensitive in different ways. He’s more sensitive than he lets on. Well, he’s a Cancer!
Where do you eat out most as a couple? The sad truth is, we don’t stay together in the same place long enough to establish a dining routine. But I think so far in Singapore, we like the coffeeshop opposite my house and Sakae Sushi and Din Tai Fung and in Hong Kong, we go to Cafe O at least once every time he’s here. But our favourite routine is to order in or buy takeaways, eat in bed while cuddling up for a movie.
Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Perth, I think… But we didn’t fly together cos he took Qantas while I took SQ.
Who has the craziest exes? WAH LAU! His ex is super crazy lah!!! So crazy that I wanted to tell him to deal with her first before he and I get too serious.
Who has the worst (shouldn’t it be ‘worse’?) temper? Me lor… I’m super quick-tempered. Very easily angry but very quickly appeased.
Who does the cooking? Matt does most of it when we were living together in Singapore. I cooked for him a few times and must say I’m getting better each time. Can’t wait for us to be in the same place permanently so I can be a Stepford wife.
Who is the neat-freak? Ehhh, he reckons he’s neater than I am but we’d reconciled with the fact that we’re both neat at different times, which is great so when he feels anal, he’ll tidy and vice versa.
Who is more stubborn? Matt!!! Super stubborn. Wanna smack him sometimes.
Who hogs the bed? I do… It’s amazing how little space he takes. On our queen-sized beds, he usually take up only 1/4 or 1/3 of the bed and hardly shift throughout the night. I had always thought I can never share a bed smaller than king-sized with anyone but it’s amazing how Matt and I can actually sleep snuggling and hugging throughout the night. I had never been that sorta girl! Butttt Matt’s a horrible sleeper when he’s drunk. Hogs the bed and I was so pissed off that one time that I went to sleep in my bro’s bed (he was away for business).
Who wakes up earlier? Matt. He’s super disciplined. He would grumble and complain the entire hour when he’s getting ready but he still does it.
Where was your first date? Vivocity and then Sentosa.
Who is more jealous? He claims it’s me lah but I think we’re both equally jealous. I know it’s such a girl thing but I relish his jealous moments. hahahaha
How long did it take to get serious? Hahaha, like immediately man… It got, erm, super intense quickly. I practically stayed at his place since our second date and barely went home till he moved into my parents’ place a month and half after we met. And yes, he’s still living with my family. hahaha
Who eats more? Like Char and Alywin, Matt eats more at each meal, but I eat more overall throughout the day.
Who does the laundry? Mum did (and still does for Matt!) when I was back in SG but when I was staying with him at his place, he did the laundry while I put them on the lines. I love doing the laundry though, it’s damn therapeutic but too bad I don’t have a washing machine in HK. No space ah! I send my laundry out to the laundromat once a week.
Who’s better with the computer? CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! It’s me!!! Tsk tsk. But I’m honestly not good at it so you can imagine Matt…
Who drives when you are together? He lor, I still don’t have a license. I tried to convince him to get an auto when we were in Perth so I can drive for fun but he wanted to practise his manual driving. Selfish.
Every morning and evening, I have to walk past the lovely Shanghai Tang tailor store on Pedder Street to get to the Central MTR station to get to and fro work. And every day, I gazed into the store longingly. I’ve always wanted a qipao and I know my straight-as-stick body wouldn’t take on one effortlessly but that’s what good tailors are for right?
Then two weeks ago when I was on that precarious work outing in the stores, I met up with the Shanghai Tang PR lady for a photo shoot in the Pedder Street store. And I touched the qipaos gingerly and tenderly. I want one…
And this is the one I’d been eyeing because it’s just simple black with subtle details:
<3
Apparently, according to Ray, the tailor who made all of Maggie Cheung’s qipaos in In The Mood For Love is just in my neighbourhood and prices are not exorbitant but neither are they considered cheap as well.
@jotterbook I actually thought Descendants was heart warming! Haven't watched J Edgar yet but really really wanna! And yes Moneyball is out! 5 days ago
@lissawesome OK watch Moneyball first and then you tell me who's more deserving of a win! I thought George was good too until I watched Brad 5 days ago
RT @neonwatermelon: Just asked my sister if I looked "too professional" - while wearing polka dots, peplum + asparagus earrings #shitdel ... 5 days ago
“@neonwatermelon: Just asked my sister if I looked "too professional" - while wearing polka dots, peplum + asparagus 5 days ago
Sorry George, really doubt ur Descendants performance is worthy of a win. Brad in Moneyball, on e other hand, is totes FTW. #bradftw5 days ago
“@ilikeribena: when I c pple wearing specs w/o lenses, I just want poke their eyes with two fingers and tell them they look downright silly” 1 week ago
I could feel water gathering at the corners of my eyes as I recounted the traumatic experience to @fakewindy. #i'mashamedofmysuperficiality 1 week ago
