Saturday, December 31, 2011

Year of letdowns

Tomorrow is a new year, 2012!

I'm kinda sad that it is happening so fast because I want to start 2012 afresh but up till now, up till the last day of 2011, most of my issues have not been settled zzzzz.

I see many other bloggers writing up great 2011 round-up posts but I don't really have much to thank for year 2011 though. The recent couple of years had been quite sucky and I can't wait to get out of it.

So in 2012, my resolution is to find the courage to weed out everything that is making me unhappy. I've been waiting for things to change and perhaps it's time for me to go out there and grab it myself instead of waiting around for nothing.

I was a very selfish person in 2009 and the years before. And I SEEMED TO BE HAPPIER AND I HAD ALMOST EVERYTHING I WANTED.

Then I tried to be a better person in 2010 and 2011, and guess what, everything went downhill. I really don't know leh. Shouldn't goodness be rewarded with goodness? Why is it when I'm bad, I get lucky and when I'm good, things go bad? But, I think I will still try to build up more good karma lah, because up till now, I feel super guilty for the selfish things I did back then.

Things I wish for in 2012:

1. HEALTH & SAFETY- It's the most important!!! All the stuff below won't matter if you don't have the health to enjoy it! I wish that I don't fall sick so easily anymore. And I wish everyone I love around me to be healthy and safe too ^^

2. WEALTH - I used to think that it doesn't matter, but after this shitty year when I was broke every single month, I think that money is very very very important. With money, a lot of unnecessary problems could be easily solved. So yep, number 2 on my list is Wealth. More advertorials please. Haha.

3. LOVE - I hope that it goes well. I hope that my partner will have the same values in love as I do. I believe in giving all and going all out for love. I believe in love overcoming all. I want love to be at the top of his list, just like how it is on mine. I believe in sweetness going beyond the honeymoon stage. I want to be cared for, I want to be doted on, just like how I'd do sweet things for him too. I believe in cultivating trust, stability, RESPECT and the willingness to do anything for the relationship. I believe in considering for your partner for every decision you make in life. I believe in sharing two lives as one.

4. CAREER - I hope my blogging career will go up once again and I hope to have more opportunities. I hope to travel and explore the outside world more. I hope my real job will also be one that I feel happy in, one that I wake up looking forward to every morning. Better still, I hope that I can blog full time.

5. BEAUTY - I want to become prettier! I want to do invisalign, I want my nose to become smaller, I want my skin to stay fair and become more radiant, moisturized and clear. And I hope I lose my flabby fats. And I hope my face become less chubby and less fat! And I hope I stop losing hair!!!!!

6. FRIENDSHIPS - I hope that I do not quarrel with any friends this year because it's very bitter and it affects me a lot. I hope all misunderstandings can be cleared easily, I hope I meet no backstabbers. I hope to maintain the friends that I have now :) I hope that I can re-meet those friends I love but drifted apart from.

If I did not miss anything, all these will add up to, HAPPINESS.

Oh, and one of the things I really miss is my previous hair color. WHY DID I GO AND DYE RED AH????? Wayne, my hairstylist at Bugis Essensuals did a lot of work to get my hair up to this perfect color and I went to ruin it by changing to Red. WHAT WAS I THINKINGGGGG. I do like red hair but whenever I look at my old pictures, I strongly miss that old shade~~


(Top and bottom from http://missqueenie.com, as featured on #napbas outfit post)

Friday, December 30, 2011

Touristy stuff at Malaysia

Nuffnang KL Trip Day 2, Part 1!

By the time we got back to the hotel the previous night, we only have a few hours to sleep before we had to wake up to have breakfast at 8.30AM, according to the itinerary. I didn't sleep well although the bed was super comfy, but I managed to prepare and rush down to breakfast with Benjamin and Randy at 9am! Not too late lah hor? Haha. 30 minutes left to savor the hotel's buffet breakfast!!!!

Benjamin's western breakfast plate with egg benedicts! I love them usually but this one was cold :( Plus don't have bacon!


Thursday, December 29, 2011

Free next day delivery, just in time for NYE!

The moment I received this floral dress in the mail, I knew I would love it. So sweet isn't it? Summer is over but I'm still having some trouble detaching from it. So glad that summer is coming back soon!!!!!



