The Siren Call of the Local Blog Shop

I've been shopping way too much lately - I just tabulated the total amount spent on clothes alone this month and I am rather appalled at myself. :(

After all, why would I need 25 new pieces of clothes every month??

I'm no fashionista, much as I imagine myself one. Neither am I some hot-shot PR girl whose appearance must precede her. Or some well-turned out magazine writer who has to walk the talk.

If anything, all I'm required to do is turn up every morning at work. What I wear is more or less up to me, and it very much depends on the main agenda for the day. So on days with meetings that require me to be in the presence of senior management, I put on a more formal dress or pencil skirt. On days that I'm doing something that requires those creative juices to flowwww, I throw together something more...fun. On slow days where there simply isn't much to do, I pull out the first thing I see in my wardrobe and leave it as that. (Of course, my wardrobe is already so well-stocked with pretty pieces that pulling any "random item" out is rather a safe bet in itself.) In short - my job doesn't require me to be all dolled up.

There are way more important things to do with my salary.

Things I should be saving up for, and investments I should be making.

The thing is, shopping of this scale has been unprecedented for me... Up to the point where I discovered the Blog Shop.

People who take their fashion seriously may thumb their noses at the sheer massness of the blog shop, but I do not discriminate (much, that is).

Blog shop designs are "inspired" from high-street labels, which are themselves already products ripped off the runway. As it is, I happen to belong to the camp that believes that fashion should be accessible, so I am glad that I have discovered this particular avenue of shopping.

What makes blog shopping so accessible and addictive can be put down to three very straightforward reasons.

1) Prices that are "very reasonable"
Ask yourself: how often have you told yourself, "$27 for this Zara-inspired dress is very reasonable, especially when the original at Zara is retailing for $79.90!"
I'll be the first to admit that I repeat this phrase to myself at least once a week, whenever a new collection is launched. Even if a piece isn't "inspired", it doesn't deter me from wanting to get myself a bargain-priced item or two... Or four or five.

This is but one of the many "inspired" designs I'd bought off a local blog shop in recent times.
What I have here is a Zara "inspired" top from Catwalkclose, all mine for the fabulous price of SGD$18.00!
With the intricate pleated neckline and the beautiful shade of vermillion - I hardly cared if I saw the original Zara piece myself.

Image credits to: http://catwalkclose.livejournal.com/71161.html#cutid1

So you can sort of see how the math adds up, and how one might lose track of how many pieces of value-for-money apparel one might end up stocking up on.

Case in point: me.
From last week to this, I have bought 8 items from one of my favourite local blog shops, Her Velvet Vase.
EIGHT. From just one shop.

Some of my fabulous aforementioned buys include:

This super cute on-trend red faux leather skirt for SGD$24.00.
Perfect for days at work when I want to exude a tougher biker-girl vibe.
(Trust me, there are days when I need to look like I can't be taken for a joy-ride.)

Image credits to: http://hervelvetvase.com/blog/category/latest-collection/



A dreamy chiffon maxi in one of Fall 2011's favourite colours - a deep red - for SGD$29.00.
For my upcoming beach honeymoon in the Phi Phi islands.

 Image credits to: http://hervelvetvase.com/blog/category/latest-collection/


This delectable laced confection for SGD$25.00.
Laced anything is so Fall 2010 and Spring 2011, and this elegant and subtly sexy trend seems set to continue for yet another 6 months, if Fall 2011 is anything to go by.
Me? I don't need the trend reports to tell me that I should get some lace.
Lace and me are this close.
Even my wedding gown is made completely of lace (and here, I have to state that I've wanted to get married in a vintage lace wedding gown WAY before the Duchess of Cambridge made thousands of ladies scramble to hop onto the lace wedding gown band wagon with her specially designed Sarah Burton creation.)


