Drilleys: I am walking on Drilleys

It has been so long since I did my Part 2 of Drilleys Post. Nope, I did not forget about it, okay? I was just spending some time researching and also...there was the planning of the BF birthday taking a good deal of my time. 

In my last post, I showed you how the males could pull off Drilleys' casual look. Today, i will be doing how I style Drilleys.

I received the all-blue Drilleys and so I decided to do an "all-blue" Not a very creative look but is "safe" fashion to do block colours. Matched it with faded grey demin tights and a faded blue jacket. This look is pretty causal and not over-the-top at all. It is something that you can wear when you go out. And you don't feel self-conscious, wondering if people are looking at you cos you look weird or anything.

Just some nice advice for those who are planning to get themselves a pair. Find one that is slightly tighter for your own feet. Mine was initially the right fit until my Dad forced his feet through. The thing is once an Espadrilles is stretched, it can't really bounce back to the old size. And then it becomes very uncomfortable when it is loose. So now, my blue Espadrilles is now my Dad's. Thanks a million! 

So if you are considering getting yourself a pair, Drilleys can be found at the following DOT location: Bugis+, JEM, Jurong Point and Tampines Mall. The most important thing is really getting the right fit. And make sure you protect those shoes from unwanted visitors. One thing I especially love about Espadrilles is that you don't have to wear socks. I am not that much of a socks person so yeah... :)

And for those who can't make up their mind on which design, I would say if you are a person who goes for safe fashion, pick something that is single-blocked-coloured or single-striped-coloured. Feeling a little more adventurous, pick the one with striped and blocked. You can always find those which are of mixed coulors! Alternatively, pick something bold, like like army-print fabric. Like I say, the options are endless! And now, there is still buy 1 get 1 free, which means you can pick 2 to try out. Or get a couple pair like I did *smiles*

Don't just let me monopolise the shoe swag! Go get one yourself and style up yourself better than me. :) I am going to do funky Drilleys next! Stay tune

Baking PHAILED

As you all may know, I was sponsored some cookie cutters from Simple Gift Shop. I haven't really got a chance to review them because I was so busy. I was thinking of baking only during the Hari Raya weekends. But since BF's family got a new oven which needed some testing, we decided to bake! :D

My goodies arrived safely bubble wrapped. I received the Hello Kitty cutters and Sesame Street press cutters! It is all really exciting for me because I am a "home" baker. I don't really use much tools and usually we just make them into whatever shapes we like. So for the first time, my cookies might just have a theme. omg~~~

I got my baking stuff from Phoon Huat - Clementi. The variety, in my opinion isn't that fantastic but the staff is helpful and you basically can get what you want.

For those who are interested, here are the details:
Blk 432, Clementi Avenue 3, #01-292/294
Operation hours: 10:00am to 9:30pm daily

So for all the stuff we bought, we only spent about S$20. Apart from the chocolates and Oreos, we bought them from NTUC which was a little on the expensive side.

We opted for unsalted butter instead. Honestly, I don't there is any significant differences between salted and unsalted butter. But, I am just uncomfortable with butter having salt for something that is sweet so I always go for unsalted.

My BF has no baking tools at all. And so for all those who are like him, I am here to assure you that it is possible to bake without any baking tools. We had no mixer that day. So he used his "bulging biceps" to stir the mixture into a dough and he calls it good exercise. -.- You do need a strong arm if you want to do it our way.

We didn't use measuring cups, just normal cups (hahaha). Anyway, baking is all about proportion really. Our first batch failed cos we added too much eggs and also partially cos sigh, he distracted me with a movie and I failed to watch it! YOU MUST ALWAYS WATCH THEM BAKE!!!

And so tada~~ presenting our 2nd batch of love-child. Hey why are there no hello kitty?!?

Let me tell you why, sigh...the chief baker said it was not necessary to let the dough sit in the fridge. And so the dough was moist. And you know what happens to gooey dough, you cant shape them into cute kitties, so we settled for round famous amos!

And psstt~~~ guys usually lack the patience to make them into delectable shapes. And he dumped the excess Oreos by the side of the plate so that his family would eat them! Hahaha~~~

Overall, it was great fun. But I will do another review on the cookie cutter...Promise...And this time we will have cute kitties. Hope you learnt from our errors. And never trust a guy on baking matters! LOL...

Happy Father's Day - Merlet Wine Tasting

The thing about Father's Day - there always seem to be less activities going on. Not that it seems to be very fair for them, since it takes 2 - mother and father, to create such a lively life like moi. 

