Regina Chow - Singapore Fashion, Beauty & Travel Blog
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About Me
Fashion
Travel
Beauty
Lifestyle
Personal Thoughts
Regina Chow - Singapore Fashion, Beauty & Travel Blog
  • About Me
  • Fashion
  • Travel
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Personal Thoughts
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Papa Palheta

April 2, 2010 by Regina Chow No Comments
Papa Palheta is a specialty coffee boutique that I came to know about while I was browsing through photos that a friend posted on facebook.
Nestled in a quiet little shop house near town, Papa Palheta is a comforting retreat away from the city buzz. The shop specializes in coffee beans from Latin America, Africa and Asia, and you get to sample them free of charge before making a purchase.
Unlike JW, I’m not exactly a fan of coffee, but I love new concepts, coffee places, good service and interesting decor. The taste and aroma of the coffee were invigorating. This, coupled with the warm and sincere service, easily sets this place apart from other run off the mill coffee joints.
We chilled out at the breezy courtyard before heading into the quaint living room when it started pouring.

I absolutely adore the decor of the living room. It has so much character. The juxaposition of new and old furniture pieces also enhances the eclecticism of its interior.

For those of you who are interested, Papa Palheta is located at:
140 Bukit Timah Road
And here’s what I wore that day:
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Club Street

March 30, 2010 by Regina Chow No Comments
Club street is one of my favourite haunts. It boasts a myriad of eclectic shops such as Stevie General Store and BooksActually. I believe BooksActually needs no introduction. Stevie General Store has a wide array of vintage apparel, accessories and interesting knick-knacks that are a blast from the past. The arty-farty decor and intricate finds from these quaint little stores are just part of the charm of Club Street.
Besides the above-mentioned stores, there is a unique selection of eateries, cafes and restaurants as well, but somehow, I always end up at Jerry’s for its tasty buffalo wings!

What I wore one fine day in Jan 2010 at Club Street:

Yes, I’m back from Japan! πŸ™‚ I’m still trying to catch up with my work, family, friends and sleep of course haha. Be back soon!

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On Weddings and Marriage

March 12, 2010 by Regina Chow No Comments
I have been attending so many weddings lately. A sign of age, I know, but weddings are such joyful affairs they bring a smile to everyone’s face.

Here are pics from YH’s wedding in Jan at Halia Restaurant. We were so happy for her because she and her hubby have been maintaining a long-distance relationship for some time.

What I wore to a colleague’s wedding at Grand Shanghai. Vintage grecian dress from Dustbunny Vintage. πŸ˜‰

Make-up:

Weddings mark the beginning of a couple’s journey into the next phase of their relationship. Before they embark on that journey, the wedding ceremony serves as a platform for the couple to profess their unwavering love and admiration for their significant other as well as thank their friends and family for their support.

Haven’t you heard of friends complaining about what a hassle it is to plan the perfect wedding and somehow things never seem to go your way?

Well, perhaps you’ll lighten up if you change your view of what a wedding means to you. While I don’t deny that there were times when I had to crack my brains to come to a decision on which photographer to hire, or even silly things like what earrings go best with my gown, I thoroughly enjoyed the planning process.

To me, a wedding is but a means to an end and not an end in itself. After that fateful wedding day, you will have to wake up to the same person every morning for the rest of your life. Interestingly for me, the wedding preparations further affirmed that I chose the right person to spend my life with.

A marriage is a union, not just of two souls, but two families and their respective traditions. That was exactly what I witnessed during my wedding preparation. Thankfully, JW and I have an identical outlook to life. We generally share similar tastes, values and principles, hence everything worked out beautifully, but not without any conflicts too. There were definitely times when our views differed, but we talked things through and reached a compromise eventually.

What’s most important than your wedding day is what happens after that, especially so in this day and age, where the media constantly reminds us that the sanctity of marriage has been violated, time and again. First, it was Tiger Woods. Now, Jack Neo has followed suit as well.

The success of a marriage is a factor of love, trust, forgiveness and more importantly, the ability to put yourself in your partner’s shoes.

It also depends very much on the couple’s will and perseverance to keep the romance alive in their relationship. πŸ˜‰ So go on and spring a little surprise on your partner today!