Image credits to: http://hervelvetvase.com/blog/category/archives/



2) Access 24/7, from the screen of your smart phone to the desktop at work
I can shop while I'm on the train (if my fingers are fast enough), I can shop from the comfort of my own soft bed, I can shop (very sneakily) from the desktop during office hours. I can shop first thing when I get up in the morning at 6:30AM, I can shop during lunch hour at 12PM, I can shop while whiling away some downtime at work at 3:15PM, I can shop after dinner at 8PM, I can shop myself to sleep when I'm plagued by insomnia at 2:45AM.
Need I say more?


3) New items that are added practically weekly
Local blog shops re-stock their digital shop fronts almost every week. Most girls who frequent online stores have at least 5 that they frequent. (I personally have a list of 7 blog shops that I loyally purchase from every month or so.) That would place at least 15-30 new products within the easy mouseclick of the average girl in a single week alone.

Now, which human being does not like new things?
The pretty pack of rainbow coloured magic pens you got when you were 5, and refused to surrender to that younger sister albeit your mother's frequent reminders to share? How about the new Barbie you spotted at Toys'R'Us and you so desperately wanted when you were 7, that you begged your daddy for it and he only promised to buy it for you when you get that A+ in spelling?
Yeah - that's exactly it.

To even further illustrate, here's my schedule of my own list of personal favourite blog shops that have "launched" new "collections" (oh yes, there's a whole lingua de franca in this whole blog shopping experience as well) over the last week or so:

18 August: The Tinsel Rack
20 August: Megagamie
23 August: The Velvet Dolls
24 August: Her Velvet Vase
25 August: Love, Bonito

There're new stuff available to be bought almost every day. This seemingly neverending shopping spree I get to partake in is scary... and unimaginably fun. :P

Add the sense of achievement one is saturated with upon securing that coveted dress that (presumably) 100 other girls are snatching for with fastest-typing-fingers-first, and the well-put together outfits from the labels of the blog shop owners themselves that these savvy business ladies have published on their blogs that normal ladies want to emulate (and believe they can achieve since these very same pieces of clothing are being sold by the dozens)..

And you have a winning formula!
Who then, can blame me for falling into such a winsome past-time?

Nonetheless, addictive past-time or no, I think I have to cut down on my expenditure in this aspect.
Although, I have to admit that procuring clothes in this way is extremely stress-relieving on top of being addictive.
Those well-turned-out ladies with the business sense to have bought into the trend when they did of operating a blog shop certainly got their formula right ;)

 Budgeting is key, and knowing my priorities.
As is keeping track of my expenditure. There is something absolutely frightening in tabulating the total amount I have spent on online shopping in a month - but I force myself to do it anyway cos it makes me keep track of things and forces me to be aware of reality.

I'm done with shopping for the next 3 weeks.

87 days from today

Counting down the number of days till I become Mrs. Clement Chua:

there are exactly 2 months and 27 days from today.

How do I feel about it?

Too many things. A little afraid, but mostly excited.

Very tearful at having to move out from the place I've called home for the last 18 years, even more so at the thought that I will no longer wake up to the familiar morning wake-up call of my dad that I've been so used to ever since I was in Primary school.

This has been my home for so long, in more than the physical sense.

I've played countless games in front of the TV on the Playstation with the baby sister in my teenage years over the holidays (we could spend weeks on end glued to the console just trying to finish up a game). Had so many pyjama parties with the cousins as we were all growing up. And when I was older, had endless sleepovers with Trina either in my room or hers, movie-marathoning or exploring the world of Azeroth in World of Warcraft. Pizza parties, very simple home-cooked dinners, the kampung spirit that still permeates my home since much of my family lives in the same estate.

I will miss all that home has meant to me, for sure.

Heck, typing the last few lines is already making me tear..!

But the future promises much, too, and I must not let nostalgia overwhelm me.

I just hope with all my heart that my - our - dreams: of pursuing our Masters education abroad, seeing the world together, designing and building the space we will call home in the future, and eventually having a family of our own - will not remain dreams.

