Another Milestone

~*~*~*Another Milestone*~*~*~

Yay!

I can finally strike off another to do on my wishlist (see sidebar). And in case you're wondering what I'm talking about, well..I've finally taken the plunge to start my own line of fashion biz.

Whoopee! =)

I'm just SOooOOo ecstatically excited. All these planning, conceptualising, and more planning has given birth to my (our) darling baby - SugarPoppins. Yes, my 2 sisters are co-owners of SugarPoppins as well.

So, it's all about The Power of Three now.

So, please check us out at www.sugarpoppins.blogspot.com, if you are:

1) interested in fashion and accessories, and all things beautiful

2) a shopaholic

3) have no idea what you should get for your girlfriend/friend/mother/sister, etc

4) wanna spoil yourself with something nice

5) simply curious :P

Dun forget to tell your friends about us.

xoxo

On a shopping frenzy

~*~*~*On a shopping frenzy*~*~*~

Remember i told you that i'll be going to Bangkok again. Well, i'm leaving this Friday! =)

And now, i'm slightly panicky. Coz my saving plans have been killed...again!

Solely by my lack of self control. tsktsk

Nah, i dun wanna blame it on the fact that everywhere i look, there's a huge SALE sign. I'm especially tempted when it comes to MNG and ZARA (good thing ZARA's not on sale YET!).

I blame myself for being such a hopeless and impulsive shopaholic.

Was working on Sat in Mid Valley during the education fair and somehow i ended up going to work earlier (i had an hour to burn before the fair started), which coincidentally allowed me to 'browse' at Mango and due to the light flow of human traffic (it was only 10am), i was able to shop at ease.

I like this simple white sleeveless.

And so...I went to work with a Mango bag in my hand, and my working bag in another. :P

*************The Next Day**************

Was pretty glad that i didnt have to work yesterday. Ahh..finally getting a day off! =)

So me, mum and my sis, Claudine attended the Shopaholics Unite! party.

In answer to some of your questions, the party was pretty okay. I didnt manage to get the items that i wanted. The sweet frilly knitted cardi was not there anymore, same with the candy-coloured camis. And the black dress I wanted was left with only a 'large' size.

I managed to buy a cardi with lotsa quirky and interesting buttons. Mum bought 2 dresses.

In a way it was good news for me too la, it helped me curb my spending. Gotta make sure I don't overspend cos i intend to splurge in Bangkok.

The party was held at 'Lunch Actually', an office besides Yoga Zone in Plaza Damas area. The lounge area was filled with stacks and stacks of clothes.

*i apologise for the lousy picture quality, something's not quite right with my phone cam or was it the lighting*

Sis checking out various tops.

The good thing about shopping here is that you can shop at your own leisure. It wasn't packed and the stream of people coming in wasn't overwhelming. Perfect for claustrophobics. Only thing is the selection of clothings isn't that great.

Everything in the lounge (as well as sofas and coffee table) was fully maximised to display the wares.

The office rooms doubled as changing rooms for us.

My fickle minded sis wasn't sure if she should grab this tube top. She didn't in the end cos the material was a lil poor.

My only purchase for the day (or so i thought). Doesn't this remind you of the prissy Paris Hilton?. Unfortunately though, I only wore this once. After washing, the cardigan somehow got bigger and now, I have to pass to my mum.

Mum's mod dress with bold prints.

Mum's casual cotton dress.

I was pretty happy with my purchase. I didnt really spend much and I managed to quench my thirst for shopping. =) Afterall, i had one objective in mind - to save for my bkk trip.

Sis then suggested for us to check out Cat's Whiskers since we're so close. Well, we did and she ended up buying a velvety trenchcoat and a pair of mary jane.

And i ended up with these...
a pair of black pants, a top, 2 pairs of shoes.

Assymetrical top (it looks much better worn)

Mary Jane

Sandals with blings

Now, please don't tempt me and ask me to go shopping with you. I'm gonna be staying at home doing meditation. ;) Ohmm..

Gimme some ME time please

~*~*Gimme some ME time please*~*~

I took a day off work yesterday as I had some important errands to attend to. After everything was done, I found myself within the vicinity of the oh-so-upmarketty-ish Avenue K.

There was a design exhibition set up by the British Council and various local designers in the foyer area of Avenue K, which i thought i might as well check out since I've completed my tasks for the day.

Left: Fire print show piece, Rapunzel print tights - designed by Eley Kishimoto

Suburban in a bag

Mobile art

Trolley and beat lights - designed by Alvar Aalto and Tom Dixon

Rockstar games

Stussy

~*~*~*Tea time*~*~*~

Went over to The Curve to look for Caryn cos i felt like having Big Apple donuts for tea. When we were there, we were drawn to Mango. There was a Pre-sale going on.

Yes, MNG will be starting their SALE tomorrow!

Oh boy, all thoughts of food disappeared. All i wanted to do was to grab watever pieces of clothings i could, have those reserved and pick it up the next day when the SALE will officially commence.

