The weather in Sydney has been rather erratic. Dark clouds looming in the distance may just disappear in the blink of an eye, and before you know it, the glorious sun starts peeping through.

And better yet, the sun is usually accompanied by cool winds, which makes the weather perfect for layering and wearing socks. 😉

Lace blouse with pearl collar from Yuan, Far East Plaza
Polka Dot skorts from Bangkok
Boots from Bugis Village
Socks from Topshop

Here you’ll see a cute boxy purse from Forever New, one of my favourite Australian brands. I like how it looks almost like a vintage cigar box but it opens effortlessly from the top, so it’s really easy to reach for my wallet or mobile phone. I’m so infatuated with it right now, especially since it matches almost everything!

Amelie-Anne’s Willows dress is a classic piece reminiscent of the 1950s vintage preppy style, where femininity and grace were of utmost importance. Did I also mention that peter-pan collars, which were all the rage then, are now back on trend in full force?

I got my Willows dress in Celadon green, which is a sweet shade of pastel mint. I love accessorizing, and here you’ll see a camellia brooch, a girly statement hairband and a cute little vintage boxy bag to complete the look.

What I like about this dress is its functional design and modest length, which makes it a work-worthy piece as well. There are side pockets and a matching sash to accentuate your waistline too! 🙂

How was your Valentine’s Day? We had a simple Valentine’s Day dinner at Sydney Harbour, in a thai restaurant called Sailors Thai.

I was pleased that the quality of the food here far surpasses that of Singapore’s (the price too), and everything is ridiculously fresh and sumptuous! We ended the night with hot chocolate and latte with the breathtaking view of the harbour. Can’t wait to explore more of the city soon!

Crochet peterpan collar top Lace skorts from Bangkok Prada bag

My aunt, who lives downtown, showed us around town yesterday. Her effervescent personality is so infectious and she’s such a warm lady it’s hard not to feel at ease around her. Did I mention she has a spectacular view from her balcony too? So super gorgeous!

More pictures soon, I promise!

These couple of weeks just whizzed past me in a blink of an eye as I’ve been busy packing, tying up loose ends for various responsibilities and catching up with friends and family before leaving Singapore. I’ll be putting up photos of most of the meet-ups soon!

I love the ambiance and food at House@Dempsey so much, I actually patronized the restaurant 2 days in a row. I was just there for the much raved about High Tea Buffet the day before I met Jun for lunch. It’s a great place for chilling out on weekdays especially.

Poor Jun is always busy at work and she has been nursing a bad cough for about 2 weeks! Yitian couldn’t come as she was already in India by then, but we caught up over sushi before she left.

I’ll miss you girls! But, the good news is, I’ll be back before you know it. 😉

Black tassel dress from City Plaza
Neon yellow bow belt from Platinum Mall, Bangkok
Ruffles polka dot socks from Hong Kong
Suede pumps from Salvatore Ferragamo
Gold hobo from Gucci

I was so captivated by this stylish number by Amelie Anne, I actually have them in 2 colours! I wore the vibrant Raspberry Pink one to Alvin and Eli’s home before stopping by Punggol Waterfront for a little walk.

I like that Amelie-Anne’s dresses are usually made of a special rayon/spandex blend, which is very comfortable next to your skin. With Amelie Anne, comfort and workmanship always come hand in hand, at a pocket-friendly price to boot.

This darling is so wearable and easy to style, you can just throw on a bold statement necklace and a contrasting pair of heels like I did to up the glam factor!

If you prefer the sweet, girl-next-door look, perhaps the Dusk Pink version would tickle your fancy?

I wore this for lunch with the girls at Basilico and they loved it too. 😉

If you were to ask me to use 3 words to describe this dress, I would say it is simple, classy and fabulous!

I’ll be leaving for Sydney next week, hence I’ve been busy trying to catch up with friends, especially girlfriends. One evening, Yitian, Jun, Karen and I decided to meet at Dempsey for dinner. As Jun and Karen were caught up with work, Yitian and I had early dinner at Don Quijote. We were both famished!

We had paella, tapas and sangria, which are so distinctively Spanish. These reminded me of my recent holiday in Spain, where I had the most delicious paella in Rodellar. I also have a penchant for sangria. In fact, if moscato didn’t exist, sangria would probably be my favourite alcoholic drink.

We then adjourned to Ben & Jerry’s to continue waiting for the girls to arrive. That was when we succumbed to temptation. We ordered a huge platter of desserts to satisfy our sweet tooth. The presentation alone was so enticing, we absolutely could not resist.

After what seemed like an eternity, the girls came along and we chatted for a long time before calling it a night.