In case you all were wondering where Snooze has gone... Nowhere!

Such a cutie ain't she!

I love scratching her. But being a cat, she's quite temperemental.

How does a colour palette inspired by sorbet-melon grab you?

Clem hated it, but I thought it was pretty cute :P

WIW:

 Chiffon top in duck egg green from the UK

Pants in rose from Hollyhoque

Brunch at City Hall one of the Sundays.

One of the best ways to spend a lazy Sunday.

(Other than going for a facial or a massage, that is.)

Vintagey outfit and curls for brunch.

(Both crochet outer piece and crimson midi skirt are from Hollyhoque)

Someone's looking pensive..

Our first taste of Bakerzin was that of a chocolate bun, and a bacon danish pastry.

Very yummeh stuff there ;)

Our beloved church bell tower by the evening light.

The wedding gift from Oli - a pretty bundle of books with nuggets of wisdom.

Our pictures together always turn out blurry / off-centre.

Nonetheless, two is still better than one.

Two months and twenty-seven days, love.

When a Friday night is spent alone at home...

It's a Friday night, and I'm home playing Kingdom Rush before switching to The Sims.

And I will end my lovely Friday night in bed with a book.

Spending Friday night at home seems to make the time pass slower, somehow.

I've managed to do some housekeeping, as well as some major grooming tasks on top of vacuuming my room. Just how productive is that! :P

Right now, right here, I'm just savouring the thought of the next two days stretching out before me.

(And totally not thinking about the upcoming week at work, which is going to be soooooooo busy for me.)

I think a large aspect of enjoying the weekend has to do with looking forward to it.

I most certainly am! 

Here I go, inching my way into the next two days...

Cheers to a fabulous weekend ahead ;)

Credits to flickr.com

Literature & Life #1: To Live

For memory's sake,

especially since there's just too much going on for me to keep proper track of things:

TIME's All-Time 100 Novels List.

I should be reading a lot more than I have been;

the world's vaster than my desk at work, my bed at home and my upcoming wedding combined.

So I have a new resolution: I shall read one book off TIME's list every fortnight.

Last night while sitting on the swing, Clem and I were discussing about how the society we are a part of inhibits fullness of being, clips the wings of our imagination, sucks us dry. We are myopic, flat, uninspired, tepid - too focused on what we stand to gain from our successes than in how these experiences have enriched us and added another facet to our lives. Pragmatism is the disease of our society, the cancer that leaves us so empty with no space to dream and pursue those same dreams. There's no place for romance, no space for doing things solely for the heady rush of doing them, no time to savour each moment. I'm not saying these don't exist, but they're rare and sparse among us who are bogged down by neccessities.

This might perhaps illustrate my analogy above a little better:

I see myself as a raw gemstone, with every experience big or small, significant or seemingly insignificant, adding another facet to me. Adding to my brilliance, changing the way I reflect and appear to others, changing the way I am made up, changing who I am. In that same vein, all the arts should function that way on top of their entertainment value.

So in short, books feed my soul, are a means for me to experience the larger world outside my current circumstance, shape me. Some people have their music, others have their art, theatre or dance. I have my literary pursuits, for a lack of a better word. Reading, writing, reading, and then writing again - all in the attempt to add on layer upon layer of vicarious experience and ideas onto myself.

Travelling, too.

But I tell myself there's a time for that, there will be a time for that, though that time is not now.

(Can't possibly be travelling to one new destination a week - much as I would love to - , can I?)

So many financial responsibilities, so little time, and just one of me.

Some Instagrams that sometimes seem more accurate in their filtered distortions than real life itself.

After all, perception and life as a whole, is a lot more subjective than we'd like to admit.

  

In a (poor) attempt at captioning:

Dusk and night sky, twilight interstitiality, pop colours, sameness/difference, glass half full.

Wedding Preparation #2: Unbecoming Bridezilla

This is not a wedding post per se.

