My actual birthday was spent chatting with JW over unpretentious, leisurely meals at Jack’s Place (his favourite) and Fish Mart Sakuraya. We also caught Already Famous, the local production directed by Michelle Chong. The movie was a little one-dimensional but it was quite hilarious all the same. Parties and gatherings aside, I love spending quality time with my other half and it was the perfect way to spend my birthday! 🙂

And now, for my birthday suit (haha don’t get the wrong idea please). I love plaids and the English schoolgirl look that’s so prevalent in Japanese fall/winter fashion magazines this year. It’s so adorable!

Outfit from Dip Drops

Socks from Topshop

Hair bow from Korea

If you like this outfit, do hype it on lookbook below too. 😉

JW organized a surprise birthday gathering for me at Leonardo’s Place the weekend before my actual birthday. He was coordinating with my friends secretly over facebook just a couple of days before and they were all so spontaneous!

It was also funny how my friends told me they were busy “running errands” that Sunday, which was quite out of the ordinary. I even told JW I suspected they were out buying my birthday gift. So thick-skinned of me but I was spot on! Haha yay, I have another pair of earrings to add on to my collection now!

I wasn’t really expecting a birthday celebration though, so being lazy on a Sunday evening, I didn’t bother to dress up. I couldn’t even be bothered to do my hair, hence I clipped it up rather haphazardly before darting out of the house. LOL. You can imagine my surprise when I saw my friends all glammed up at the restaurant! Jun even paid extra attention to her make-up because we often tease her about how her make-up never does show up on her face. 😛

I had an amazing time in the company of good friends, good food and my newly minted photographer! Without any hesitation, JW quickly assumed the role of the photographer for the evening, capturing all our picture perfect (and also imperfect) moments. I especially love all the candid shots below, where we were laughing our heads off because the candle looked a little erm….vulgar, and my dear smoker friends couldn’t find a lighter (of all things?!) to light my candle!

Sushi and Daryl were so sweet! They knew that I loveeeee the durian cake at One Bakers World and JW loves their chocolate cake to death, so they specially made a birthday cake with 2 flavours – durian and chocolate! I was so touched!

Little Leo was there to celebrate my birthday too, putting a smile to our faces with his cute antics and crazy laughter. Everyone wanted a piece of him! The cutie pie’s birthday is just 2 days after mine, and we all celebrated his 1st birthday just yesterday, before Zoukout 2011. 😉 More of that in a bit!

Last weekend, a group of us attended a fancy costume party at Lucky 13, a Miami-styled diner/bar/club that opened its doors to the public recently.

Sebastian, Xing, Melva and Alex (aka Shrek) were very serious about dressing up. Karen and I almost didn’t want to dress up, but thankfully we decided to put on our poufy skirts to masquerade as cosplayers or we would have looked so out of place! It felt almost like Halloween all over again. 😉

We were all very amused by Alex’s Shrek costume and wasted no time in taking turns to play with his humungous Shrek gloves. He claimed the Shrek bodysuit in his size had already been loaned out by the time he reached the costume shop, so he had no choice but to make do with Shrek’s head and hands. LOL.

Our drink for the night – Jaegerbomb. It made me physically tired but mentally awake till the next day, hence I swore I would never touch it again!

On the contrary, JW loves Jaegerbomb so much he intends to drink it at Zoukout this weekend. Did I mention he’s quite a character when he’s high? Everyone loves him when he’s high on alcohol. He even takes better photos! Haha!

Here’re our outfits for the night, taken by JW when he was high and thus very enthusiastic about photography (not that I’m complaining!).

It’s my birthday tomorrow but I received my birthday present from JW in advance this year! Many of my girlfriends find the gift very unromantic, but I’ve been wanting to get a DSLR camera for the longest time, and so that was exactly what I got from JW!

The camera comes with my very own photographer too. No prizes for guessing who. Just to clarify, he readily assumed the role on his own. No force or manipulation on my part. 😛

We tested out the camera at a3 Bistro & Bar, where we had lunch on Saturday. It’s located along Bukit Timah Road, just beside Smokin Frogs. The spaghetti with tandoori chicken wrapped in banana leaf is highly recommended by my sis-in-law. The dish is so unique and flavourful, it makes me salivate just by looking at the photo below. Totally drool-worthy, isn’t it?

The barbecued chicken pizza is unforgettable too! The fresh, well-marinated ingredients and thin crust hold the key to its amazing taste. We packed half of it home and when we had it for lunch the next day, we were pleasantly surprised that it still tasted just as fresh and delicious!

Christmas is just around the corner and as we’re busy buying Christmas presents for our loved ones, we’ve gotta prepare to dress up for the parties coming our way this season too!

I’m thankful that ClubCouture is always here to save the day with its extensive collection of dresses for all occasions.

I generally prefer sweet, floral dresses for casual parties, and the floral printed chiffon dress is the perfect dress for me!

I paired the dress with a clutch from ClubCouture as well, but it’s already out of stock! If there’s anything you fancy, do be fast because ClubCouture’s items always run out very quickly.

Here’s another one of my favourite toga dresses from ClubCouture. It fits like a dream and the pleats add a unique twist to the pinkish beige bodice.

Oh and for all you lucky babes out there, ClubCouture is currently holding a sale on many items! Head on down to the sale section HERE!

Tiong Bahru holds fond memories for me as I grew up near Great World City, which is pretty close by. The old shophouses, the famous Tiong Bahru market, and the beautiful rows of pre-war conserved apartments are just some of the highlights of this estate. I can’t think of any other estate in Singapore with as much charm and character.

Of late, it has also morphed into an arty farty hangout with the mushrooming of design studios, art galleries and hip indie cafes. One of my favourite cafes is 40 hands and I absolutely love their tau sa pau (i.e. red bean paste bun)!! Some new cafes include Drips cafe (haven’t checked it out yet) and The Orange Thimble, which I visited recently when I popped by Lyndie’s place.

The food is a little pricey for the portions, especially when compared to 40 hands, but I like the lychee martini ice-cream here. Very unique and refreshing.

Thereafter, we packed a couple of tau sa paus from 40 hands and adjourned to Lyndie’s place for a tête-à-tête.

I’ve always admired the interior decor of Lyndie’s ground floor apartment. It is tastefully designed with mid-20th century pieces complemented by a dash of pop art.

My favourite of the lot are these original artwork by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. If they look familiar to you, you probably might have seen these happy flowers on Louis Vuitton bags some seasons back. 😉

The apartment also has a sunroof in the kitchen. Perfect for basking in natural light in the day and star-gazing at night.

In the evening, my family joined me at Tiong Bahru for dinner at Ting Heng Seafood before my brother left for BooksActually at Yong Siak Street to attend one of their talks. My brother loves writing and BooksActually’s talks have provided him much inspiration to pursue his dreams.

Speaking of which, my bro recently wrote a movie review on Midnight in Paris here. It’s such a delightful film with witty dialogues, magical sights of Paris and insights into the lives of esteemed authors during the golden age. Do read it if you’ve time! 😉