Here’re some long over-due CNY photos taken with my in-laws:

CNY Dinner at Shangri-La Hotel

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Gonpachi – Tokyo

March 7, 2010 by Regina Chow No Comments
Here we were, back in Tokyo for our last meal before returning to Singapore. While waiting for the concierge to confirm our reservation, we took the opportunity to camwhore at the hotel lobby!
Our last meal in the country was at Gonpachi @ Nishi-Azabu, a popular restaurant because 1) Quentin Tarantino was inspired by the decor of this restaurant for the set of Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2) Koizumi brought George Bush to dine her!

Yuzu Mojito, the yummiest cocktail I’ve ever had in my life! I loved it so much I ordered two glasses!
Yude-Buta – Boiled pork with szechuan garlic sauce. It melts in your mouth. Need I say more?
Gonpachi House Salad – Mizuna, buckwheat sprout & clam tossed with sesame dressing. It looks inconspicuous but trust me, it leaves you wanting more!
Tempura Seiro Soba
Seasonal special – mouth-watering Kobe beef!
These skewes were some of the best I’ve ever tried!
The only dish that didn’t impress us much was the fried chicken. It looked great in pictures, but in reality, it was pretty average.
Grilled potatoes with butter. I have a penchant for potatoes, so I’ll definitely place an order whenever I see them on the menu!
My other favourite dish has got to be Gindara. The smooth texture of the well-marinated fish was to die for!
We also had free ice-cream, courtesy of our attentive and polite server, Tomohiro!
And here’s our parting shot with Tomohiro. Thanks for giving us such a pleasant experience at Gonpachi! This is one restaurant that I will definitely go back to when I next embark on a trip to Tokyo!
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A very belated Happy New Year

January 14, 2010 by Regina Chow 2 Comments
A couple of weeks before our new year’s eve party, our JC friends and us attended Caleb’s wedding.

So many pictures of us, but none included the bride and groom because our official event photographer, WQ, had to run a marathon the next day.



Outfit for the night:

A few weeks later, the same group gathered at our home for a cozy New Year’s eve party, with WQ as the official event photographer again. This time, we were in luck because there are no marathons on New Year’s day.

I thought some of his shots were pretty creative, such as the one of my kitchen door decal against the backdrop of my lighted christmas tree (above) and a rather comic one of our friend M behind our bamboo divider. M looks like he’s behind bars. His crime? Gluttony of course. Haha.

It’s been a while since we last got together for a catch up session (weddings not included) and I was actually pretty exhausted when the party began as I was the only one who went to work that very day.

Nonetheless, the peals of laughter and flowing conversations kept our energy levels so high that it was no miracle that the party went well into the wee hours of the morning!

The avid board gamers among us spurred the start of our board game craze.


We had great fun immersing ourselves in the board game culture and taking every opportunity to jeer at WQ, for relying on SX to play Lost Cities πŸ˜› and Caleb, for taking more interest in bimbotic pursuits.

Case in point: He who looks like he’s hard at work is actually playing Bubble Puzzle.
Otherwise, he’s seated comfortably on the couch, mesmerized by gorgeous christmas bling.


Another case in point: WQ under the guidance of SX
but still loses and insists this game is dumb hahahah
Men – they’re mind boggling sometimes.

Anyhow, time always flies when you are having fun. Before long, it was time to prepare for the countdown and toast to the new year! Earlier on, SX and Caleb had gone to get ice-cream while WQ followed Tam home to get her scrabble game. All of them got back in the nick of time!

Yummy chocolate ice-cream
After the countdown, it was time for an intensive scrabble session.Scary huh …everyone took the game very seriously.

Don’t our similar expressions scare you? But anyway, you may wish to note that JW always looks like he’s deep in thought even if he’s thinking about trivial matters such as his choice of underwear for the day.

Having massacred all our brain cells, it was finally time for us to call it a night and snuggle in bed. That spelled the end of our fun-filled night.

On a more sombre note, time is not by on my side these days, with an increasing workload, coupled with the prospect of being away from our sunny island in the coming months for an extended period on the pretext of work. Evidently, this is going to be a busy year for me.