This year, we went down to La Maison du Whisky at Robertson Quay for a Merlet wine tasting session. Sounding real atas~~~

Merlet may be a foreign sounding brand to many. It is from France and more of a small house brand I would say. Even in Singapore, you can't really find it in our duty free shops or supermarkets.

We got the chance to try the cognac (brandy) and also the fruit liqueurs. The Cognac Brothers Blend was strong, it burns a little but my face flushed red immediately. I wouldn't exactly say it is my choice drink for a casual, social business drink.

The fruit liqueurs on the other hand, was so delicious. I really did enjoy the sweet grape and peach. And the Triple Sec concoction is not to be missed!

Honestly, my family is made up of drinkers, but only my Dad knows what he is drinking. I for one is just someone who is happily intoxicated. I don't like it when my face goes red though so I edited my own picture. :(

My Mum did commented that it unbecoming of me to get so drunk in broad daylights but come on, it is a celebratory occasion anyway :P

Thought I would end on a high note ~no pun intended~ sharing a photo of Dad in his Super Dad Cape pose...LOL!

To all fathers, have a happy day~!~ It is that once in a year moment where you are celebrated for your dedication in always being there for your offsprings :)

Super Heroes Unite: Mount Faber Peak

From 31 May 2014 till March next year, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern have identified our Singapore Cable Car as the perfect vehicle to combat evil that lurks in the sky and save the day!

As part of their 40th Anniversary celebrations, Singapore Cable Car has presented us with a new "joy-ride" experience, using in-cabin Augmented Reality (AR) technology to bring out the characters and missions to life. This is the first ever in Asia!

Bless my lucky stars, my brother and I are going to be sidekicks and help protect the world from the bad, evil and unkind!

The day started with an overcast sky, shrouded in dark evil probably. My brother and I made our way up to the peak to receive our orders in the "normal" cable car. Well, we don't everyone to know that we are sidekicks do we? *winks*

Yup, just for information sake, not all the cable cars are decorated with the superhero themes (only 45!), giving riders the option to pick and choose. And yes, if you are taking the theme rides, it would come at a slight premium. 

Our Mission Centre was at Spuds & Aprons where we were supposed to design our superhero capes. However, the 2 siblings are not exactly the brightest sparks on the universe so we got ourselves a little lost and were late. :(

We didn't really had a chance to dig in our energy food and make our costumes cos we didn't want to be left behind and miss out on the butt-kicking actions. We were given felt cloths, superglue and markers to bring home though. Anyway, the view up there is gorgeous. It was almost like the view at Salt Grill & Sky Bar. So pretty!

While waiting for our cool ride, we walked around taking pictures :) As it was still drizzling, we were restricted to the sheltered areas. But the photo spots are plentiful!

Excitement level: 10/10 

As we prepared to board, we tried out our masks (Each cable car ticket would come with 4 Super Heroes Mask as well as a souvenir booklet)

We had the options to pick our rides. Our first ride was Green Lantern and the second ride was Batman. Stepping inside the themed cabin, we were welcomed by the graphic wraps in both the interior and exterior of the cabins. As contrast to our earlier ride, it just had flowers hung around the edges.

This collage contains a mixture of the first and second rides. So please don't be too confused :) It is really easy to activate the characters. You just have to download the "Flying with Super Heroes" App on your phone. Just take a shot of the AR marker in the cabin and you will unlock the superhero. Next thing you know, there will be action all around the cabin. 

I wouldn't exactly say it is the most friendly app to use. The AR was at fixed position so you pretty much had to move yourself to fit in the heroes. Sometimes you would appear too big beside the heroes. Other times, you just look odd.

It helps that the motions are the same, so after a while you pretty much figure out where the heroes will be popping out. During my first ride, a family boarded our cabin halfway. And it was just awkward~~~We stopped taking any photos. So yea, try to have a cabin to yourself.

There was definitely some moments of frustration as we tried our best to be useful sidekicks. My brother punched the Green Lantern in fury LOL!

But thankfully, the organiser managed to advise us on better ways to use the App and we went on round 2 with Batman which I think we managed to capture better shots. The app comes with cropping action as well as stickers. However do take in landscape so that you can insert them in the right orientation. We had a few portrait shots...Sigh...

Guess Batman was a better boss LOL! I was kinda worried about the privacy issues. But phew, no one else have access to the photos. They are safe in the App. You could also take videos too. I tried. But I can't find the video now...lol...

My brother graded Round 1: 8/10 and Round 2: 6/10. The appeal decreased with each ride cos basically there isn't much you can do on one ride apart from snapping photos. For those who are keen on riding the different themes, you can do it at an additional $10 fee, which is pretty reasonable in my opinion.

