Oh, by the way...

For those of you who come back often to see if I've updated, I'm making it easier for you :)

Those who've been sticking around for long enough would know when I'm in the mood sometimes I'd update like twice a week but when I get swamped at work I do not get to update for like weeks or even months. So I've just signed up to Bloglovin' and now you can follow my blog by clicking on the first link on the left.

That's all for now. Happy Anzac Day for my fellow Aussie friends and have a nice weekend for the rest of you! :):)

Ta ta!

More treasured jewel...

Thanks for the very friendly reminder from my dear friends in Romania, I realized I've totally neglected my blog for almost two months now! *faint*

I really do admire those who have a day job and still manage to update their blog on a daily/weekly basis. I really do. I mean, how do they do that? Where do you get all these inspirations when all you do day in and day out is dealing with tedious tasks at work? When I'm not blogging, I work my butt off and I have a lot of choices to make just like everyone else. But since this blog is strictly about the materialistic and superficial side of moi (I cannot imagine any stranger taking an interest in the ins and outs of my boring life) and quite frankly most of the time my life is far from glamorous I thought maybe I should spare you the boring details of my everyday life :D

That said, once in a while I do award myself a nice dinner with friends or a lavish (well, sort of :P) gift... like these :

Kenneth Jay Lane antique gold bee ring (US$100) and
Kenneth Jay Lane oversize turquoise flower ring (US150)

On me:

Ooh la la! I'm so in love!

And so you see, my cocktail ring family is SLOWLY growing!

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Last week was my birthday so I also went out and got this:

Cle de Peau compact (about US$110)

Ouch for wallet I know, but it's Cle de Peau --- the Tiffany's of cosmetics ! I had a pot of its cream foundation 10 years ago, but back then (when I was about 17) my face was covered with breakouts and little did I know cream foundation was my skin's worst enemy. It did nothing but aggravated my skin condition. Needless to say, I chucked this out and vowed to never purchase anything from Cle de Peau again --- until last year. I purcahsed their Color Control Foundation (in white) on a whim when broswing on the Internet. The foundation (more like a primer to me) dries down to a completely matte finish. Not sticky AT ALL. And it brightens up my complexion in an instance. Then I thought to myself, "Maybe I shouldn't shut it out completely. Maybe I should give the brand another try?" And so I did. And boy am I glad I did

The packaging looks different from that you see on their international site because this is the new one that is currently sold in Japan only (unfortunately). I've also switched the sponge with a Shiseido compact brush because I like the less makeup-y look when it comes to foundation (but I have absolutely no problem piling on the eyeshadow! ).

Treasured jewel

After 5 long agonizing days of constantly tracking my package on the FedEx website (will explain reason later on), my order from chickdowntown.com finally arrived!!! Check out my new baby! I've been planning what outfits to wear with this Erickson Beamon Arcade cocktail ring long before I ordered it so you can imagine how excited I must have been to finally be called its owner

A family portrait with my other treasured possessions

So this is how big it is on my finger. What a statement piece it makes eh?

A (very small) Erickson Beamon family portrait

By now you are probably asking:
So what's the deal with that chickdowntown.com?

Well, as soon as I had placed my order with chickdowntown.com, I went online and googled this particular online retailer (OK so it should have been the other way round --- lesson learned). Turns out many have concerns about the company's credibility and apprently their customer service sucks big time (should have smelled something fishy there when everything on the website is ALWAYS 40% off...)

According to the many complaints filed with complaintsboard.com against chickdowntown.com, this Pittsburg-based retailer does not answer calls or emails, EVER (so much for customer service eh?); does not refund unless you play tough and file a dispute/chargeback with your CC company, but even then it's gonna take them MONTHS before you can see a dime from them; mixes up orders and refuses to rectify the problem unless, again, your CC company intervenes (say, you ordered a pair of peach jeans and they would send you a pair of ORANGE CORDUROY pants. And then they would make up a bunch of equally insane excuses to refuse your request for a refund/exchange). They also charge your credit card even when they know they do not have that particular item in stock (wtf? ). Oh and did I mention they have an "unsatisfactory" record based on the files over at Better Business Bureau?