Something for the many countdown parties this year end.. I love how the dress wraps on the right curves and the cut is flattering for almost anyone! The flap ensures that you can eat as many treats as you want without worrying about your tummy ^^ The material is good too.


This tank top can be worn on its own or under a cardigan. Blue Marine to bring out your 'beachy' side! Hehe.


As you can see, ClubCouture features a wide variety of styles to choose from. If you are still doing last minute shopping for the new year countdown, do check out ClubCouture :) They currently have a promo, which is FREE NEXT DAY DELIVERY. Get your party dresses in time for NYE!

步步惊心

So happy that 步步惊心 is going to be showing on Channel 8 prime time soon! I managed to follow the show when my mum was watching it and I think the show is good! It was a hit in China and I think people here will love it too. It's quite slow-paced, unlike the usual fast paced Hong Kong drama that I prefer (for example, Curse of the Royal Harem), but I think that the slow pacing was suitable and essential in transmitting the right feel for this story.

The story plot is about a 21st century lady who accidentally time travels back to the Qing Dynasty. With the knowledge of text book history she acquired back in her actual timezone and through attempts to modify history to avoid tragedies, she ends up being the instigator for most of the significant historical stories.

Love the OST too...



Think I watch too much palace shows already. I'm addicted!!!


Anyway, I watched the movie 'Hong Kong Ghost Stories (猛鬼故事)' around a month back. This movie have a lot of detractors due to the lousy props, fakeness, etc. But I think the storyline is good! There are two parts to the movie and both stories had a twist in the end. Me likey! I love storylines that are not straightforward ^^ Go watch it when it's out on dvd ok! Don't expect 'horror' though~~

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Napbas Trip - Day 1

Nuffnang KL Trip Day 1

I was sick for the entire week before the short trip to Malaysia for the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards. So afraid that I could not recover in time!

My mum came along with me on this trip :) Meeting time was early in the morning so most of the bloggers didn't have make up on. I was hardworking! I forced the contact lens into my tired strained eyes. Lol.



Monday, December 26, 2011

X'mas at Orchard

Our family decided to head to Orchard yesterday to get some Christmas atmosphere. Was fun! Haha.










First, we went to Daiso at Ion and Mum suggested for us to go in individually and pick a gift for each other as Christmas presents. We spent lots of time in there trying to find something that we think each of them would like. Because there were SO MANY items available, it was very difficult to find the best present. For example, I found so many things that I think my sister would love and I could not decide on one! I was also very afraid to bump into them at the store. I was looking and holding a belt and my Dad spotted me -_-"

So in the end, these were what we got for each other! It was very interesting to know what they all think I would like haha.

1. Water bottle. Mum got this for dad. I was torn between this and number 5 for Dad. Spot Mum and saw that she was planning to give dad the wealth-cat ornament -.- End up she decided to give him the bottle instead because the ornament is really useless. Haha.

2. Towel. Dad got this for Mum. He say it's for her to wipe table. Hahaha.

3. Mini tripod. Dad got this for me! Guess it'd be useful if I do vlogs in the future. Or when I want to camwhore without holding up the camera.

4. SD card reader. Dad got this for my sister! Think it'll be quite useful for her because she can use it for her school projects.

5. Belt I got for my dad. Useful for him!

6. Nice pink jewel bag hanger I got for mum. Meaningful because she is a bag-lover but she say no use one! :(

7. Orange juice squeezer from Mum for me... Lol.

8. Rose pocket mirror for my sis! I think pretty but she prefers number 11!

9. Shoe polisher for my dad, from my sis.... Dad has all the useful gifts!

10. Earrings for mum, from my sis. I suggested this for her, and mum loves it!

11. Pocket mirror for me from my sis... Haha. Funny that we gave each other the same stuff, just different designs.

12. Some headband thingy for my sis, from my mum. Mum said she wanted to give me this at first.... For what?!!!! Lucky she gave it to my sis in the end hahaha.



After the gift-hunt, we walked past Rubi and saw shoes on sale! Bought them at super low prices. Took pictures of them... Here's what we bought, in different sizes! Haha.

White flats for ... $2!!!!!! Too big for me because these are for mum.


This one below is for me! Dark brown sandals. Very comfy~ $5.



Version in light brown:



& Black.


This suede sandals is $2 only too!



And finally this black chunky sandals is $5.


All very cheap right?