I love a challenge, but beyond work, don’t we all wonder if we could throw caution to the wind and cast pragmatism aside by partaking in other activities that excite us and imbue our lives with relentless energy?

That is my resolution for 2010, to explore other aspects of life that I have yet to experience, ride the wave of excitement and thereby attain a level of spiritual satisfaction that far supersedes that of material satisfaction. Wish me luck, will you? πŸ˜‰

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Celebrations before the New Year

January 1, 2010 by Regina Chow 2 Comments
Happy New Year everyone! I apologise for not updating as regularly as I used to as I’ve been busy with numerous gatherings, otherwise known by my friends as my very long awaited house warming sessions in late December.

In early December, I also had a relatively quiet birthday celebration as I was really tied down with work. JW took me to Shashlik for dinner, a place that holds fond memories of the times when we were dating in our teenage years. Yes, we’ve been together that long!

Gorgeous flowers to mark the day that I was born – my favourite flowers are pale pink eustomas!


I asked for a hairdryer this year, but to my surprise, I received much more than what I had originally expected. Thank goodness it was supposed to be my Christmas prezzie too!
Fast forward to Christmas eve, we attended a party at Sushi’s place, where we got to know some new friends and also learnt to play a new board game, Gift Trap.
Outfit for the night comprised a drape assymetrical top with fringed back from topshop, sequinned skirt from bershka and cage heels from mphosis. Though I changed into flats for greater comfort later on, these are currently my favourite heels. Unfortunately, I have yet to wear them since, thanks to a toe injury that I sustained on Christmas day. πŸ™

Then on Boxing Day, it was time for our first housewarming session. We had about 20 people over at our house and it was truly a crowd! The TV was switched on but hardly anyone could hear what was going on and we were all shouting despite being seated so closely to one another. It was great fun though!


We also bought our first Christmas tree this year. JW spent 2 days decorating it to ensure that it was in time for our boxing day gathering. He did a splendid job, didn’t he? πŸ™‚

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Conrad Hotel Stay

December 25, 2009 by Regina Chow No Comments
Merry Christmas everyone! I’m interjecting my Japan posts (it’s never-ending isn’t it?) with a post on my recent stay at Conrad.

We had an enjoyable stay at the Conrad Hotel last weekend. It was the closest alternative to a get-away without physically leaving the sunny island. All we did was eat, drink (not alcohol but soup from Golden Peony and Oscar’s) and be merry (read: a lot of shopping, albeit mainly xmas shopping for colleagues) during this jolly season.

Some photos of my hair on the 1st day:
Decided to bun it up for a change.


The room was cozy but the decor was a little bare. The bed was extremely comfortable though.

The bathroom was huge in comparison to the rest of the room. Definitely to die for.
Outfit shots. I love my black top. JW said it makes me look like a bird. ;P


Hair and outfit shots for the 2nd day:



I don’t know if we were fortunate or unfortunate..but Space Furniture was having a 30% discount on many of its items so we stepped in and got ourselves a Phanton chair for the study.

We loved this M16 rifle lamp too but it’s way out of our budget. The price easily surpasses that of our new sofa.

Lazing on the chair with my favourite magazine, Home and Decor, which also happens to be JW’s most hated magazine because I keep adding new wants to my shopping list. Furniture shopping isn’t exactly a hobby that one should cultivate.


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Busy Birthday Week

December 8, 2009 by Regina Chow 4 Comments
I’m sorry I have not posted any of my buys from the Korea trip. I have been so swamped at work ever since I got back that I hardly have any time for myself. Today’s my birthday but I only managed to get off work at 7.30p.m. To think that I was supposed to be on afternoon leave!
Before I continue with my Japan trip updates, I thought I should post just one dress up for sale!;) This dress isn’t from my Korea trip but I fell madly in love with the nautical striped satin fabric. The cutesy bow in the middle lends a touch of playfulness to the entire outfit, making it perfect for the weekend. It’s very versatile as you can just throw a blazer over for work. Fits S-M best in my opinion as this is a tad loose for me.