Let's just say I'm appalled and relieved at the same time. I really must have lucked out cos my order turned out all right --- though the ring does not look quite the same as the one I saw on Net-A-Porter --- but since I couldn't find any complaints regarding their items' authenticity I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt here.

As a responsible blogger I think I'm only doing my part to help my readers stay informed by sharing my personal experience as well as the information I've gathered. Truth be told I had quite a smooth and hiccup-free transaction with this company but given its track record I think I'm done. I don't think I will trust them with my hard-earned money again. From now on I'll stick to only Net-A-Porter, Shopbop, Neiman Marcus, Max & Chloe and other reliable online retailers.

On a completely unrelated note, recently I've got so hooked on this Polaroid image maker thingy. Sorry if I sound so behind the curve! But I've only just discovered it. I don't know how it looks on a PC but on a Mac it looks very neat and cute --- Let's get busy!

High time for a high tea / ZARA sale loot / V-Day pressies for myself!

Happy New Year of the Ox, girls!

After a long break from work during CNY back I'm back in harsh harsh reality. During the holidays a dear friend from my church in Sydney came to Hong Kong for a visit and what better place to catch up with an old chum in style than The Peninsula? So I did what a good host/friend does and took her to the crème de la crème place for high tea --- The Peninsula Hotel. It was a Friday but the line went all the way out the side entrance of the hotel it was ridiculous!!! We ended up waiting for like AN HOUR before we got seated. I can only imagine how the place gets during weekends! :S

After several tries, the waiter FINALLY managed to get the picture right as in our face wasn't completely blocked by the cake stand lol.

The Lobby @ The Peninsula in all its glory

Personal favorite: black lychee tea

Our afternoon of tea-sipping, cake-nibbling and news-sharing was about to commence!

Dainty-looking finger sandwiches / pastries galore!

They have my favorite date scones and clotted cream!!! But then even the date scones at The Peninsula cannot compare to those from the tuck shop at COFA (College of Fine Arts @ UNSW). I wonder why???

High tea @ Four Seasons Hotel

Nice food but then I had only half a scone and a strawberry macaron. Was still too full from lunch! Nice place too but I was in too crabby a mood to appreciate anything

Dinner @ COVA

wearing: Charlie Brown (Australian designer) chiffon sequined top. Look how sparkly it is!!! *SWOON* Was more than AU$200 but got it at AU$90 during the David Jones end-of-season sale! I love love love DJ sales

But then soon after dinner I had a really bad case of the runs... And I concluded that the mussels were the culprit. I finished almost all of the mussels on my plate and turns out my stomach does not handle seafood as well as I thought

Shopping the ZARA end-of-year sale!

There are a few places I'd definitely check out during sale seasons, one of them is ZARA. They ALWAYS have some fantastic deals on sale during sale seasons. And since they ALWAYS run out of XS in clothes, I've shifted my attention to shoes . There's nothing a few insoles can't fix I tell myself!

I saw these about a month back and they didn't jump out at me right away but then they started growing on me. And when I saw them (in my size) again --- this time on sale --- at ZARA, I knew it was meant to be! The gold mirrored platform and heel can look rather flashy to be quite honest (the 80s hello?), but with the right outfit these shoes can go from borderline trashy to completely classy. I really love that black suede with gold piping. Hands down ZARA makes the best high (as in over 4 inches high) heels with high-street price tags!

These Christmas-edition sequin / paillette embellished pumps remind me of the Miu Miu's. Even the heel is covered in paillettes! How darling! I know I have sworn off heels without ankle support (those shoes make walking such a chore!) but I just simply couldn't resist these gorgies

And then there are these Louboutin-inspired booties. I didn't really try them on in store because I was wearing my Nike tracksuit and I thought they would look just as fantastic on like the Louboutin booties I tried on at Lane Crawford. But the inconvenient truth is that no, they don't. the opening of these shoes is way too wide which mean it's impossible to wear underneath my skinny jeans without having these awkward bumps around my calves. Now I have all the more reason to get the Louboutin booties!