I guess what this is is that I'm trying to remind myself to be less narrow-minded, especially with so much going on around me. It's so easy to slip into the bridezilla persona, thinking that the whole world revolves around me and my big day - and that my intolerance and grumpiness is entirely justified.

Notice how many brides act unreasonably and throw hissy fits when things don't go their way - and even more strangely, how their family and friends accept this sort of behaviour without so much as telling Bridezilla to get a grip? Bridezilla has been normalized by one-too-many Hollywood comedies about the antics of grown, intelligent women.

But this doesn't mean that such behaviour is even all right to begin with, and I've begun to re-examine my own behaviour leading up to my wedding.

And hopefully, halt my transformation into the Bridezilla I've derided ever since I've been introduced to her.

As much as I am excited about my wedding, as much as I may think other people are as excited as I am to see me in my beautiful white gown gliding down the aisle, the fact is that I have placed my own wedding on a pedestal. Friends may be understanding about my one-too-many cancellations or no-shows cos of all the wedding planning lined up in my schedule - but I should not assume that my wedding is of the utmost importance between now and 19 November.

Life does go on, whirring on around me. There are other important events that I need to attend to. Birthdays of friends and family, farewells, weekly family gatherings, even work datelines (much as it pain me to keep track of a dateline when my bosses don't seem to care or even know what a "dateline" mean).

As a bride-to-be, it has struck me at the inherent selfishness the entire wedding preparation process results in. We - or I - assume that friends and family should and will help me in whatever needs to be done. When they are unable to do so for whatever reason, I unconsciously immediately feel hard done by.

"To act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God"

- is precisely what I'm called to do every day, in every way.

The prophet Micah spoke wisely, but his advice is not easy in the least. 

In the face of so much activity, I am more often than not overcome by irritation, cattiness, and generally unbecoming behaviour, brought about by exhaustion from the day-to-day drudgery and the whirlwind of wedding preparation.

I'm not trying to make excuses for myself, but this is what it is:
My day time job has taken over my most of my life, my wedding preparation has taken over what's left of it.
I try to find time every week to meet up with various dear girl friends, which leaves me with almost no time for alone time for personal rest and relaxation, or time with Clem just doing non-wedding-related stuff.

I am not complaining about the way I'm spending my time, please don't get me wrong!
But I do think that some re-prioritizing needs to be done here, without compromising on all the responsibilities and other roles I have - work, wedding planning, friends, family... As I throw myself into all the activity around me, I'm also too aware of the lack of alone time. Which has, ironically, left me ever more alienated from people than ever.
Amid all the time spent with people doing things, I've become increasingly less emphatic to people in general. As I plan for what is arguably the hugest event of my life thus far, I belittle other people in my exhaustion-induced-irritability. 

Which is why Micah's extortion to "act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly" is such a tall order for me, especially in this season of my life.

But I shall try, with three months to go.
You're all more than welcome to remind me of my resolution whenever it seems that I'm slipping. ;)


***


And for those of you who are (still) interested after having read what I think about being over-excited about my own wedding, I'll end this entry with some pictures chronicling some of my wedding (or new home) related activities. Even though I may resolve to unbecome bridezilla - I am STILL very much excited :D

On one of the weekends, Clem and I went to get stuff for his room - you know, the one that's gonna be OURS in a short 3 months 4 days. It's funny cos our priorities might seem a lil messed up - one of the first items we got was not a wardrobe, not a bed, not even a book shelf... But a TV. 

Shows you our priorities, huh. Hurhur.

 

So anyway, new TV aside (which we haven't gotten round to installing yet - we'll only be able to do so after the room's been painted and the new chest of drawers that we got as a table for the TV arrives)... 

You can also see my new Kate Spade bag! :P

No, I do not have aspirations to marry a Private Secretary to a minister.

