new haircut

...that took 5 years off! ;)

and i dont even need to draw my eyebrows anymore...or trim it! oops! LOL!

my new toy

This is the last time i'm using my Nikon to upload pix on this blog! Haha... Here's my new digital camera from my dearest Elvis! ;)
But i wanna change the ugly pouch! ;p


My Review:
- Size too small my hand will perspire, so no more nice nice matt finish.
- Antishake! VERY GOOD! Esp if u ask people here to help u take photos!!! They press the shutter down, moving their hands down too!!! Hahaha...
- Leica lens which is as good as it sounds!

Professional Review:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0607/06071902panasonicfx3.asp

buy & buy

Lately, as i see anything interesting, i will buy it with the thought that i can give them to my swap partners (to come). Here are some of the swap items i've "collected"...and i cant wait to give them away. Do write to me if there's anything u like from here. ;)

Of course, when i bought them, i tell myself i can keep them for myself too - the PF slippers, any one of the purse, the keyring... Haha...

a suitcase of stuff that's not even mine

I've been very excited about my coming trip home to Singapore on 15 Feb! Many months ago, i've already been busy shopping for my sisters. Basically, they asked me to look out for clothes they can wear to work. I'm more than happy to shop for family coz shopping is my hobby, finding nice things is my forte...and i might also help them save some $ too. Among the pile of clothes, i've also got some bags, some wallets, 20 caps and a pair of (yes!) rollerblades. I'm actually importing the caps back & making some cash out of it, so it's more than fine to me.

As the day draws nearer, i'm more excited, and i decided to pack "other people's stuffs" into my suitcase - least i forget anything. Only then did i realise it took up almost three-quarter of my 31-inch suitcase space! I can barely close it coz of the bulk! To make things worse, my OWN stuffs are not even in! Arrgh... I'm usually very helpful! But now, I'm starting to regret being so helpful. I've definitely got to handcarry my stuff & the tidbits i plan to pack. My guess is my luggage is already overweight (considering the rollerblades about >5kg), and i could get taxed esp when i'm NOT taking my national airline home! Will they be lenient and let me pass??? The WORSE senario is i have to unpack at the airport and remove some stuff (to i duno where)!



Actually, i'm not angry about the things already in the suitcase (since there's nothing much i can do about it anyway). What pisses me off is that people are still asking me to help them buy stuff (despite my new MSN name as "Miss Overpacked!"). Miss Fussy wanted cheap rabbit fur coat which i heard the price was also rather cheap back home (S$20+!!! So why didnt she just buy it?!). Miss Perfect wanted to buy expensive cheongsams just by giving me vital stats (but aint one need to try it on? Besides, we're talking about a few hundred dollars! What about the design?!). Little Miss Tiny wanted me to bring in pirated DVDs which she can also get dirt cheap in our neighbouring country.

Shanghai is more than GREAT! Please come visit yourself!
BUT, really no offence meant - if u know u are the Lil' Miss Guilty! Kekee... ;)

shopping with a reason

I'm been very excited about my new "hobby" - swapping. I keep thinking what can i buy for my FIRST swap partner, Jean, from England. After about a week of preparation, I'm finally ready to mail them out! I LOVE it all, and cant wait to "see" her response. I also took photos of my items which i cant upload now [arrghh]...in case she sees what i'm sending over...n wont be kept in suspense anymore! This is the only thing that i dont enjoy about swapping!

art museum

I've been wanting to go see the Arts Museum. Finally did that when my artaz friends were here. It was a little disappointing for us coz there wasnt much exhibitions going on. The installation art that i wanted to see was long over. But cant complain since the ticket was only 20rmb/2 Euros/US$2.60...it's a fraction of what European museums charge!

And i just love the 'Women Are Beautiful' range of b/w photos! Picasso the womaniser is featured here too! Haha...

puss in boots

Take a closer look...it's not a cat but a poodle! Heehee... Nice?

