Krabi island-hopping experience

Our long-tail boat

I've always been fascinated by the enchanting beauty and paradise-like portrayal of the islands of Thailand. The notion is propagated further more by Hollywood motion pictures bombarding us with the fantasy of 'come to Thailand, it's much more than sex trade haven and polite people'. Case in point: the movie The Beach where Leonardo DiCaprio was one of the main acting roles (although the film didn't fare well critically, there were lots of praises in regards to its beautiful cinematography, which was shot mainly in Krabi's Ko Phi Phi. That, alongside with super affordable flight tickets booked a year in advance (Air Asia's tagline Now Everybody Can Fly could never resonate better in this case), were among the reasons I chose Krabi as my next destination to explore.

Stuck in a rut

My blog is turning into one of those half-assed blogs which only post entries in average of ONCE a month. Am truly sorry for that. It's that same old excuse (work work work) which hinders me from mustering the spirit of a true blogger and providing at least some credible info for you guys. I'm putting the blame on this Obstetrics and Gynecology rotation which forces me to do every-other-day calls draining my much needed energy and enthusiasm, thank you very much.

Anyways, let me make it up for ya with pics from my not-so-recent vacation to Singapore. The purpose of the trip was an all-rounded one consisting of giving moral support to our high school orchestra team which took part for the wind orchestra competition at Singapore's Republic Polytechnic, shopping and lots of shopping. (well i wouldn't say shopping and seeing your school band perform is exactly an all-rounded trip but at times where life is not as carefree as it used to be all little things would matter). It was also a shame that I couldn't get the opportunity to re-unite with fellow blogger Dinie Rahman, which was part of the agenda, due to a very inconvenient date that I chose for this trip which did not really match his itinerary...

On a brighter note the trip was also the perfect platform for a bit of out-of-the-hospital dress up and style experimenting which I rarely get nowadays. All in all it was a helluva experience (which includes a fair amount of sight-seeing, being a bit touristy and driving straight from Johor Bahru and getting back straight to work for on call that morning itself!)

I especially love the Raffles Hotel which exudes the elegance of colonial architecture - looks like our neighbor did a pretty darn good job in preserving historical sites. This is the place where the multi-label store Front Row is. I did not buy anything from there even though I contemplated hard about purchasing the Doc Martens x Raf Simons collaboration gold and bronze patented shoes which were on sale.

I was wearing Ann Demeulemeester soft cotton tunic, German army pants from Amsterdam, Topshop pleated clutch, Zara patent lace-ups

This trip also revolved around Johor Bahru as well, as we stayed at Selesa hotel in JB (gone were the days of overspending for accommodation). A night out eating steamboat at this place the name of which I can't recall (the forgetful me needs a reminder from you) near the clock tower. JB at night was a dead town but there was a little spark of fun near the Malay quarter, especially at 'Pasar Karat' where old music from the P. Ramlee era was playing loud on the streets...

As usual the mindset is to trawl through Orchard Road at night, and the next day for last minute shopping as well. Lucky us Singapore was in the midst of having their Mega Sale. This was the perfect opportunity to grab some real bargains (50% off Lanvin clog shoes, 70% off Yohji Yamamoto print t-shirt) at Club 21 stores which is basically non-existent at the Malaysian branches.

I was wearing a thrifted jumper, Topshop print trousers, CK Calvin Klein perforated booties

We spent the last night  at Orchard Road luxury shop window-gazing. It was VERY late at night and were the only ones practically there (besides a couple of drunkards). This Hermes scarf is literally an art. I looove the intricacy of details on scarves like this.

I was particularly amazed at this 'Kelly En Perles' scarf with it almost 3D-like quality of beads / pearls print. I almost wanted to get my grubby mitts on it (unfortunately there was a glass in between us obviously)

TOD's new branch open at Paragorn (another gigantic mall with gigantic luxury labels - Gucci alone is THREE storeys high!)

And last but not least my outfit when we saw our school perform at Republic Polytechnic. It was a great day filled with music, fun and good friends...

I was wearing Zara blazer, Dries Van Noten soft cotton shirt, thrifted belt worn as necklace, U2 trousers, Adidas Originals boat shoes.

Oh yes, and a very Happy Merdeka Day!

The final installation...

...of the Singapore-related entry. And beware, 'cause it's going to be a rather lengthy one I might add.

Maybe you'll yawn if I say Orchard road for the n-th time, but I simply can't stop harping about this street. Whatever it is, they're all ready to celebrate Xmas this year with their full-blown neon decorations and a gigantic Christmas tree that is so humongous visitors can actually go inside the tree! Yes, below is how the inside of the tree looks like. Completely stunning...it's like watching the stars at night up-close.

Window shopping in ION Orchard can't even be any more fun than playing an illegal photo-blogger taking pictures of luxury brands window displays.

Marc Jacobs is always quirky with the fluorescent color and 80's styling (a bit overplayed these days but Marc still pulls it off quite well may i say).

Louis Vuitton - Waking up in Las Vegas anyone?

Luxury brands always have the best.. erm.. what-do-they-call-it billboard with their logos on. (please enlighten me for I could not find the proper term for it)

PRADA

Chanel - this I can use as my desktop wallpaper

Armani- Initially we're kind of impressed by the marble effect but upon closer inspection it's just some marble-print sticker which tend to peel of if scraped.Huh!

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The next, very fine day...