Only rule for regulars during the pre-sale is: reservation must consist of at least 7 items. If it's less than that amount, you'll just have to return the next day and hope that the dress/top/watever you wanted is still there.

So dun say I'll didnt warn ya, better go Mango fast fast :P

After our much needed retail therapy, it was time for us to indulge in our donuts.

We shared the original glazed and the green tea donut. I like the green tea one. Ocha oh ocha o watashi no daisuki desu.

This is my signature "i'm half awake" pose. [why la, most of my pix are typically taken with my eyes shut, gee]

itadakimasu!

Rice dumpling festival

~*~*~*Rice dumpling festival*~*~*~

Rice dumpling (English), ham yok zhong (Cantonese), zhong zi (Mandarin), bakchang (Hokkien), pulut (Malay) - all good all yummilicious~

Bakchangs are glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, or other large leaves (lotus is one of the more commonly used leaves). You can find all sorts of different fillings in the rice: pork, roast pork, chestnut, egg, salted egg, mushroom, red bean, or just simply without filling.

Nyonya-style bakchang.

The blue stain is dyed using blue-bell flowers.

i confess, i'm addicted to bakchang.

My daily ration of bakchang since last week has incresed to about 2 bakchangs a day. :P

What to do? Somehow, ppl will be offering me bakchangs and i can never say no, even if I've had one just hours earlier. Yup, I'm a bakchang addict. I know. And i dun wanna do anything about it. :P

For those of you who arent Chinese, you're probably wondering why there's such a big hoo-haa about bakchangs these 2 weeks.

Well, this is the month where we celebrate Duan Wu Jie (Rice dumpling festival), and lotsa aunties and friends are making bakchangs to sell or give-away. And I'm a lucky girl.

And so, we went back to my grandparents' house on Tuesday to celebrate Duan Wu Jie.

This is the Bakchang story which I've googled from the internet...

Duan Wu Jie is a widely celebrated festival amongst the Chinese, to pay respect to the patriotic poet, Qu Yuan (pronounced as Chue Yuan). The legend involves a really long and complicated throne-fighting war and political history. But to make a long story short: Qu Yuan was an important minister back in Chu Kingdom in ancient China.

He had been known for his loyalty for the emperor of Chu, and loved his country greatly. However, His Majesty had not taken Qu Yuan's advice seriously, and he eventually got himself trapped and captured in a foreign land by his enemies, which then lead to his own death.

Sad and angry at the corrupted, dying Kingdom, Qu Yuan tied himself to a big rock and threw himself into the River of Puo Luo.

The people then made rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and threw them into the river. They believed this would stop the fish from eating Qu Yuan's body. Some would even row down stream in a boat, beating drums and shouting out loud in the hope to scare the fish away (it was believed that it is how the Dragon Boat event is related to the festival.

Since then, the 5th day of the 5th month in the Chinese calendar has been set as Duan Wu Festival to remember the incident. Although there were versions of legends and stories that indicate Duan Wu has existed way before Qu Yuan's death, the tradition still carries on.

K.I.S.S

~*~*~*K.I.S.S.*~*~*~

3D nails are the latest craze!

I went over to Christina's (Pretty Nails) the other day for an express manicure. =)

I went goo-goo gaa-gaa over her extensive range of pretty nail art designs. Especially the 3D ones. All new, all pretty!

I'll let the pictures do the talking..

i like this white one. The whole colour scheme makes it so damn sweet.

This french tip with a small flower spells "I'm elegant yet girly".

No-lar, i think this one is cute but i wont wanna be spotting one.

Some more designs...

I couldnt indulge in those pretty nail arts cos I needed to go for a presentation and I wanted to be taken seriously. I couldnt go for a classy french mani too cos my nails were a lil too short for that at the moment :P

So i settled for a simple, quickie mani.

O.P.I. #Not so Bora-Bora-ing pink.

K.I.S.S. - Keeping It Sweet n Simple ;)

If you're in Subang and you feel like a mani, call Christina at 012-258 0611 for an appointment.

Hakka Yong Taufu

~*~*~*Hakka Yong Taufu*~*~*~

Had a gastronomically satisfying week last week - i had the chance to taste the best yong taufus and chee cheong funs in town, as well as my favourite full moon/confinement dishes - vinegared pork knuckle with ginger, and chicken rice wine soup.

Damn satisfying alrite!

I am actually drooling at the thought of those yummilicious foodies.

If you're in town, you so gotta check out Restoran Yap Hup Kee. Thanks to Christine for bringiing me there! It was my first time, and i'm hooked for good.

Look out for this blue building, it's along Jalan Brunei Barat, Off Jalan Pudu.

It's a typical kopi-tiam set up, and it's always packed!

Pick your selection of fried young taufu and wait for them to deliver to you.

I ordered chee cheong fun as a side dish. It was DA BOMB!! Love the generous serving of har mai (dried baby prawns). It was ADDICTIVE!

Christine and i shared these.

