I’ve been meaning to blog about my Taiwan trip on a daily basis but have been busy the last few days helping out a friend for her wedding. It seems that a lot of people I know are tying the knot these couple of years! I’ve been attending one to two weddings every month since last year and as far as I know I have been informed of more up till June 2010! And of course I have a baby shower thrown here and there once every 2-3 months. It’ rather telling of my age isn’t it.

Anyways since the CNY is in a week’s time, I though I’ll share with you a new place to shop for shoes in this post. I will be continuing on Taiwan in the next post!

I received this gorgeous pair of booties a month ago from Eyeffass and have been meaning to showcase them here but wasn’t able to do so due to my constant travelling the last 2 months. It comes in 3 colors but I went for classic black.

I’ve brought them with me and they too have garnered their own attention overseas. A friend even though they were Christian Louboutins ( one of my favorites!) because of the red soles! And this pair that is specially imported by Eyyefass is only SGD$40!

The black booties are easy to match yet never dull because of the beautiful designs when viewed up close.  I’ve worn them with leggings for those cold winter days and wore then with my bare legs and a mini shift dress for hot nights out in Singapore. Either way it works and it is absolutely eye-catching.

Here are more close up shots of this gorgeous pair of booties with the beautiful eyelet details and scalloped edges.  The details is exactly what enthralls me. I’m toying with the idea of wearing red colored stockings so the eyelets can show the contrast of red and might do that when I go overseas during the CNY period. Are you in love yet?

In fact, I think the people behind Eyyeffass has really good tastes in shoes cause the other shoes are just as beautiful without the sort of price tags that would give you a cardiac arrest! Here’s another pair which I was captivated by previously. I think it’s the perfect work shoes…. just the right amount of fanciness.

All girls love beautiful shoes right! But not all beautiful shoes comes with pocket friendly price tags. But amazingly here’s the one place! So head on to http://eyyeffass.livejournal.com before they all run out. There are even more surprise there in store for you other than shoes.

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I’ve been slow on emails and responses and I know my site was down for a few days last week but I’ve managed to find some good and free internet connection and as far as I know it, everything is fixed.

Today’s posts is all about good buys for the Christmas and Chinese New Year festive season. I’ve covered my recommended accessory in my previous post so here’s my recommendation for your feet.

Lovely affordable good quality Ballet Flats from Xquisis!

Isn’t those Xquisis flats just fabulous! All the lovely crystals and in that lovely shade of silver! ( They also have them in gold… both really easy to match colors.) The shoes are really soft and bendable so it’s pretty perfect for holidays or popping into you handbag in cause you want to change out of your 4″ stilettos at the end of the day.

I would have had them on my feet even more often if only the weather isn’t so chilly! For those who are keen on the Serena flats, do take a size bigger or email Xquisis for more details on the measurements.

Xquisis manufactures their own shoes and  listens to their customers. They design their shoes to be soft and comfortable without compromising on the style factor. If you think that these Serena diamond crusted ballerina flats are nice, you should check out the rest of their collection with more coming in December.

Xquisis has so very kindly sponsored me another black satin ballet flats called Karen. ( Love how it’s named after me! )

These are even more comfy then the Serena ballet flats cause it has a rounded front. The satin bows are detachable and can be used on your tops or you could wear it like I do, as a hair accessory. I am even considering using these bows on my hot pink heels to give it more spice. I love products that give me versatility cause it allows me to re-invent more looks with the same items and that’s a huge bonus when you’re travelling and living out of a suitcase.

The color is true to the first picture but I took the 2nd picture with flash so you could see how silky and shiny the satin is. Other than these 2 ballet flats, Xquisis also sells heels and bags… if you want to see and know more, please visit them at http://xquisis.livejournal.com. If I remember correctly, I think the Karen flats are selling really fast.

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I’m still in the cold winter region but I thought I wanted to share this gorgeous bib necklace I got from Starglace for those of you who would like to spice your festive outfits up a bit. Yes, they are the same company I got my lovely white dress from previously.