I’ve never mentioned this before, but I was inspired to share my views on friendship after some recent revelations. I draw very clear lines between work, friends and family. At work, I’m very demanding and I admit I may not be the most patient person to work with due to my expectations.

With friends, I’m more patient as all I expect is a listening ear and companionship, nothing more. In general, I don’t like to trouble my friends for help as the last thing I want to do is to cause any inconvenience. Sometimes, mixing friendship with work is a sure recipe for disaster because everyone has different working styles and you may not realize that a friend’s working style is vastly different from yours until it comes to the crunch, and this inevitably strains the relationship.

I try to show compassion, respect and consideration, and will reciprocate if someone does so as well. But if I feel someone has taken me for granted without showing me consideration, I get upset. Then again, I don’t get upset for long as those close to me would know I never do bear grudges.

Of course, strangers and acquaintances are entitled to their own opinions of what sort of person I am, but I don’t care about their impressions because we either don’t know each other very well, or at all, and I don’t see the need to explain myself to people who do not matter. 🙂 Time is such a precious commodity that the only way to make good use of it is to spend it with people who matter, understand, and reciprocate. These are people who will stand by you, always.

There are a few other close friends whom you don’t see on my blog at all for privacy reasons or simply because we always get so engrossed in conversations we forget to take pictures, but I’m sure you know who you are! 🙂

On a lighter note, I’m ending this post with my outfit for that evening. Everything was from my recent Bangkok trip, except for my socks (from Daiso) and heels (from a random neighbourhood shop).

I’ve a number of gatherings this week and I’ll be meeting more girlfriends as well as my beloved god-daughter this weekend! I’m so looking forward to all the meet-ups!

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that another one of my outfit looks was featured in Tongue In Chic recently. Thank you Shantee!

I’ve been wearing my hair in a bun for some time now because it’s the easiest and fastest way to look neat and presentable. I’m going to let you in on one of my secrets here…as my hair is still rather short, I’ve been using a bun hairpiece from http://girlhairdo.com to make my bun fluffier. Not only is it fuss-free and simple to use, it matches my hair very well and looks completely natural! 🙂

I got mine in Persimmon Coral, which is a lovely shade of reddish pink that’s perfect for adding that pop of colour to your wardrobe. Cinch that waist with the accompanying sash or substitute it with your own belt for a change and there, you’re ready for a cozy tete-a-tete with your girlfriends!

I used my own sash here to create a different look, just to show you how easy it is to add variation to your wardrobe with a classic design. 😉

This breezy little number is also fabulous for summer and the cheery colour is sure to brighten up anyone’s day, don’t you agree? 🙂

Every Chinese New Year, we’ll make it a point to visit my parents first before heading to my paternal grandmother’s place, where all my relatives would gather. I never used to like Chinese New Year, but this year, I feel different, probably because we’ll be away from family for an extended period of time and my two grandmothers are getting frailer day by day.

Sometimes, we never do treasure what we have till we are this close to losing the people dearest to us. Likewise, absence does make the heart grow fonder.

On a more cheerful note, it struck me that although my parents are close to retirement, they totally do not look their age at all. What’s more amazing is that they’ve never dyed their hair ever!

I was really amused by this shot of my mum and my brother! They were both wondering what I was doing with the camera when I took this candid shot of them. 😛

I also had lots of fun playing with my favourite cousin, Shuya, who just turned 5 a couple of days back. She’s such an independent and intelligent little darling!

When my dad asked her to collect her red packet from my grandma, she exclaimed that she already did earlier on. She then hurried to her little handbag, opened it up and presented the red packet that my grandma gave her earlier that morning. It’s incredible how she even remembered what the red packet looked like given that her handbag was brimming with red packets!

This shot was taken when her hairband fell to the floor while we were chatting and I tried to put it on for her. For some reason, it looks like I’m crowning her as a pageant queen or a princess. LOL.

Oh, please pardon my messy hair.

Through our conversation, I found out that her favourite drink, in her own words, is the “yellow flower drink”. Everyone was bewildered and I was the only one who guessed that it was chrysanthemum tea. So cute right?

My mum then immediately concluded that I am good with children and hence, I should start a family soon.

*Awkward silence*

The afternoon was spent at JW’s 2nd aunt’s home, where his family gathered. We were treated to a delicious feast comprising lotus root soup, fried chicken wings, ngor hiang, abalone and other wonderful delicacies whipped up by the mistress of the house. I love my MIL’s dress, which was a birthday gift from my SIL. She looks remarkably sweet and young!

Dress from Yuan, Far East Plaza
Hairband from Mustafa (a steal at just $4!!)
Transparent heels from Angel, Far East Plaza