It's my new boots! I think it's very pretty with a chic lady on the left, holding a silver leash...which extends all the way around...to the poodle on the right. She's wearing a red leather dress, and all other parts are embroidered on - her skin, hair, gloves, heels, clutch & buttons. Its fur is part embroidery & mohair (huh??!!). The feel of the entire boots is perfect! The smell is fresh from the box - pungent. The red piping is...err...nice. Anyway, the best part is i'm SO happy it's not a HIGH heel which will dash any hope of me buying this! Hope my poodle will remain white on the streets of Shanghai.

I overspent again this month! =[

swapping sounds like fun!

I really have to thank Ade for telling me about her great swaps! Gee...it must b GREAT to get stuffs from all over the world - esp in a nice package like this! (Sorry Ade, i cant help but to steal this lovely pix)

Haha... I cant wait to shop for her swap! Let's see what i can find in the Republic of China for this swapping young lady! Be awfully disgusted OR pleasantly surprised! Kekee...
By the way, see u soon in Feb for your "new" vintage clothes!

Click on this GIMME link and start getting excited! Haha...

home improvement

I bought these Mr.Men "cactus pots" today. Thought that it would look cute in our house. Besides, it's low maintenance. But sadly, i duno which Mr.Men they are! It must be becoz they're Made in China! Haha!
And time to keep that christmas tree! #@*&%!

a fresh start

Yesterday, we met up with 2 groups of people. Both are creative people, but vastly different. Let's call the ones at lunch 'The Family Group' - 2 families with 4 lovely children (2 each). And the ones at dinner are 'The Yuppie Group' of creatives like Elvis - making their mark in Shanghai. I dont like the term 'yuppie' but what's another way to describe not-so-young, talented, workaholic, funny, enjoy life...people.

Anyway, these are the type of gatherings which 'i dun mind attending but would rather not'. As usual, people would ask me what i've been doing here. MSN, watch tv, dvd, shop...hmm what else do i do??? Sounds boring to be doing just that for the past 6 months... Ok, let me think...errr i took up knitting too, did housework, went travelling, started this blog (which i'm glad coz it's pretty addictive even if nobody's reading)...and also showed visiting friends around Shanghai. But basically, that's about it. OK! I didnt do anything constructive here - and i hate to admit it! Sounds like a boring life, although i'm not complaining (most of the time). Some days i wake up later, so it's just a few hours to sundown. I really hate it that the sun sets early at 4pm, and it feels late even when it's not. Makes me wanna hurry home. Heehee... I am a "tai tai". I like to laze around, munch, go out when i feel like it...and at the end of the day, wait for Elvis to come home. So, i'm really not that bored lah.

But these real tai-tais from 'The Family Group' join tai-tai groups, and have busy busy schedules: mahjong, badminton clubs, do brunch gatherings, fetch the kids etc etc. Me? I will never fit in. I'm not interested in mahjong, hate sports etc etc...

What i have to admit is that meeting people do bring opportunities. Perhaps i would be freelancing/working in some agencies in the future... Hmm...i was good at work...so, perhaps it's time to make up for lost time...i had REALLY better start learning the much dreaded Illustrator/InDesign and move on from here... Arrgh...

O ya! We also went to buy a table from IKEA. Time to fix it up, get an oven and bake some chocolate cookies!

P.S. I heard that that Filipina was really bored at home! Serve her right! At least i'm not bored w/o her! Hahahaha...

------TODAY is 14 Feb, and the IKEA box is still lying around in our living room!!! ELVIS!!!!!!

to heat or not to eat

I've been thinking for ages to buy a microwave oven since i came to Shanghai. Seriously, i cannot live without one although i cant cook. I've been thinking of how to get my landlady to buy it instead (since we extended our lease). My friend has also been tempting me with the cookies/muffins receipes. Kekee... But becoz of our small kitchen, there's really no space to fit one on the kitchen countertop. Haiz...
(We already have the "necessary" rice cooker, sandwich maker and kettle on the countertop which we dont use everyday.)