I absolutely adore this beaded necklace cause it seems to instantaneously add some great details to any outfit. From a simple black turtleneck to a glamorous party dress.

It works on almost all the outfits I’ve tried it on and although it looks like part of the top or dress when worn, I don’t have to worry about hand washing or sending my outfit to the dry cleaners since it’s a necklace and not attached to my outfit.

Here’s another outfit I wore it with…

See how the Starglace Bib necklace gives this simple black lace dress more dimension? And you can adjust the ribbon on the necklace to as high or as low as you would want to wear the necklace.  I’ve seen similar bib necklace at many designer collections and you can choose to get the Oscar De La Renta version for $1300 but this Starglace version with all the lovely beadings and shine, allows me the same gorgeous style for just a mere $24. It’s a steal not to be missed! Makes a good Christmas present for girl friends too. Clothes may not fit but accessories are a girls best friend.

Just to show you the versatility of the necklace, here’s another outfit I paired it up with.

Starglace also carries a wonderful clothes collection that is worth looking out for. So do get your necklaces from http://starglace.livejournal.com for the festive season before they all run out!

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I’ve just touched down Singapore but will be leaving in 2 days. So I guess I’ll see most of you somewhere after the first couple of days of the Chinese New Year! Wan Shi Ru Yi to all! This will be my final post for London =)

It was snowing then raining in Trafalgar Square that morning. On the south end of the square in Charing Cross… literally the heart of London cause all measurements of distance takes place from there. And the main attraction of Trafalgar Square is the Nelson’s column. I took a picture standing next to one of Sir Edwin Landseer’s lions which guards the statue of Nelson, perch on top of a 46M high column.

There was a naval guard at Whitehall which was a bonus to watch =) My main aim was to go visit the horse guards but the horse guard were still in their combat uniform rather then ceremonial robes.

I had a good chat with one of the tallest guards who was friendly and very informative. However, once he changed to his full ceremonial uniform he was on attention and could no longer talk or mingle.

The helmet makes him even taller!!! But not all the guards were so tall.

I really loved those horses! The guard and horses have to stay really still in that rainy/ snowy weather… it must be real tough even if they get to change shifts every hour.

The following few days were all either rainy or snowing and it was quite inconvenient to snap pictures or to video… or maybe I was just getting lazy!

Anyways, most of the days were spent indoors shopping at the famous Harrods at Knightbridge

, 

or at Covent Gardens which is a market area that has existed since the Roman times…

While a good part of my time was exploring the parks… I love the overflowing of nature and birds found in the London parks.

The short video will give you a better feel of the surroundings where I feel the photos cannot adequately portray.

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Gosh! I’m leaving in a few hours yet again. And I haven’t even finish blogging about my London trip… I’m such a slow poke. This nomadic lifestyle though wonderful is starting to take a toil on me. I need to plan to stay in Singapore for a least 2 to 3 weeks straight! Maybe after CNY…

London’s iconic red telephone booth! Locals must think I’m mad when I started to take pictures at these booth but I liked the first photo so much I used it for my E-Christmas-Card. So I guess some of you have already seen that picture!

London is one of the place with gorgeous world-class museums. I could spend days just going from one to another. Yes I know… I’m kinda nerdy that way. There are over 240 museums just in London alone and a lot of them are clustered together in this area called the museum mile. So I’m sure everyone will be able to find one that will tickle their fancy.

I would try to cover in the post at least 1 out of the 3 largest ones I went. The first one I went to is the Natural History Museum. The museum is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 70 million items within five main collections. You even have specimens collected by the Father of Evolution, Charles Darwin, himself.

As you can tell from the pictures, The Natural History Museum is famous for it’s collection of dinosaur skeletons as well as the fabulous architecture of the building itself. I personally am in love with the ornate design of the place.

Other then just dinosaurs… there is an area that have stuffings of a million birds. A lot of them collected in the victorian era when collecting birds for display was a very cruel but common hobby by the rich. This is what the extinct dodo bird looks like.