For a better view of the dress, pls click on pics below. I have a brand new piece for sale, so do e-mail me at regina.chow@gmail.com if you are keen.
Price: S$28 PENDING

I bought a little birthday gift for myself from Ferragamo last weekend. It doubled up as a reward for working into the wee hours of the morning. πŸ˜‰ Now, my dark rings are even darker than before!!

Within the paper bag lies a pair of Carla bow pumps in bisque. There was a 30% discount on this baby and they had it in my size! I took the one with shorter heels (5cm) for greater comfort.

It happened to be a good hair and good skin day despite being deprived of sleep, if that’s any consolation. LOL

Alright, I’m gonna take a much deserved break for now. Sigh, it sure doesn’t feel like it’s the end of the year!

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Tokyo Midtown, Asakusa & Akihabara

November 28, 2009 by Regina Chow No Comments
My friend, M-san, very kindly hosted us to lunch @ cuisine francaise JJ (Tokyo Midtown Galleria Garden Terrace, 2nd fl.|9-7-4 Akasaka Minato-ku 107-0052 Phone: 03-5413-3445) in Midtown Tokyo.
Hors d’Ε“uvre – cauliflower mousse with caviar


Pumpkin soupChargrilled scallop with tempura battered fish
Some fish but I can’t remember the name πŸ˜›
And now, for my favourite part of any meal – desserts! We had a unique concoction of blueberry mousse topped with bubbly champagne. Absolutely divine.

My all-time favourite dessert – Creme BruleeWe were introduced to Yoshi, who played host for the rest of the afternoon. Don’t be deceived by his astute sense of fashion (I personally dig the lapel pin that he wore as it was in the shape of a sock)! He used to work for the Japanese Navy and he was telling us that he had to get ready for combat in one minute!! How very unlike Grace and myself. Both of us take a minimum of one hour to get ready. Well, I guess being a woman has its perks :P.
We went to Asakusa to visit Senso-ji after the meal.
First, we had to trawl through an entire row of shops selling a variety of traditional Japanese snacks and othe touristy knick-knacks.
This was our favourite snack but we can’t recall its name. It looks like moshi filled with red bean paste and it’s deep fried to perfection. It’s crispy on the outside yet soft and fluffy on the inside.


Yoshi urged us to get our fortune told. You slip 100 yen into a slot & then shake the cylindrical container till a stick drops out. Each stick has a number stated on it, and you would then have to open a small drawer with the corresponding number that you had picked for a slip of paper.

Coincidentally, both of us picked the same BAD lot!!!! We kicked up a huge fuss as we couldn’t believe it, having been fortunate enough to have met with so many kind and helpful friends who hosted us during the trip!

In a bid to console ourselves, I told Grace that it must be because 1) we don’t believe in the religion and 2) the temple was under renovation, hence the Gods could not really hear our prayers. πŸ˜› I must have said this umpteenth times, but I always believe that your future lies in your own hands, although we were both quite appalled when we received our lots.
Yoshi also arranged a 30 min rickshaw ride for us so that we could take in the sights and sounds of Asakusa in the comfort of our seats. Here’s Masa, our guide for the tour. He was a friendly and polite chap.


The geishas’ office in Asakusa. It really reminds me of a post office though ;).

We bade farewell to Yoshi at Akihabara. Thanks to him, we found out about a new girl group in Japan by the name of Akihabara 48 as he had engaged them to be his brand ambassadors. We were happily imitating their poses in our hotel rooms for the next couple of days. Catch us in action in my Kyoto posts later on.

We had a stroll along Akihabara. Along the way, we (erm actually maybe more of Grace? HAHA) were so captivated (albeit more shocked actually) by a 7-storey building filled with porn dvds and lecherous men in suits.

We then make our way back to Vinetoca at Tokyo Midtown to attend the birthday party of a famous Japanese rock star who is also the music producer for many renowned Japanese artistes. Despite the language barriers, we had a great time chatting (thanks to M-san for translating) and dining with the guests. I was also given the honour of presenting said rock star with his birthday present before the night came to an end. πŸ™‚

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Tsukiji Fish Market & Imperial Palace East Gardens

November 27, 2009 by Regina Chow No Comments
We woke up at 430a.m. in Japan to catch the most exhilarating auction experience ever at Tsukiji Fish Market.
Alas, vanity manifested itself at the wrong hour, hence we took longer than expected to arrive at the market. Grace had been eagerly awaiting for this day but by the time we arrived, the auction had ended and there were only 2 pathetic pieces of tuna left in the room!!!