I was like super auntie while snatching these shoes because there were so many other people grabbing everything on the racks! Super embarrassing when I turned around and two readers said Hi to me. Hahaha.






( See what I got on my hair! )














I love the pink dress I wore. It's comfy and easy to wear, plus it's so lovely! Perfect for CNY too... It is sponsored by www.galsstreet.com !
There are also plenty of other pretty dresses and the best thing is, you all will be entitled $1 off if you quote "estherxie" as the coupon code. I'm sure you all are shopping for CNY clothes now right? Why not visit www.galsstreet.com to see if there is anything you like?


A belated merry christmas from Churpie!!



Santa Churpie is giving you and 8 friends a little something for joining Churp Churp!

For 12 days of Christmas, Santa Churpie will be giving away Xmas gifts - Bodyshop Moringa Gift Cube, Churp Churp 2GB Thumbdrive (this one I have. Damn cute!), Jipaban Vouchers, Movie Ticket, Starbucks Christmas Character Mug, Paperback Notebook,$10 Takashimaya Voucher or Royce Chocolates!! Simply join ChurpChurp if you have a twitter or facebook account. Next, choose the gift that you would like Santa Churpie to gift you and your friends this Christmas, refer at least 8 friends to join you at Churp Churp and all of you can stand a chance to win that special something you have chosen for them!

In line with the spirit of giving, non-winners will still be rewarded with $1 for every friend referred! Share the joy this Christmas! I have chosen to give Royce Chocolates to my referrals! If you also want, Click here now!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Being Cryptic

I've been thinking back about the things that have happened for the past 2 years.

I used to be really personal and open on my blog. But I realise that I have not been completely honest about my current relationship here. I don't know. Perhaps because I know the consequences. Because I know my relatives and parents are monitoring this blog. I don't really care about what you strangers think about the choices I've made, but I do feel affected when people I know disagree with my choice of route. I think I have some sort of responsibility to hold here. That's why most of the time when I want to share a bit of my feelings on my blog or twitter, I'd try as much as I can to say it cryptically. Might as well don't say anything at all - you are thinking. But to me, it's an avenue for me to release my pent up feelings. I don't like burdening my friends with my issues, so usually I'd hesitate before sharing. There's really very limited people in my life who really knows much about what is happening... I think even this group of people don't know the full story because I only share bits and parts to each person. They'd have to join up together to piece the full story haha but they are from different clique, so I guess it won't happen.

Perhaps I'd share about it if the relationship ever has a definite end one day. It's so dramatic. For those who know me in real life, please ignore this entry and don't ask me about it if I have not shared it with you. I'm not ready yet.


** And it comes to a conclusion that what I will wish for this Christmas is Freedom. I realise that the lack of it is what affected alot of happenings in my life since I was in secondary school. If I had freedom, a lot of things wouldn't be a problem. I wouldn't have lost my friends and boyfriends in secondary school just because I couldn't hang out after school. After graduating and having this blog, I can now go out but I can't stay past midnight, overnight or go overseas. If not for that, I wouldn't have any insecure feelings about past boyfriends going clubbing because I could join in and that solves the problem. I would be able to go for late night spontaneous suppers and mix around fine with past boyfriends' friends. I would be able to join my girl friends for staycations. Travelling makes me happy and my ultimate goal is to be able to travel full-time one day. It's really a far-fetch dream to most people but I think I am close, just lack of an opportunity. If I'm not given this opportunity, I would have spent all my money on short trips every week or at least every month, but I can't because of my lack of freedom. Not just physical freedom, it is also the lack of freedom to be able to freely make any choice in my life. The consequences to every choice I make is heavy, and I have to answer for it. It's tying me down and really, all I want to do is fly freely. You see, most of the time I really don't care about what the whole world think. But behind every decision I make, I have to think of the loved-ones around me and that is why it's so hard for me to do things I want to do. Perhaps my dream is really too unrealistic and people are concerned... But I kinda envy people who could chase their dreams recklessly without a care. That's not gonna happen to me ever, because although I love freedom, I also can't live without what I currently have - Stability and Security.


Merry Christmas everyone.