All the prehistoric animals and plants are quite amazing. Earth was so different then… and some parts of the earth and sea which have been untouched by man are still littered with these giants. You can even see “Archie” the giant 8m long squid which was captured in 2004 in the museum’s tank room. The remains of the whale that swam and got lost in the River Thames in 2006 is also in this museum.

At the geological wing, replica earthquakes can be felt and the whole plate tectonic and volcano formation is explained. Though I’ve learnt most of these in geography. Its a different feeling reading and leaning all over again especially when I just hiked up to a top of a volcano in my last Bali trip. (If you haven’t read about my Bali trip and would like to take a look-see, click here. ) Suddenly some of the rocks and formations I saw made better sense to me.

I could spend forever telling you the things I saw but then I’ll never make it to my flight… so I’ll pick a few photos for you. LIke this ostentatious 30 carat crystal among the many gems donated to the museum by wealthy precious stone collectors.

This is rather morbid tombstone clock but for some reason, I’m captivated by the words on it:

Nothing lives FOREVER.

Neither BODY

nor

SOILD ROCK.

R. I. P

restlessness in perpetuity.

I also found out Kryptonite from the Superman comics actually exists in real life. It is the only thing that weakens Superman according to the comics and it’s found here on earth! The writers of Superman Returns gave Kryptonite a fictional chemical formula of sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide with fluorine. But when scientist at the Natural History Museum analyzed a new mineral unearthed in Serbia they found that it contained the exact same formula! What a coincidence!

I also went to the V & A ( Victoria and Albert) museum followed by the Science Museum. Due to my current time constrains I’m gonna skip the most of the pictures of this 2 museums. But I have to say of the 3 museums.. V & A appeals to the younger crowd and has got the nicest decor inside. Especially the ceramic staircase. The insides of the V & A houses architectural designs of the victorian era with Elizabethan and Edwardian influences. The art works and the gorgeous chandelier in the entrance room are stunning!

In the Science Museum, you can see a collection of over 300,000 items including the oldest surviving steam locomotive, the first jet engine and an Apollo space capsule. The picture above shows the worlds’ first calculator… imagine something so big is now reduced to the size of our palm or even smaller. Technology is progressing at an astonishing rate.

I played a computer game acting at the Energy Minster of a country. Spot me in the screen? It’s a pretty tough job juggling energy needs, cost and environmental impact of the decisions.

Nissan has this super cute smart car that is intelligent enough to park and talk. And it’s eco-friendly too! I want one!

This chair is Toyota’s version of a smart car. It’s definitely more compact compared to the Nissan one and you could most likely drive it all the way from the office to your home’s dinning table just in time for dinner. But it’s too futuristic for me…I can’t imagine if you got into an accident along the way home!

The best part of the museums… I can always come back the next few days if I couldn’t finish it all in one day cause they are free! The whole idea is to allow free education and for those who would have benefited from this experience to donate freely to the museums.

The evening was spent leisurely at the local fun-fair and the local ice-skating ring.

 Would love to share more but I’ve gotta change and get to the airport now… and I may not get to blog as often as I’ve been doing but I will still reply to comments when I can =) Here’s the video.

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Not all my days were spent sightseeing… sometimes I had important personal appointments to attend to but when ever I get free full days I’ll try to maximize it! I can spend entire days just shopping but I’m sure you don’t want to hear about that.

A nice asian lunch again… The duck rice is addictive! When I’m all powered up… it’s time to hit the store and this time it’s for heavy duty shopping at Oxford St and Bond St… an equivalent of Singapore’s Orchard Road and Suntec. All the major department stores and numerous brands’ flagship stores can be found here. And I’m a girl on a mission!

Primark, Topshop, Schuh, House of Fraser and Zara did not let me down… but my most costly hauls’ got to be my first stop which is Chanel at Selfridges. I’m sure most of you know that Chanel is much cheaper in London then it is in Singapore. Celeste asked me to choose a nice wallet for her to replace the one that got stolen and what nicer wallet can there be but a Chanel one!