With disappointment written all over our faces, we reluctantly took out our cameras to capture what was left of the auction earlier on.

Oh well, better than nothing right? πŸ˜›

The fish market is just like the wet markets you find in Singapore, except that you see a lot of interesting seafood here as well.


I especially like the picture of the fish roe!! Looks gross but I love it with sushi!!


Check out the clams! Each of them was the size of a fist!

Next up were yummy sea urchins. I first tasted sea urchin during my last trip to Tokyo during dinner at Nogawa Restaurant and I absolutely adored the taste! We were served by the owner of Nogawa Restaurant in a private room, and he prepared all the dishes in front of us. Apparently, Nogawa is MM Lee’s favourite Japanese restaurant, and he would definitely make it a point to have a meal there whenever he is in Tokyo.

The prawns were humungous as well. Don’t be deceived by the photo….they were as long as our forearm!!Queuing up to get into Daiwa Sushi (5-2-1 Tsukiji Central Ward 6, Tsukiji Fish Market 03-3547-6807) which was highly recommended by Lonely Planet.

Many of these motorized vehicles whizzed past us in multiple directions, threatening to knock us over at any minute. It was quite scary having to navigate in such an environment!!

The wait was mighty long, so we resorted to cam-whoring to while our time away.

Finally got in! The chef was a very kind and friendly old gentleman who allowed us to take photographs although there was this grumpy old woman who kept coming over to remind us that photos were prohibited. I guess she wanted us to finish up the food quickly and leave so that she can attend to more customers.
This shows perhaps just 70% of what we ate. Imagine having to eat such a huge portion for breakfast! We got sooo full thereafter that both of us ended up with indigestion!
We had the set menu, which cost us 3500 yen per person (approximate SGD 55), definitely our most expensive breakfast ever πŸ˜› Here’s what the set consisted of: hot green tea (duh!) miso soup with tiny clams, a small rosy pile of pickled ginger, nigiri sushi of 2x Toro (fatty tuna), Ama ebi (raw prawn), Uni (sea urchin), Anago (grilled eel), Tamago (sweet egg) and 3 small pieces of maguro maki (tuna roll) and Ikura (salmon roe).
After a hearty breakfast, it was time for us to work our asses off by taking a stroll at the Imperial Palace East Gardens (Kokyo Higashi Gyoen).


Haha I forced Grace to take a pic with me while she was happily chatting with her mum.

We also had great fun posing with the trees, autumn leaves, and cute little Japanese kids!

This little girl was so obliging. We asked her mum if we could take a photo and the girl literally just walked into our laps with a smile. On the contrary, her sis ran away, petrified. πŸ˜›

Grace was exhausted after playing with cute Jap kids…hahaha
Resting on a walkway. Autumn leaves provide such a fantastic backdrop.

Silly us secretly took some photos on this prohibited plot of land because the view was too pretty to resist! We got shooed by a security guard once, but we turned a deaf ear to him and continued to camwhore. Boy were we shameless hahaha!!

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About Me

Hi! My name is Regina and I am a style, beauty and travel enthusiast who enjoys writing, photography and letting my creative juices flow.

My blogging journey has been nothing short of exciting. I was recently named the winner of Her World Magazine’s Estee Lauder Style Superstar Awards 2016. My blog was also awarded Best Fashion Blog (Grand Winner) at the Singapore Blog Awards 2014. The year before that, it won Best Online Shopping Blog at the Singapore Blog Awards 2013.

Additionally, it is listed as one of the 10 interesting blogs on Singapore by AsiaWeb Direct (http://www-singapore.com/blogs.htm). I was also featured on both local and international mainstream media for my views on style, fashion and online shopping:

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For advertorials/partnerships, feel free to contact me at regina.chow@gmail.com.

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