Dress Up 44 -- Cotton On

I don't know about you but I was a bit disappointed when I first visited the Cotton On branch in Megamall.  It was a bit small, with only a few items to choose from.  MOA is so far away from where I live and I don't want to travel that far just to check out what they have, not really sure if I will be able to buy something I would like even though I've heard so many good reviews.

But the Vivo City branch in Singapore rejuvenated me.  I literally went gaga over the wide selection of clothes, shoes, and accessories that they have.  I think I stayed a little over an hour and spent most of my budget there.  Hahaha!  I particularly went crazy over this dress that I bought.  I loved how it fit me and let me tell you, that is hard to find with my size.  I loved the dress so much that I actually bought it in two colors.  Weeee!

Since the dress is black, I can pair it with anything.  I decided to match it with some cute green ballet flats, just to break the monotony of the color.  I also added a simple green belt to cinch my waist a bit and give me more shape. 

I looked cute in this outfit, don't you think? :)  Next time, I'll play it up to look more classy and sophisticated.

And so with this new excitement that I experienced, I think I just might find the energy to go to MOA and check other fab finds.  Anybody like to come with me for a shopping day? :)

Destination: Singapore

Singapore has always been, and will always be, a special country for me.  It was my destination for my first ever out of the country/business trip back in 2008 but due to work schedule, I was not able to go around that much and since that day, I always wanted to go back.  After four years, I was finally able to do so. This time I went home with more memories, more laughter, and more love.

BF and I got the 6:25 AM flight since travel will be about three and a half hours and I wanted to make the most of our first day.  We met with our friend upon arriving and dropped off our things at her place.  After that, we met with another friend for lunch which I posted about here.  

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MRT ride

After lunch, we did some of the "touristy" stuff that makes this place popular. We rode the MRT to Promenade station (Circle Line, CC4), intending to go to the Singapore flyer.  However, it was raining when we went out of the station and we forgot to take our umbrellas with us.  Good thing there was a mall near the station and we decided to have some coffee to wake us up while waiting for the rain to stop (no planner stickers here. boohoo).

Singapore flyer was just a five minute walk from MRT.  It is like a giant Ferris wheel which will give you the best view of Singapore's skyline.  One ride, which will take about 30 minutes to complete costs 33 SGD.  Before actually riding the flyer, we passed by Journey of Dreams, a small interactive museum describing the history of the city and the iconic flyer.  After that, you can have your pictures taken and have it printed after the ride.

At last it was time to ride!  I was so excited at first, taking in how beautiful the city was viewing it from such a height.  However, when I realized how high we were, my knees wobbled a bit.  Hahaha!  

After buying some souvenir items, we decided to go to the Merlion Park.  Tourists should have their pictures taken here.  It's like a rite of passage :). It was already dark when we arrived but I think it was prettier at night since all the buildings were lit up. 

The iconic Marina Bay Sands

We decided to go home early to rest and prepare for the next day.  We had so much fun walking around looking for the nearest train station.  We ended up passing by this hotel where an actual string quartet was playing in the lobby!  We thought it was recorded.  Awesome experience to end day 1.  Stay tuned for my next post! :)

Yummy for the Tummy: Din Tai Fung (Singapore)

I was supposed to do a collaboration of all the places we ate in Singapore, like the one I did for Hong Kong food trip.  However, there were a lot of restaurants/food joints that we tried that I felt deserved individual blog posts.

We met with an old friend near Singapore Post Office and rode the free shuttle to 112 Katong (yes, free shuttle service!).  Located in this mall was Din Tai Fung, a restaurant known for it's wide selection of dumplings and tasty, authentic Chinese food.  Most popular for it's xia long bao or steamed soup dumpling, this restaurant can be seen around the world.  From Singapore, to Taiwan, to USA.  It's really topnotch with the cuisine they serve. 

Although traditional food is being served, modernity is incorporated in it's ambiance.  The room is cozy, with tables that can accommodate small or big groups.  I was warned that they easily fill up with customers during lunch and dinner.  Good thing we went there after lunch and there were few diners.  We were ushered to our seats and was offered a basket to place all our bags.  Yey!  No more placing bags on the floor.  We were also immediately offered hot tea as we scan the menu.  We left it to Henson to choose the yummy ones.