The only clothing item I got during the sale. This is the last one left and it is in M. It's a bit loose but I'm glad it still fits! Can't get over how beautiful the gold studs are --- they are elegant with an edgy twist of rock-n-roll


EDIT (18 Feb 2009): Just now I was going through my Olivia Palermo (my favorite Upper Eastsider!) folder on my computer and I found a couple of photos of her in this exact ZARA vest! Call this vanity but I love it when I see a celeb (especially ones that I adore!) in something I too own. I can't help but feel a little smug about it. Ha.

Late-night "snacks"

It was 3am and I was hungry for a little "snack", except it's not edible! So you've guessed it eh?

During my CNY holiday, I stumbled upon this website called chickdowntown.com when I was searching for reliable online stockists of Erickson Beamon. Shopbop used to stock them and Net-A-Porter has some great pieces from time to time but they are usually gone in a snap of the fingers. And then this website chickdowntown.com appeared in my google search. At first glance it looks a lot like Net-A-Porter. And then I realized the difference --- chickdowntown.com has a MUCH higher markup. And I mean much higher. On Net-A-Porter, this Arcade ring was a mere US$195 (and $146.25 during sale); while on chickdowntown.com, it is a staggering US$369 ! And even after their 30%-off promotional discount, it's still gonna cost you $258.3. So girls, shop smart, dig around a little before you decided to purchase from an online store! But anyway, since this is the only place that still has it and not to mention I was DESPERATE to get this ring I got it anyway hehe. It's a beauty though, no?

Browsing the "Sale" section, I also found this ethereal chiffon cami from Vera Wang Lavender Label, which I eventually bought as well:

Now I'm just waiting for my package to arrive!!!
Well, a little Valentine's Day something for moi!

Happy Valentine's Day girlies!

EDIT (5 March 2009):
Read this before you shop at chickdowntown.com. Totally worth your time I promise!
The editor of the blog revealed, in great length and detail, the unethical practices of this Internet retailer chickdowntown.com. The owners even went so far as to pretend to be happy customers and left annoymous comments on her blog (thanks to GoogleAnalytics, they were totally busted) in order to salvage their battered reputation. And now, Ira Gorman, owner of the building that houses the Chickdowntown store in Pittsburg and husband of the chickdowntown owner Amy Reed, is putting the building up for sale. So it seems that there is some truth in that bankrupcy rumor after all. I feel relieved and outraged at the same time --- relieved because I didn't have to go through all that crap that most of the customers went through (still, not too happy about my purchases but at least I received them); outraged because why would the likes of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Lucky and Cosmopolitan let someone like this advertise in their mag to begin with? Just think how many people have fallen victims to this scam because they have read about it in Vogue? (I'm one of them) Or have read the glowing reviews in Lucky? (Again I'm one of them) Just click on the link above and avoid this business like plague, people.

Shoe God must really love me this month :')

Happy New Year everyone! It came a bit late but may I still take this opportunity to wish you a fabulous year ahead and may 2009 bring you joy and happiness and all sorts of good things!

I was in Nanjing for about a week in late December for some church evangelistic events, but I also managed to take an afternoon off to see Grandma Ellen. She had just celebrated her 95th birthday last November! Doesn't she look tremendous? She's still poised and graceful as ever. Since she now resides in China I only get to see her like maybe once a year . But hey, look how alike we look! Family resemblance much? See I've totally inherited her cheek bones lol But the family resemblance goes beyond skin deep --- when in college Grandma Ellen was an English/Music major , and me a Linguistics/Art History major. So I guess the art gene kinda runs in the family hehe

And here are the only photos I took in Nanjing in which I don't look like a complete train wreck (waking up at 6 every morning and not able to go to bed til 3am sure is enough to make anyone look like Britney Spears. On crack.):

at the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary

With Mom at the Qinhuai River shopping precinct

Doing some sightseeing at the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum

See those uggs I'm wearing? I forgot to pack any winter shoes and my feet were FEH-REEEEZING! Thank goodness I found these babies when cruising the Qinhuai River shopping precinct and you won't believe how cheap they were...
*drumrolls please*
RMB55 (US$7)!!!!
I KNOW!