I'd gotten it through the 99% Reebonz sale that took place about a month ago, where all items in the sale were going for 1% of their original price. It was an extremely good bargain, and the buy was all the sweeter because it was quite difficult to gain access into the private sale! I had to be among the first 100 to obtain a code.. And obviously, I was! 

So YES. Best deal of the year, and I will definitely try to participate again next year!

WIW:

Tulip sleeved top in mustard from Hollyhoque

Bohemian Eyelet Skirt in navy from Her Velvet Vase

Woven straw bag with neon yellow accents from Kate Spade via Reebonz

Sandals in nude from Tangs Studio

So the next day, we went shopping for our flower girl dresses + went to pick up our wedding bands.

Such a productive weekend, that was!

I'd noticed that the dresses in this really delightful kids' wear shop were displayed in my wedding theme of pink, pistachio and cream!

That caught my attention for sure ;)

 

Clem and I decided to get our flower girls to don pistachio dresses instead of the usual sweet pink colour palette a lot of flower girls are decked out in! For a tad more zest, spunk and attitude ;)

We're gonna remove the ribbon pin on the shoulder strap though.. It looks a little too big and stiff for my liking.

 

Dinner that night was at Ajisen for a steaming bowl of ramen.

Don't really like their ramen there though.. It's not really value for money, nor does it taste exceptional or anything. Doubt I will be heading back there again anytime soon!

We'd only stepped in out of convenience and desire to avoid the long queues elsewhere.

Quick WIW:

Pleated bandeau top in gunmetal from Catwalkclose

Floral print skirt from H&M

Sweet pink faux leather bag from Vincci

Studded leather sandals in black from Aldo

And of course... The highlight of that weekend:

Simple and classic with that right touch of sparkle.

Just how I envision my wedding day to be. :)

Random Thought #1

Wedding Preparation #1: Leaving the Past Behind

There are so many things to do in anticipation for a wedding.

I personally never imagined how much stuff there would be do to, in preparation for just that one day.

On top of the traditional wedding tasks to have to get done, I was surprised to find myself having to grapple with the gargantuan prospect of having to move out of my comfy room with all my piles, cupboards, racks, shelves, and drawers of possessions. Everything I own in this world is contained within the 4 walls of my room (okay so the shoes are downstairs, but that's just a technicality isn't it?) - so having to store all my things in preparation of moving out is really no mean feat.

I had initially thought that the toughest hurdle I'd have to cross would be to squeeze my two cupboards of clothes into a couple of boxes to be brought to Clem's room post-marriage. To be honest, I haven't started on that yet, but we'll cross that bridge only when I have to, eh? ;)

So anyway. As I prepare for my future with the husband-to-be, it's inevitable that I have to shed bits of my past, to make space for what lies ahead. Suffice to say, there's a hell lot of junk that I've accumulated over the last 18 years of life in my room. Massive doesn't even cut it. And I'm not just talking about the physical, tangible stuff that I cleared over the National Day holiday - of which I chucked out 7 bags full. 

It's what's in those bags of things I threw away that for me, made the task more momentous that packing those 2 cupboards of clothes into a couple of boxes.

When I decided to clear my stuff, I decided to do it both cold-heartedly, and whole-heartedly. I'm the sort that forms emotional attachments to people rather easily, much less inanimate objects. (This is the reason why I prefer to put up a detached front because otherwise, I'd just be a snail without its shell.) Among many items I threw out were outdated statements, old accessories, half-written-in notebooks, and 15 years of diaries.

The last type of item that I chucked out was the toughest to let go of, I'll admit. Sentimentality is one of my biggest weaknesses. Over-reaction is probably another. But I had to steel myself to just throw all those volumes out, because I want to be totally free of everything that has dogged me prior to where I am now. All those insecurities, childhood fears, teenage angst - they're gone, over, finito. I don't wish to relive any of those moments, I don't wish to bring them with me into my future that holds so much. Nothing. 