**This entry written some time ago lah. I had fun today. Happy entry coming soon! :D

Friday, December 23, 2011

Outfits for NAPBAS trip

Entries for NAPBAS (Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards) are rapidly popping up in all the other blogs and now I'm kinda pressured to quickly churn out an entry for it too. Usually I'd be one of the first few to blog about events, so it came as a surprise that everyone else is so fast, some even wrote the entry by the next day we came back to SG! Guess everyone had a good time there ^^ However, I really want to write a detailed entry about my 3D2N at Malaysia, so give me a little while more, I'd try to process the pictures by this weekend okay?

For now, let me blog about the outfits I wore throughout the trip!

Although it was just a 3D2N trip, we had more than one outfit per day because of the different activities taking place. I brought a total of 5 sets of outfit + 1 set of sleeping wear. Mum brought 6 sets (1 for spare) + her sleeping wear. In addition to toiletries, chargers and other travel necessities, our combined luggage was still smaller than most of the other luggages brought by SINGLE bloggers. I think we have awesome packing skills. Haha.

For the journey there, I wore this lovely top from http://mamatiam.com... It kept me comfy throughout the long coach ride. I was actually comtemplating to tuck it into my high waist shorts, but finally decided to hold it with a brown weave belt instead.



I did not have any solo picture for the Awards dinner, so here is one with Alexa! I love that piece of black outfit on her. She always look good in her clothes! Check out her fashion blog at PixieKrane.com

On me, I'm just wearing a very simple black long dress. Heck, cancel the word long, it's nothing compared to the other ladies with their ground sweeping gorgeous gowns!! I decided to come in an understated black dress because I guess it's quite appropriate since I'm not even one of the finalists. Totally regretted my choice because everyone else were so nicely dressed up!!!!! The only detail to this dress is that there is a slit at the middle front.




For the after-party at zouk, I wore this short black dress that I got from Bugis Street. I don't think I'd be wearing it again because it is so short! I don't have pictures but the back is criss-cross with abit of bareback. The pair of heels is from Giovanna at Century Square. I got it just 2 days before the trip because the pair that I originally intended to wear was spoilt due to being neglected in the shoe rack. This pair is only $15!!!!! Its a size smaller than what I usually wear, but it's quite comfy for afew hours due to the thick heel and platform. After that the strap thing kinda bit my baby toe.


Accessories! I got those black gelish nails done at my beloved nail sponsor Millys :)

The ring is from a shop at Bugis Street, near Wo Ai Tai Mei. I think it's the only shop there that sells pretty rings at 3 for $5. Most of the other shops sell these rings at $12-$15 per piece, which is kinda ridiculous, because no matter what the price is, the quality is about the same. The ornaments are glued on and easily detached if careless.

H bracelet is also 3 for $5 haha. I got it in brown, black and white.
Studded thin black bracelet is from Missqueenie.
The thick one is from one of the push carts at Bugis Street. $2 only!



The next day, the first half of our itinerary was touristy stuff, so I wore this floral dress underneath a lovely outerwear from Missqueenie.


We went back to the hotel afterwards to recharge and also change for dinner and drinks at G-tower! I love this plain dress, also from Missqueenie. It's plain infront, but the back is pretty! Check out the back here - Click.


For the last day, it's just breakfast and journey back to Singapore so almost everyone didn't have make up on. Me too. Haha. Wore a comfy top and shorts from Missqueenie.


Not forgetting to pack a set of my lovely eyelashes from http://blink.sg~! Speaking of which, I just received another 4 boxes of lashes from them. Look out for the photos soon!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Usually I hate Tuesdays... But today....

TUESDAYKALOS
http://tuesdaykalos.com

Nope, today is not Tuesday. But still can shop at Tuesdaykalos! Check out the new collection :) I particularly love this toga piece. Perfect for the little Christmas Party coming along this weekend or New Year Countdown next week!



They are now having Christmas Promotion! Big discounts given for items from most of the previous collections. Promotion is valid till 25 Dec 2011 only! Grab fast while stocks last!

Shop: http://tuesdaykalos.com
FB: http://facebook.com/tuesdaykalos

Follow them for the latest updates!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Whole day at Bugis!














Re-dyed Red at Bugis Essensuals again. Check out the results.... Lovely! I also took a Brilliant Color shampoo from Essensuals for my hair ^^ for those who are dyeing strong colors, I think you should get such shampoo too to protect your hair. Head over to Bugis Essensuals to find out more... http://www.formspring.me/essensuals Tel: 63330039