L-R (clockwise): Fried pig's intestines (black), fish cakes (must try!), bittergourd, wantan, eggplant. I love the fish cakes. The stuffing (minced fish) in the yong taufu tasted really good - crispy outside, and springy inside.

Restoran Yap Hup Kee
45, Jalan Brunei Barat,
Off Jalan Pudu,
55100 KL.
Tel:03-2148 9220

Other branch: 31, Jalan SS21/56B,
Damansara Utama,
47400 Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-7710 8131.

Their specialties:
Claypot Loh See Fun, Claypot Yong Taufu, Claypot Prawn Dumpling Soup, Chee Cheong Fun with Dry Prawn.

Itadakimashoo! Moo ichido kudasai?

Full moon party

~*~*~*Full moon party*~*~*~

It's been a long while since I last attended a baby's full moon party. Maybe 10 years or so?

I remember when I was younger, mum and dad used to bring me and my bro along whenever their friends' had a full moon celebration for their newborn.

Never had I imagine that the time will come for me to attend a full moon party hosted by people of the same level/generation as me. Yes, i am not getting any younger, i know i know.

Last night, my cousin sister (who is younger than me) celebrated her second child's full moon. I didn't attend the first child's full moon celebration as I was away then. So really, this is like a first time for me in many many years.

My cousin, Mimi and her baby boy.

The baby's boots. Awww...how cute.

According to Chinese tradition, the red-coloured eggs are a must.

Clockwise L-R: red eggs, rice wine chicken, "Chap Chai", and vinegared pork knuckle with ginger. Gosh, it's not often that I get to eat these yummilicious confinement food. They are my absolute favourites (except the eggs la). Super fattening though.

I love vinegared pork knuckle soup. My grandma's vinegared pork knuckle with ginger is the BEST! This wasn't made by her though. Oh, how i miss her cooking. [sorry, the picture looks disgustingly oily :P]

L-R: Yee Poh (Pohpoh's best friend), and my Pohpoh (grandma).

These 2 wonderful ladies have been besties since they were 13. You're looking at more 60+ years of genuine friendship and sisterhood here. I love you my dearest pohpoh!

Also, Yee Poh's grand-son married Pohpoh's grand-daughter, Mimi. What are the odds? =)

This is the man who used to carry me to the market and spoilt me with toys, chocs and those "dingdang" goodies that we adored when were were kids. He is my beloved Gonggong (grandpa). Isn't he a suave grandpa?

When I was taking these pictures of my grandparents, I was overwhelmed with emotions. I nearly teared but I was holding it in. Feelings of nostalgia flooded me and I was recalling the times when my grandma used to be so strong - the perfect example of a superwoman.

In her younger days, she used to wake up early in the morning to tap the rubber trees, then rush off to deliver the rubber fluid, rush to the market to buy grocery, then rush home to feed, bathe, cook for her 6 children, then off to the farm to feed the poultry (pigs, chickens, ducks), then home again to cook dinner, etc. I recall my mum saying that grandma had very little time to sleep. She used to ride her bicycle and zoom off to wherever she needed to go to earn a living.

Now as I see my grandma, I see a frail lady. =( .

She has difficulty walking due to an injury from a major accident which she sustained more than 15 years back. So whenever she needed to go anywhere, she'll either be using a staff, or mum, aunt or myself will be supporting her.

Where has the superwoman gone?

Despite the lack of mobility, I'm really thankful that my grandma is healthy and in good spirit.

I've always been her favourite grand-daughter. And she's always very happy to see me. I wanna make more effort to spend more time with my grandparents as I cannot imagine losing them. =(

I do wish and pray for their continued good health and many more years of happy times that we'll be sharing together. Amen.

I dedicate this post to my grandparents. I love you both very much!

8 looks at the moment

~*8 looks at the moment*~

1) Waist watcher
Mastering this season's new proportions is a cinch with a wide belt, be it in sexy red vernis or soft velvet.

Donna Karan

Stella McCartney

Fendi

2) show some knee
Teamed with a cropped jacket or a button-down and vest, cuffed shorts go way beyond weekend wear.

Bottega Veneta

Carolina Herrera

3) minimize
Our gadgets mobile phones and iPods keep shrinking and so do the designer bags in which we stow them. =)

Chanel

Dolce & Gabbana

Hermes

4) supersize
Small isn't your style? The season's other essential accessory: an extra-large tote.

Louis Vuitton

Prada

Zac Posen

5) in the buff
The non-colour of the season? Nude, occasionally paired with black for after-dark appeal. Chic, simple, and sexy.

Calvin Klein

Alessandro Dell’ Acqua

Costello Tagliapietra

J. Mendel

6) easy does it
There's nothing easier than a sixties-style baby-doll dress. Pull one on for instant It-girl status.

Burberry Prorsum

Jill Stuart

Miu Miu

7) Slim pickings
This season's must-have pants are strictly tailored, superlean, and slashed just north of the ankles.

Narciso Rodriguez

Balenciaga

Gucci

8) shipshape
Nothing says spring like blue-and-white sailor stripes and bold brass buttons.

Emporio Armani

Kenzo