With Dad outside St Paul Church after an evangelistic event. All excited and energized!
My skin was actually glowing

And then just like that a week had passed by and my little trip was over . Back in reality. Which means serious holiday hangover ! And then my shallow, materialistic side crept up on me. Which means retail therapy!

So, last Friday night when I was on my way meeting a friend for dinner, I saw this huge FINAL SALE sign at On Pedder. Of course I made a detour and popped in to have a look! What else was I supposed to do? Seeing that FINAL SALE sign was enough to put me into a trance! I was hoping to find a great pair of Louboutins on sale but instead I found these:

Miu Miu Paillettes peep-toed Mary Janes (5-inch)

was HK$6,350 (US$865 in the US) --- how come shoes have gotten so expensive???!
NOW HK$2,500 (about US$300)

Here I've also thrown in the photos from Net-a-Porter so you can see the details better since my photographic skills aren't all that great. The focus seemed to be a little off... it's so hard to photograph sequins without making them look like a shiny mess!


And then last night a family friend called and said his wife bought this great pair of heels in the UK but now she is not wanting them because she doesn't wear heels anymore. They dropped the shoes at my dad's office and asked me to go check them out and see if I want them. So I did. And boy was I glad I did cos at my dad's office I found these:


To be quite honest I'm not that into monogram shoes but hey! They are £275 brand new Dior! I figured they would probably look great with jeans in warmer months. So yep I'm keeping them! Shoe God has been so gracious to me this month!

same style, but this one in a much lighter beige color

the pump version in the same color

That said, I'm not all about labels I love shoes, expensive and cheap. Anything goes as long as they are pretty I guess! So during the week I also picked these up:


And just last night I bought this pair of gorgeous beige suede fringe booties... for... *another round of drum rolls please* HK$180 (about US$22)!!! I love a good bargain like this. I think I have this tendency to skimp on flats but splurge on heels (the most expensive flats I've owned are the £80 French Sole)! But I digress. Everywhere I go this winter I see fringe --- fringe vests, fringe bags, fringe jackets, fringe shoes, fringe everything. Then I found myself starting to want a piece of that action myself! Since I wasn't so sure if I was going to love that fringe look on me I thought I would test-drive the look with much cheaper alternatives. So glad I found these!



Miu Miu ripoff much? Don't really care --- these gorgies are super comfy and they are dirt cheap! Great for work (for me) and running errands

Economy is cratering but holiday spirit is revving up!

Christmas lights @ the Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui

My computer is up and running again --- just in time for Christmas hols. YAY! Today's a good day --- I got my computer fixed (bad RAM not bad motherboard so nothing on my computer is lost!! ) and I'm officially done for the year at work . I'm KINDA dreading my next credit card bill but hey, take one day at a time I keep telling myself. Well I'll just spend less next month tehehe

Wearing: H&M deep magenta double-breasted blazer; Claudia Guiti fur scarf; black wool jumper; Club Monaco orange leather gloves; Levi's jeans; Chanel Le Marais metallic flap; Urban Soul glitter flats (not pictured)

And when I said "holiday spirit is revving up" you know exactly what I meant don't you? That means it's about time I spent some of my hard-earned dough

OK, so let's see what we have here...

My first and biggest purchase since my last Chanel flap --- well, another Chanel flap of course! This time in black though. You can't go wrong with this classic can ya. I guess every Chanel lover has one of these in their closet somewhere

It also comes with a leather pouch like the LV bucket tote. It is so cute, even the little flap is quilted! I'm so love-struck teheheh

Comparison pic: my wallet above

And to jazz it up, I also bought this brooch to go with the bag. These charms are just darling! The brooch just adds an instant touch of edginess to the bag. I'm so in love with this beauty!