After shopping was done I headed towards the direction of River Thames. First stop is St Paul’s Cathedral. This building is the 5th St Pauls Cathedral built in the 17th Century as the previous 4 got burnt down in various ways since 675 AD.

Sir Winston Churchill had his funeral here and his body is in the crypt. Other famous personalities buried here includes Sir Alexander Fleming and Florence Nightingale! St Paul’s is also the church that Prince Charles and Lady Diana got married in.

I love the picture I took below best!

The beautiful thing about the London city landscape is that the modern architecture fuses nicely with the past. Everywhere you go you see buildings of different eras and different syles… be it gothic or neo-classical or english baroque.. it doesn’t matter they co-exist without looking out of place or out of time.

I walk past the City of London School to arrive at River Thames… the longest River in England. There are a few iconic bridges that crosses the River Thames in this area. The first I came to is the Millennium Bridge.

The millennium bridge is a steel suspension bridge completed in 2000. It’s very modern and though there have been reports of it being wobbly in the initial days of it’s opening I can assure you that you don’t feel the bridge move at all!

The Tate Modern was just around the corner but I did that museum on another day instead.

I did however pop by the Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. It would have been nice to catch a Shakespeare play here but unfortunately plays are only staged from May to October.

Quick stop for some drinks and food around the river area before moving on.

This colorful bridge my friends is the London Bridge we sang about while growing up. It’s not much like how we saw it in those children books right?  It’s current design is pretty modern with nice changing lights in the evening and night.

Below the London Bridge… on the south side of the river I took this picture with the dazzling floor lights. It is the entrance to ” The London Bridge Experience”. A tourist attraction tour with a theatrical trail of the old scary London down to the tombs below the london bridge with actors reenacting the scenes of the past. I’m not really into this sort of horror entertainment so I gave it a miss.

I also got distracted and went into several places simply attracted to the architecture. Such as this beautiful church behind me that was having an evening mass.

Finally I reached the well known Tower Bridge… the prettiest bridge. Quite a number of people mistake the Tower Bridge for London Bridge.

The bridge has 2 towers which bases contains the machinery for the hydraulic system of the bridge. The bridge opens up to let huge ships through when necessary. 

I wish I could have taken nicer pictures of the Tower Bridge but my hands are pretty shaky especially in the cold. The sky that evening however was a gorgeous shade of purple! 

Next to the Tower Bridge is the Tower of London. It was too late to take a look see so it would have to be revisited on another day. The Tower Of London or  Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress has served many purposes through the years including imprisonment of royalties, execution and torture but in recent times it is the place where the crown jewels of UK is kept. It is also supposedly one of the most haunted landmarks in London. Anne Boleyn’s ghost is reportedly seen walking around white tower carrying her head under her arms. 

It was one of the more exhausting days in London for me, covering so many places in a day so I took the next day for rest and recovery =) As promised, here is a longer video for you.

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I just got back in Singapore and I’m swamped with work… I still hope to make time to meet up some of you girls but do forgive me if you don’t get to see me till after Chinese New Year as I’ll be leaving again in 4 days time. I’ve had quite a lot of registered mail sent to me while I was gone… most of them were almost returned back to sender! And the sweetest thing is that when I went to collect those parcels from the post office I had such a pleasant surprise to find that instead of bills or work related stuff which I was expecting… it was presents and thoughtful cards from some lovely friends that I didn’t get to meet up during the christmas season. I’m pretty overwhelmed with happiness and guilt at the same time to the sweet gesture. I feel blessed to have friends that remembered me even when I’ve been so busy and neglecting everyone. Thank You all!

MS – I loved the cute little purse you sent me!

Samantha – I’ve not seen you in the longest time! I hope NZ is treating you well… the manuka honey was perfect since I’m nursing a slight cough and sore throat.

Vernice – Thanks so much for the travel size bath kit… I’ll bring them for my next trip! Hopefully I can squeeze some time to meet up before I leave.

LP – I always love anything sweet! Hehe… and I’m always reminded of that incident with those M & Ms!