I do think if you are visiting Sentosa, do consider taking the themed cable car in!

Adult: S$29
Child: S$18
Definitely suitable for outings with friends, family and lover <3

Guess the day is saved by the Sibling Duo. See you there! And thank you Fiona and Fulvia for the invites. :)

Show your feet some tender loving care

You guys must be feeling envious. I just got myself a whole collection of socks from Frisky Box out of pure good luck. With a variety of edgy designs and at affordable pricing, you are bound to find some thick warm comfort for you feet suited to your style.

Show them some love while I show you mine...Cheers ~~~~

Dots and Square Crew Socks - S$10

Vertical Stripes Crew Socks - S$10

To give me enough socks for 5 working days, I also have 3 more additional single socks :)

Camouflage - S$10

Aztec - S$10

Vertical Stripes Crew Socks - S$10

So which one is your favourite, I think mine is the Camouflage...Hehe

Journey to the Middle East: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Rhythms of the Land

 Hehe, today I am going for an excursion. I look so XMM in this photo (Y). :)

保养有方 (First Chinese words)...*means: good maintenance LOL*

Cos we needed to support Daddy, so the family had to go. The exhibition was "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Rhythms of the Land". Like its traditional costume for women, I always felt the country was shrouded in mystery. It is definitely a good opportunity to experience the rich culture and understand religion, history, art, language, culture, education, and economy of this very prosperous yet understated country.

We were first welcome by a gigantic red tent on the ground floor, where there were pots and kettles laid out. Most guests are usually invited by sweet tea and dates. 

Also, there were my favourite henna stations. :) Mum and I had art work did on our hands and arms respectively. It wasn't really the traditional one. Here, the gals drew them using templates. And the henna used wasn't from the "green cone" brand. The colour wasn't as dark. It was like a nearly fading mud colour after it was done. But I thought using templates was quite a cool idea, especially for people like me who has absolutely no artistic flair. Will probably be trying them out soon. *Dad fell asleep waiting for us ladies*

Up at the exhibition level, there were also opportunities to try out their tradition costumes. I tried a very typical black one along with the hijab. It was very, very warm. I thought the male's costumes had more variety. And I thought I looked so "ninja" Haha. In some of the photos, I forgot and I smiled. There was an ":(" moment when I realised no one could see my smile anyway. My dad and bro kept calling me a shadow because I am pretty much like one in black and all stealth mode.

The hajib has always been a topic on woman's rights. For me, I just didn't like it all. It hid a woman's individuality and emotions. Everyone just looked the same when draped in a black cloth. Although, I do understand the kind intention, protecting our modesty from the leering eyes of men. But I would like to think as the world becomes more developed, men should be able to show more self-restraint and respect to women with or without the hijab. I just value freedom of dressing hahaha.

Like all exhibitions, there are a lot of information boards around. I particularly like their 3d models showing the mosques in Mecca and Medina. Overall, I would say there was a good spread of information with regards to their economy, culture, lifestyle and history. I think it could also be particularly interesting because we are not very familiar with Saudi Arabia to begin with. There were also calligraphist that would write your name in Arabic. :) They go by sound apparently.

If you are keen to learn more, do drop by the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library In the National Library Building. The exhibition will be on from 06 June to 27 Jul. So do catch it while it is still there. :)

The Cure to A Plus

When you are a student, the most defining piece of yourself is actually the pencil box and the school bag, since everything else is or will be pretty much identical with the rest of your school mates anyway. :)

Thought you guys might be interested in an online shop, Cure Plus that customise pencil boxes, which makes them a very sweet and special gifts (functional too) for occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries etc.

To find funding for JQ's trip, Cure Plus was born. Here are some of the designs that I particularly like found on her site. Personally I thought vibrant and more complicated art looked particularly good.

The customisation process is easy. You just had to pick 4 designs, front back and 2 interiors, 21 * 12cm each. You also have the option to pick your thread colour and zipper type.

You will be glad to know that the pencil box are safely put in a ziplock bag when sent by box. So you don't really have to be weary of any bad weather or accidental spillage. The pencil boxes itself are also made of laminated materials. They are glossy and waxy at touch so they themselves are also pretty much water-proof.

One thing of caution you may want to take note, I believe it might leave crease lines when bend. So, you might not want to put too many stationary in it if like me, you customised photos on it instead. Perhaps you would consider keeping them as mementoes.