Yesterday, Elvis asked me to go learn something - cooking/baking - coz we were watching the Korean serial 'My Lovely SamSoon' who's a pastry chef: patissier (the place: patisserie). [* I got the correct word/spelling from the dictionary, so thought i'll put it down here] Hmm...so should it be a microwave oven OR a normal oven? He said we could buy a small table and put in a corner of the kitchen (for the oven). It meant we have to move it together when we move houses...arrgh... Not exactly what i have in mind coz we already have so much clothes & stuff to move!

Q: Will i really cook?
Q: Will Elvis come home to eat at all?
Q: Will we stay home & cook on weekends?
Q: Will it be more work to clean the oven?
Q: Do i need to reheat food more? OR will i bake cookies at all?
Q: Will he really eat my cookies, muffins, cakes? I'm the one with the sweet tooth...not him!

I think with or w/o the microwave/oven, we'll also eat out all the time. Besides, we dont have to wait in line at our fav soup place too even though there's at least 20 on the wait list. So why the trouble for a table + an oven now???

Talking about being VIPs, i'm thinking about my wallet... In the past (in Spore), i have more than half a dozen credit cards in my wallet from almost every bank. Now, it's more than half a dozen shopping/dining/cinema VIP cards & 1 (Spore) credit card in my wallet - for emergencies. It's so amusing seeing them in my wallet! People whip out credit cards, i whip out VIP cards! Kekee... And my latest one is from McDonalds!
O MY GOD! What has become of me???!!!
Am i a real housewife now? Ahhh...........

bluier skies

China is improving for her coming Olympics Beijing 2008 & Shanghai Expo 2010. But here's what i hope will change first in 2007 Shanghai
- use of taxi stands: no more snatching!!!
- more sheltered walkways: no more wet laundry dripping
- fixed priced (small) shops: no more bargaining, unscrupulous sellers
- lower taxes/lower prices of branded labels, skincare/cosmetics etc
- no more snipping of my English washing labels/replacing them with Chinese!!!
- lower prices at nice cafes, restaurants etc
- proper translation of English menus
- proper ventilation at eating (or rather cooking) places: no more smelling like the food i ate when i leave!!!
- no more shoving & pushing at fast food outlets
- cheaper & comfortable cinemas with proper ventilation. no phones, no talking!!!
- DVDs with language selection/proper English subtitles
- clean toilets everywhere & bigger cubicles too. whatever's supposed to be INSIDE the toilet bowl to stay INSIDE!!!
- open GP clinics for normal ailments
- better service in hospitals please (since there wont be any GP clinics)
- lower airfares to anywhere (international & domestic) & in 2-way prices
- proper travel agencies to enquire about trips/airfares
- no more having to state 2 road names/junctions when taking taxis
- people alight BEFORE others board on trains
- no more DVD/newspaper sellers, rude namecard distributors, beggars inside the trains
- queue for escalators. dont push!!!
- no more spitting on the ground
- no more "LV/Prada/Gucci..." sellers/stalkers on the streets
- cheaper imported groceries at supermarkets
- cheaper housing/rental, nicer deco/furnishings

And to blue blue skies like this...

what a start

On lazy New Year's Day, we had our fav dimsum brunch, shopped again and our 2nd movie... When we were home, i was folding our (washed & dried) clothes and putting them away...Elvis suddenly said, "I have too many clothes! I cannot buy anymore!"
O MY GOD! Does it mean i have to stop buying too???!!! KILL ME!!!

Perhaps our New Year's resolution is to shop less. What a good start! Kekee...

By the way, this is worth mentioning too! On New Year's Eve afternoon, Elvis & i went shopping. BUT what happened afterwards was totally unexpected. We fought over a taxi! We were waiting along the road for a taxi (and Elvis was also trying to call for one). Suddenly this shameless couple came up IN FRONT of us. Then, when a cab stopped in front of us, the guy ran and got into the cab!!! We told him off, and he suggested that we rode together. When we got off, we wanted to spilt the fare, but he said he'll pay for it coz it was their fault snatching our cab! We were so surprised! Haha... We've been angry over cab-fights umpteen times, but this is a whole new experience - for a change!