Here's what we devoured that day:

Of course, the xia long bao.  I was very excited to try this one!  Although I was able to try one during our Binondo food trip (which I have to tell you about, by the way), it's their bestseller so it has to be good.  Since it's served really hot and there is soup inside, I had to poke it with my chopstick to create a small hole and release some steam.  When I felt it cooled enough, I took my first bite.  Any my oh my, the soup burst into my mouth and it was the most delicious dumpling I ever tasted!

I think this one's called shrimp cake.  We also ordered some spring rolls and thin slices of beef which are served cold.  Not sure why, but it's delicious as well.  Of course, fried rice wouldn't be out of the picture.

The iced tea that we ordered amused me so much!  See that big ball of ice inside?  It's actually frozen iced tea.  As it melts, it keeps your drink cool but at the same time keeps the flavor.  Smart! :)

I was so full after.  We ordered a lot and had to "take away" the rest of what was left.  It was one of the best places to eat.  We also had lots of laugh as BF and Henson caught up with each other.  Good food plus good company, the best combination one could ever have.  Thanks again Henson!

Dress Up 43 -- Travel

Hey guys!  I've been on a blogging hiatus lately as I have been (and still is) swamped with work.  Anyway, I found some time now and I have so many stories to tell.

I celebrated my birthday over the weekend and I treated myself to a vacation in Singapore.  I have been planning this trip for months now, bought the tickets early this year during a seat sale.  Finally, the day came and I was very excited to take a break.  But more on that vacation on another post.  For this one, I would like to share with you some tips on what outfit to wear when travelling, may it be domestic or international travel.

I always consider these 5 things.

1. Check the weather of the place you would go to.  This is very important so that you wear the right things.  You wouldn't want to look sweaty all through out the day or be shivering due to the cold.  This is also applicable to the clothes that you will be packing and taking with you.

2. Wear something comfortable.  You might be sitting on a plane, bus, or boat for hours.  You would like to be able to move around and be relaxed.

3. Bring a jacket or blazer.  Airports and planes can be too cold sometimes. Plus, it adds a little bit of oomph and makes your outfit more interesting.

4. Love your feet.  This is the most important of all!  If you will be walking around most of the time, better stay clear of high heels.  There are a lot of affordable but cute ballet flats available that can match your outfit.

and last but not the least

5. Bag for your essentials.  Be sure to bring a bag big enough to hold your essentials (passport, camera, cellphone, kikay kit, etc).

With that said, here's what I wore on that first day, applying the tips that I mentioned above.

Polka dot blouse: Forever 21
Shorts: Kamiseta
Blazer: customized

Ballet flats: Solemate

As you can see from the photos above, I chose to wear a loose fitting blouse with light material and shorts since Singapore's weather is not that different from the Philippines.  I also wore ballet flats since I'll be walking around the city the whole day.  I especially love the bag because it's made of nylon and can be used in any weather.  It was raining during the afternoons and my bag kept my things dry.  But most importantly, it was big enough to hold all of my things!

Hope you find my tips helpful and find yourself travelling in style! If you have other tips to share, please do not hesitate to comment below. :)

Nail Art: Tiffany

Tiffany and Co.  Audrey Hepburn.  Two institutions brought together in one product (Breakfast at Tiffany's anyone?).  China Glaze launched a color to pay homage to the lady as iconic as the box itself.  My jaw literally dropped when I saw For Audrey available online.  I just had to get my hands on one.  And I was squealing with delight when it arrived.  I stared at it for a long time, too long that it took me a month to use it.  Hahaha!

Anyway, what better design to do than something related to Tiffany's itself.  I decided to go with the white ribbon which goes together with the box.  It's not Tiffany's without that little white ribbon.  Here are some shots of the design that I created.

The bow is fairly easy to do so I wanted to share how I did it.  I used a small paint brush and dipped it in white nail polish.  Use the tip only for your drawing.  Start with two ovals opposite each other.  After that, draw two small diagonal lines to represent the tail of the bow.  Last step is to draw a vertical line from the bottom to the tip of the nail.  And viola, your own Tiffany at your fingertips, or rather, your nails.  

I really love this cute and simple design because I think it represents the box well.  Though the BF says it does not look like a ribbon at all (boys!).  And being the romantic that I am, hope I get to have my own box, while eating danish and coffee infront of the New York store.  A box with some bling of course.  Hahaha!

PS: I just recently learned that during the holidays, they use a red satin ribbon instead of white.  Maybe I'll do that design for Christmas.