Gwen: I agree girlfriends are the best! I’ll probably use the vouchers you sent me when I head down town on Monday! Thanks babe!

Quite a number of readers have emailed me or left their comments here or on facebook that they enjoyed my London photos and pictures. I’m really glad and though I blog mainly for friends… I am still happy to know that I’m not boring my other readers! I really appreciate you all taking the time to read.

One of the things on my to-do list for London was to watch a broadway musical. I mean I have to watch the original cast when I am there! Being an avid musical fan I’ve actually seen most of the major productions some time or another in Singapore or elsewhere. But I’ve yet to catch ” Wicked” and I was thrilled to be able to catch the musical on my trip! I got my tickets at Leicester Square where they sold cheaper tickets and then headed down to the Apollo Victoria Theatre after early dinner.  All I can say is that it was fabulous!!!! The amazing voices… the way the story-line blended so well with the original Wizard of Oz and the dynamics of the different characters. If you haven’t watched it yet you really should!!!!

Gloucester Arms is really very much like the typical pub/cafe that you would walk into in London. I ordered fish and chips cause I wanted an authentic English lunch and was not disappointed. It came with the peas all mushy which is part of the traditional English cuisine. They even sell mushy peas in cans at the supermarkets!

The rest of the day was pretty much spent shopping! I spent a ton on Marks and Spencer goodies cause I really have a low resistance to good quality high fat and high sugar yummies! Kensington High Street is a pretty neat place to get your general fashion fix. I had a great time shopping at H & M, American Apparels, Topshop and similar stores.

 Meet up with dear Penny and had Singapore food! Lol… the white rice was S$3 per small chinese bowl… I almost fainted! But on the whole the food was really not bad! It was a really nice catch-up session and I hope to see her soon sometime this month and this time we can have much better and way cheaper local cuisine. ( Penny, thanks for those brownies… it was good! I hope you liked the flowers! )

This is a really short video… but I’ll try to put up longer once in my next post!

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Ok be forewarned that this is a really long entry with tons of pictures of me…. if you feel that you’re sick of my pictures then don’t read on!

I took my time around London… visiting at a leisurely pace over several days and sometimes returning to the same spot if I have the time. There are many notable churches in London and one of the more outstanding ones is the Westminster Abbey. 

The gothic design of the church is very intricate and I love those high arches. This is where all the coronations for the English and British monarchs have their coronation! Many of the monarchs and their consorts are also buried here.

Other then the fabulous architecture and gothicchurch tours… my favorite hunts in most cities are their beautiful urban parks. I can’t help but seek out greenery and nature… especially the beautiful fall colors that we don’t get to see in Singapore. St James’s Park is but one of the few royal parks in London.

And I’m not sure if you’ve noticed a trend by now but I do have a soft spot for squirrels! Be it at New York or San Francisco… I can happily spend a big portion of my day just playing around with these fur balls! And if you view the video below… you’ll realize how cute they are especially when they have a hiccup! 

Another place to note is of course the Buckingham Palace - the official London residence of the British monarch since Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837.

I was there in time to watch the ” Change of Guards” which are now in their winter uniform. Despite the guards display… it’s interesting to know that the palace has been broken into before with the trespasser entering the Queen’s bedroom for a chat.

The guards on the horses look so smart! They are my fave!

The Victoria Memorial stands facing the palace. It’s such a pretty statue with Angel of Victory on the top.

Other then the guards… policemen were everywhere to ensure safety… I couldn’t resist snapping a picture with them… They really do look like the ones we see on British sitcoms ya?

Next was a pleasant stroll following The Diana Princess Of Wales Memorial Walk as well as a run in the swirling falls leaves at Hyde Park.

My two favorite pictures in this walk to share with you… 

And a video for this entry too! You have to see those cute squirrels!

Oh… and I’ve stopped the snowing effect on my blog cause the Christmas and New Year festivities are over!

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While I did not visit the Kew gardens due to the weather or traveled far out to visit Eltham Place at Greenwich which architecture I was keen in… I did however take in some sights in about London.