Now onto the less exciting aka non-Chanel loot :

It was love at first sight. Literally. I saw them and I KNEW I HAD to have them. I forgot to switch on the flash so these photos don't do the shoes justice AT ALL. They are suede and the rhinestones just sparkle. They are like gems for feet

If you've been reading this blog for long enough you'd know I have a thing for brooches and accessories (but then which girl doesn't LOL). Anyways, I personally do not believe it has to cost a lot to achieve great style (although that can be a problem if you're addicted to Chanel like I am ). Like these Club Monaco brooches and Marks & Spencer necklace (I was there for the bras and I ended up with this gem! ) --- they are only a fraction of Chanel's prices but I honestly think they are just as gorgeous!

You just don't get decent-looking brooches like these now. They are either über expensive like Chanel's or they just look cheap like H&M's. I'm so glad Club Monaco is branching into custom jewelry because I definitely noticed a gap in the market. Keep up the great work, CM!

These Club Monaco gloves have made their debut appearance in the photos you saw earlier. Club Monaco really has a winner in their hands this winter. This range of leather gloves comes in the most vibrant colors one can think of: red, yellow, blue, orange, etc. Leather gloves in vibrant colors is the trend this winter perhaps?

Oh and I spotted Betty Suarez from Ugly Betty in the exact same gloves...
(though I kinda wish it was Amanda instead... )

And pairing these yellow gloves with this gorgeous electric blue overcoat... oh-so-striking.
One of my favorite Amanda's outfits of all time:

Sincere apologies

I know I mentioned in one of my comments that I would be putting up a new entry on Saturday. It was supposed to be a Christmas shopping galore post. But, well, my computer dropped dead on me that very Saturday night. Apple sent a technician in for a house call this morning. No diagnosis just yet --- it's either bad RAM or a faulty motherboard according to the tech guy. Let's hope it's just the RAM.

Fingers crossed they'll get my computer fixed within this week or so cos I can't wait to share with you my new Chanel purchases :)

Stay tuned, my friends! :)

Meet my new "man"

I would like to introduce you to my new love --- iPod Touch (yep, I'm rather slow on the tech front lol):

I've (finally) graduated from my Nano and moved onto the sleek, sophisticated Touch. Well, this little guy is responsible for my disappearance from my blog and the demise of my social life :P I was so obsessed --- I had like 3 hours of sleep last Saturday cos I stayed up til 6am looking for cool iPod apps to download from App Store. What a life I lead ya? Kinda sad I know. But hey! At least I have company right? :P

Bus rides have never been so sweet. Now I can watch Letterman on the go:

And Gossip Girl...

And Ugly Betty...

And Lipstick Jungle...

Well, I have never been more willing or happier to embrace technology than I am right now :D

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Getting into the festive mood

I believe this is my first red jacket. What a festive color. But since we do not celebrate Thanksgiving here in Hong Kong (our church does but in a much more low-key kinda way), which stinks I know, I will have to wait til Christmas to wear this...


Leopard-print top and fascinator from H&M; bejeweled necklace from Erickson Beamon:

It was love at first sight with this fascinator. I'd been looking for something EXACTLY like this, without the price tag of a Philip Tracy creation of course. I totally hit the jackpot with this one! And since I do not have a "hat face" this is a perfect alternative :D

Although, I wish they had something like a Melbourne Cup here so I can show off this gorgeous baby. But fortunately this style does not date easily and that's good enough for me :)

And also from H&M is this feather headpiece/pin:

Mom said she likes the fascinator better but I think they are both unique in their special ways. I will probably get more use out of this one though cos it is less dressy. I certainly am glad I went to their Accessory section! They have very few quality pieces but these two are right on the mark. Keep that up H&M! :D

Fall is here!

Bon Appétit!

So, it's Fall in Northern Hemisphere. I'm finally able to feel the chill now. On the TV's front, the Fall line-up has started hitting the air since last month. Hooray! Most of our favorites are back on air (RIP Cashmere Mafia though) --- My life has meaning again!

Watching now: Lipstick Jungle, Gossip Girl and Ugly Betty.