So this is how my pencil box looked like in the end...I love it a lot really. I was considering giving it to the BF on his birthday. But it came too late (not JQ's fault but mine mainly, cos I procrastinated and took a long time picking the photos. She was very kind and offered to pass me on the day itself :) ), so now I am considering giving it for convocation. It is so difficult to buy guys stuff for their convocation. I don't want to undermine his masculinity with soft toys and stuff.  Which made me think...hey this could make a good gift for convocation :)

JQ picked the zipper and thread colour for me, which was great. Cos I have colour combination problem anyway. And I didn't pick any pictures for the interior, which explains why it is a pure white. I love how the way the thread is neatly sewed - of cos it is probably machine, but it looks very sleek. Haha.

I have shown some of my friends the photos and the comments I generally receive is like woa...Cos it is really so simple but yet something special and makes you amazed. :)

And I bet many of you will be happy to know that it is very affordable as well. A handmade pencil would cost around $20, depends on the amount of customisation you make. And she does caricature too. But of course, that would come at a slight premium, costing around $25.

So do drop Cure Plus visit if interested, Cure yourself the headache from wrecking your head over the perfect gift. Give yourself an A Plus for finding something so wonderful to give. Is that what Cure Plus stands for? *chuckles*

Big Day 2: 2014

Finally the big day came...*excited*

Even though I took a day off for it, I only had to start entertaining him in the afternoon. In the morning, I went to Lady M to collect his birthday cake. I wanted to buy the 9" Signature Mille Crepes because he had so many people in his house. But in the end, I settled for 6" not because it was cheaper but because 9" cakes, you had to book 3 days in advance! To readers who ain't aware about it, yup 3 days in advance!

To be honest, I was so excited about his birthday, I already have a good deal of cake shops I have shortlisted for his subsequent birthdays *Giggles*

And finally the long-awaited moment, the "present"-ation. LOL! I drew minion Dave myself. Since he likes minion so much, my drawing skills have been improving after drawing it for our important days (that could be up to 3 a year!) *gasp* Haha. 

I decided to finally give him the print from Krize Smiling Shop without the purple frame. Cos I don't really think he likes purple. He thought I drew it myself. If only I had half the talent of Kristina *Sighs* So now, he has work to do, since he will be shopping himself a nice frame for it. Anyway the little Gemini boy looks really like him HAHAHA. My Mum thought it was intentional but it was just coincidental.

And he got himself a nice pair of Drilleys, which *surprise surprise* was a good fit for him. I thought it would be too big. Can't imagine he has such big feet!

Purposely requested a brown pair of Drilleys for him because I knew he always wore this red pole tee and brown shorts. With his thick bushy eyebrow, he is totally like an overgrown La Bi Xiao Xin. HAHAHA!!!

Honestly, I didn't really plan. I had lots of ideas but no concrete ones because I didn't really wanted him to figure out there was something in store for him. So we spent lunch at his house deciding what to do. And ~~~ we decided on the 1-for-1 Student Deal at Platinum Movie Suites. We had always wanted to do this so this was the perfect opportunity. Plus it was a lot cheaper.

We decided to catch Maleficent since he caught X-men already. I have to say it was so luxurious. We first had a lounge area to ourselves and a few others. Since we weren't exactly there early, we couldn't really slack around a lot. I just went around taking a lot of pictures since it was a rare moment where he was in such deliriously good mood he let me took many photos of him. :) Plus the place had some nice areas where I could take some nice snaps. Hehe...

Maleficent was a great show really. Good plot and credible acting. But I was excited. Tada~~~ended up with a great deal of in the dark selfies. He had a few with me too!!!

And we ordered some food and drinks, which was pleasantly reasonably priced and tasted really good. I wasn't really focusing on the movie much. I was either munching, cuddling my nice blankie or stealing looks at him. Geez....

And since Westgate had some 3-D arts, he even gamely took a shot. 0.o He must be really not himself that day. Me Vs Him...who do you think took it better? Hahahaha...

After these, we headed back to his house cos knowing this family dude, he probably would want to cut his cake with his family more than me alone. Plus, I was shagged and feeling a little giddy.

The awkward moment when his Mum and I both bought a cake. I was like "uh-oh". So how does it feel like to be a guy trapped between 2 women? You just man it out and eat both cakes. Haha. 2 is always better than 1. LOL!

Sadly, the crepe didn't look as good as in the store. But honestly, it was not a fancy cake to begin with. It tasted just as good though. Maybe it isn't the perfect choice for a birthday cake cos these are supposed to have sprinklers etc. so that they look pretty in photos right. In the end, I even managed to ta-bao cakes home. hahah~~~

Guess the biggest receiver of his birthday -- gotcha be me... *smiles*

~~Jiang Jiang~~ We have couple shoes!!! *happy*