Admittedly, there were certain volumes I had more trouble throwing away, and those were the diaries I'd written in most recently. But truth be told, the last entry I'd written was back in 2008. It's been 3 years since. I no longer need to cling on to those. I haven't opened my diaries since I wrote my last entry. That's pretty telling, and I thought I might as well make a clean purge of it all. Looking back, I think it was quite brave of me to just chuck all 15 years of my life down the rubbish chute without bothering to tear out the pages or at least attempt to protect my privacy somehow. But that's done, and you know, I think I don't care enough about what's in there to bother. There's nothing incriminating, nothing really worth reading save a ton of teenage angst and bitterness. 

It feels good to not have all that baggage with me as I move on ahead. I do feel a lot more liberated somehow, by that one act of throwing my written past into the bin. As much as the future will always be tempered by the past, there is no need for me to keep harping on it. (Note to self: good practice in general, and there's no need to keep harping on the fiancé's past either!)

Credits to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/reason/60170120/

Brides-to-be, maybe you'd want to consider doing this too. Trust me, just harden your heart and take that plunge. You'll feel a lot lighter moving forward. 

I just have, and I do. :)

Some sneaks from my informal shoot with Melody back in March below.

3 months and 7 days to go!

Here's to another hectic weekend of wedding work!

I can't stop time, but a snapshot does - sort of...

The days and weeks are passing by so quickly, I'm starting to take each week for granted.

When I should be relishing every second of life, I find myself wishing the precious seconds of each day away, willing them to slip by more quickly just so the weekend will come again.

I daresay I'll look back at my foolishness with regret when I'm old and I no longer have more time left on earth than time I have spent, living. I hope I won't ever have to bitterly regret my fecklessness, so I reckon it's time to treat each second that ticks by with a little more respect and care.

They say that you don't know what you don't have until you no longer have it - and I think it's too true albeit being entirely overdone. Nonetheless, I have to admit that there's much wisdom in old adages.

 The past two-and-a-half days of my weekend have been so full, I've been so very blessed!

But before I turn my thoughts to the weekend that has just passed, I want to cast my mind further back to the past two weeks, if only in a feeble attempt to slow down the passage of time and to force myself to pause before charging right onwards to the next weekend, when my life is always the fullest.

Here's a quick peek of the last two weeks that have just gone by, in random pictures:

We try and eat healthy, but we fail more often than not :/

Our one-week marathon of the Harry Potter movie series, which culminated in us being blown away by the finale at the Lido IMAX theatre in 3D :)

What a superb ending to the fantasy tale that marked my teenage life, I must say!

I am a teensy bit sad that there's not gonna be any Harry Potter to look forward to from hereon, but I was just telling Clem that this means we have other new series just waiting to be discovered and loved.

Lovely colours of a random fruit salad we made somewhere in the week :)

My favourite dishes whenever we dine at Sushi Tei (which is pretty often, from the looks of it):

Grilled salmon + cod roe sushi; salmon sashimi salad with sesame dressing.

As always, my weekly post of my triple F (Favourite Furry Feline) :P

My favourite question for Clem whenever we're walking towards his place is: Awake, asleep or MIA?

It's tough cos I think she's got a secret life.

You know cats - they've all got some sort of secret life or the other.

Dressing up wise...

I've been loving vintage looks lately.

Retro polka dots (which is a huge Fall 2011 trend), high-waisted bottoms, bright splashes of colour in blocks or prints, high collars, pussy bows...

As you can see from my pic above, these threads make me high!

WIW in this outfit:

Orange polka-dotted oat coloured tee from Zara

Highwaisted dark denim jeans from The Tinsel Rack

Light camel ballet flats from Topshop

Brown leather satchel from Bimba & Lola

More on my super productive weekend in my next post, I PROMISE :D:D

In the meanwhile... Happy National Day holiday everyone!

I'm gonna be spending mine doing a lot of packing, hopefully..

Hope you're looking forward to yours as much as I'm looking forward to mine! :)