Firstly there was the London Eye which was built in 1999 and was the world’s tallest ferris wheel for awhile… but for now our Singapore Flyer has taken that title. There’s nothing too special about the Eye but it is one of the unmistakable symbols of London just like the Eiffel Tower in Paris… it gives people pleasure to be able to be taken high up and to view the city in it’s entirety below.

Right across from the London Eye is the Palace of Westminster and my favorite landmark of all! The Big Ben! I still remember how excited I was to see it for the first time years ago. The clock tower had character and grandeur. This is the world’s largest 4 face chiming clock tower that is celebrated it’s 150th birthday in 2009. At the base of each clock face is the inscription DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM, which means O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First.

The Big Ben is most frequently seen on the BBC news and is used as to welcome the New Year during the countdown celebrations.  The clocks’ chime is also broadcast on for Remembrance Day which falls on 11th November at 11pm. Every year the clock starts the nationwide (including the royal family) 2 minutes silence in honor of those who died in the War especially WWI.

It’s just an overwhelming feeling when I think about the constant change in humanity and how Father Time is always constant and always there. Moving forward regardless if it was good or bad. How insignificant we as individuals can be in the face of eternity.

The importance of the troops that have died in the World War is rather close to heart in the UK. All around the places you can see many monuments dedicated to them and even till today… you’ll find dedications with garlands red poppy flower (which is the symbolic flower of the military veterans) all around.

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I was in London before Christmas so these pictures are not exactly current. I’m quite slow with uploading of pictures and videos but I do try =) Traveling to London in this period has its pro and cons. The good thing is the low pound exchange ( which means more shopping!) and the christmas light ups and sales (which also equates to more shopping! lol ).

The cons of course is the cold weather… it means I always have to bundle up to twice my size and gloves can be a huge hassle. Visiting beautiful gardens are also out of the question…. though it’s not my first time in London so I’ve already done most of the touristy places previously.

The best and easiest way to get around London is using the London Underground… also known as the tube. UK’s underground railway and Rapid Transit system is the oldest in the world and till today it’s still the longest metro system route in the world. However, unlike our reliable MRT in Singapore… they do close the tube for repairs and works… choosing weekends as the most likely times of closure.

Piccadilly Circus is the London version of New York Times Square. With the neon lights and shopping and entertainment venues surrounding it. It gives me the same bustling feel of movement and excitement as Times Square. The Coca-Cola neon advert has actually been there since 1955! Sanyo and McDonalds have also been there for the longest time which means I’ll be seeing the same brands as I did previous times and the same brands my grandparents did when they came to London in the 60s and 80s.

The statue in the middle of Piccadilly Circus is of Anteros though most people would mistake him for Eros aka Cupid. Anteros is the twin brother of Eros. While Eros is the God of sensual love in Greek Mythology, Anteros is the God of returned love… the more mature and selfless love. The statue was built in honor of Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury who was a well loved philanthropist. This statue was the first in the world to be cast in aluminum and is set on a bronze fountain. If you are wondering why I’m so keen on the background of this statue it’s cause I’ve a general weakness for Greek mythology and in recent days read a cute fiction book called “Gods Behaving Badly” which is a girly novel with some Greek Gods infusion… quite a pleasant read for long plane rides.

It’s quite odd… but one of the best duck rice I’ve had is actually found in London. I’ve heard that China exports their best ducks to the UK! I headed to London’s Chinatown for dinner. It’s kinda strange that all the Chinatowns of the world like Australia or UK or US all seem to be made out of the same design with the same oriental gates!

In terms of Christmas light-ups… Singapore ones are really nicer so I don’t see why there was such a big fuss over the candy themed lights in Orchard Road. Or maybe I’ve got pretty low expectations.

Regardless, I think I’ve bored you guys enough with my weird fascination of certain facts… lol… so I’ve leave you all with a short video =)

Oh and a BIG Happy Birthday to dear Lerelyn =) Sorry I couldn’t be there but we’ll have a belated celebration once I’m back ya?

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