Among the new batch of TV shows this Fall my favorite has got to be Lipstick Jungle. I really think the show has improved immensely since it first started a year ago. I'm so glad I stuck around. The show started out shallow and superficial but now it is starting to have more substance to it as the characters develop and it is not afraid to delve deeper and touch on more serious subjects (although I must say I'm so NOT a fan of Andrew McCarthy's over-the-top interpretation of the Joe Bennett the bajillionaire character --- Do I spot a Mr Big wannabe right there?). Last season it was a bit trying too hard and it ended up becoming another SATC-wannabe. But thank goodness the show didn't tank completely because NBC decided to renew it for a second season. I'd hate to see it get the axe like CM did.

Many LJ fans have been talking about who is their favorite character on various LJ forums. Allow me to also jump onto the bandwagon here . I'm so tempted to say Victory (yes, it's the whole stupid "Asian pride" thing --- hey she's half Asian right? And her clothes on the show are just TDF *squirm*!!!) but I'd have to say Nicole. She and Kirby totally make the show imho! Sexy, complicated, lots and lotsa drama --- who doesn't love? And everyone on the forums seems to agree as well

Speaking of trying too hard, is it just me or Gossip Girl is losing its luster this season? I mean, the show is saucy and scandalous all right. Maybe even more so than last season (with the Lord and the Duchess stepmom --- oh the unexpected!). But what's up with the plot? It has gotten a bit too forced now. Like, ok, Serena and Dan Monkey Humpfrey have broken up and Serena's heart was broken. I get that. What I don't get is that why must Serena get her bitch on and turn her back on Blair? So now the goody two-shoes is turning into the biggest villain on the show. I've never liked Serena and I like her even less now. I mean, Blair already said she was sorry. Serena just get over it already! UGH. But, well, I guess, Upper East Side friendships are like Kleenex --- they are easily disposable when you're through with them. I mean, just one episode ago these two were still BFFs! But anyhoo, team Blair. ALL THE WAY!!!

Having said all that, well, I'd still be (hopelessly) tuning in to this show every Monday. I wouldn't miss it for the world! I mean, what else have I got going on anyway right? HAHAHA. I totally live for GG, LJ and UB

So. As you can tell already I've been spending ALL my spare time glued to my iMac screen following all these shows I barely have time to post on my blog, or do anything for that matter. I also had a couple of friends visiting and I got some church stuff going on, so no time to take Outfit du jour pics, but I will leave you some photos that I've taken this past month as a peace offering

Dinner just last Sunday with my bestie who just returned from the hurricane-stricken Taiwan. But she still managed to bring back all the gorgeous Jill Stuart goodies for me.
Love you hon!

Earlier that afternoon at church.
Bumped into a friend who just came back from Canada for a quick visit.
What a lovely surprise! :)

Backstage with brother @ rehearsal for church's thanksgiving concert
(Location: Cultural Center)

Backstage @ Concert Hall
(bad, bad posture btw --- Queen Renaldi definitely would not approve! )

@ wedding reception (September 6, 2008)

with a friend.
Me wearing Club Monaco sequin disc dress top, velvet dress pants bought in Sydney and Zara 4.5-inch black heels.

with my brother's girlfriend

with my brother

Was supposed to put these up sooner but I kept forgetting. Anyhoo, this is me attending my friends' wedding last Saturday. I went to no less than 5 weddings for the past 18 months and quite honestly, I've gotten to a point where I'm starting to feel numb about all this. I've become more cynical about relationships as I grow older. I'm starting to go from being a Charlotte York to a Miranda Hobbs. I'm starting to believe some people are meant to be single forever and there isn't neccessarily a soulmate for everyone out there. And I'm starting to believe there's a chance that I might be one of these people. And the sadder thing is that I'm starting to accept it. But then again I'd so much rather be single than settle. Some of my friends would disagree but then again that's just me. Anyways, am I making any sense? I don't know anymore cos it's 3:30am and I'm sleepy as hell. Nighty night! :)