A short walk along Ann Siang Hill makes me want to live in Singapore (well in this part of town specifically) because all the shop houses are so adorable and still retain the original post-colonial architecture yet have a modern twist at the same time - most of these historical buildings are converted to design-conscious independent boutiques, art galleries or quaint little cafes. And the painted? tiles remind me of the ones in Malacca. I went to Style:Nordic, the brands that they carry are quintessentially Swedish (with heavyweight Swedish labels like Tiger of Sweden, Filippa K  and Minimarket .It was a bit unfortunate that the shop owner (a Scandinavian man himself I presume) did not allow me to take pics of his well-arranged pieces including very typically Scandinavian decor items and kitschy gift pieces...

A trip to an art/design/fashion bookstore that I couldn't remember the name...The fact that they have this somewhat romantic poem on the drape of their storefront allures me to enter the premise.

The photography book by the renowned Juergen Teller (remember those Marc Jacobs ads?)

Another random kitschy item! I presume the rolled films are from their visitors' collection (or perhaps the shop-owners' themselves). I'm intrigued by what's inside the film with the tag 'Rojak'..

Suddenly this simple tote reminds me of the 6 years spent in Russia...what's written on the bag you wonder? It's 'camera'.

And  time to snap some outfit pics!

THIN HO association? I did not realise it until I posted this entry... cracked me up instantly HAHAHA!

I'm wearing Carolyn Massey for Topman sailor shirt, H&M jeans, vintage shoes, vintage envelope clutch, Guess watch

 

Shopping in Singapore and high-fashion substitutes

It's hard not to notice a bright entrance like this one!

Shopping in Singapore somehow is more enjoyable and somewhat fulfilling for fashion enthusiasts like me in comparison to KL. Not to belittle my own country but after being at the  famous Orchard Road which houses tons of brands not available in KL itself I almost made a pact not to shop in KL anymore ( okay that pact will only materialize if I have a bank account with endless digits in it)

ION Orchard. Okay now we're talking.

The best example is Club 21- Lots of cult labels are stocked in the multi-labeled store which is perched quite discreetly in the unassuming Hilton building. Japanese fashion heavy weights like Yohji,  Jun Takahashi and the likes are all stocked, despite in a rather limited quantity in the double-floored boutique. European big brands like Lanvin, McQueen and Margiela are there too. Had only they were on sale (which according to my friend are heavily discounted come Xmas Day) i would even consider purchasing something that I'd appreciate wearing for the rest of my mundane fashion-less life.

This is not Hilton

Oh, not to forget Hilton itself houses standalone boutiques- say hello to Dries Van Noten (who happened to have the most creative window display - a Christmas tree made  of colorful light bulbs) and Balenciaga - with their key piece this season i.e the draped skirt (I like to call it the diaper effect) on display!

It goes without saying that a substitute for my endless high-fashion crave had to be found on Orchard Road itself. As a pauper I found myself in the middle of Isetan Exhibition Hall avidly studying  50-60% off CK Calvin Klein items  before making up my mind...I finally went home with a black nylon bag with an additional compartment a la a newspaper stuck on tothe briefcase( I've seen it before but I can't remember what dandy  label the original idea came from...any heads up?)

The second item that made the way into my wardrobe is these perforated ladies booties?. Very YSL caged boots Dinie said. Yes, indeed.

All in all it was  rather enjoyable / somewhat fulfilling being able to purchase something similar that I saw in KL last season with a a double price markup. Well at least the booties are 100% leather!

What I wore to meet Dinie- a thrifted Tesco blazer with DIY studs on the shoulders, Weekend tee, H&M jeans, newly-bought CK perforated booties. Accessories: eBay vintage clutch and Guess watch

We live in a Mykro

Hello boys and girls! I've been quiet for a while (cue same ol' excuses...) but not without something interesting brewing in my rather ordinary life.

So last week I went to Singapore, and there I was thinking FINALLY it's time to visit the Lion City.

I like to think it as a short getaway from the hustle and bustle of hospital life - yes it was short- I only took 2 days off!' Apart from sightseeing and shopping of course it was the perfect opportunity to meet my blogger pal Dinie Rahman. And you might have noticed that he's also one of the contributors for Mykromag (the online magazine currently grabs fashion industry attention with its minimalistic content, features about and interviews with avant garde designers)

It's a shame that the meet-up was rather a brief one because we only could meet the last day I was in Singapore.(actually shame on me for responding to Dinie's facebook message last minute!) Ridhwan Sesapar also was supposed to come along but he had some military activities that day (hmmm...what do you guys do at military camps? sounds naughtily seductive!) ). Well it's okay that he couldn't come along because he drew me the perfectest caricature version of my bobble head. :)

It was a good time having a chat with Dinie - we talked about fashion, life in both of our countries, and about how underpaid I am working in Malaysia LOL! He also handed me a copy of Valentino- the Last Emperor (a documentary of which I think is really amazing with Mr Valentino leaving the designing scene after all these years of beautiful couture productions)

Alas, we were so time-constrained that the conversation had come to an abrupt ending. And my shyness upon meeting new people is definitely getting in the way of a better understanding of a person and more importantly to have fun! (I keep telling myself to stop holding back :(... Anyhow it was a memorable experience, and please come to KL you guys, I promise I'll take leaves specially for you!

Fun at Avillion Part Trois

My final day at Avilion was concluded with this sailor stripes on the cardigan and some blue/grey/ white combo (works all the time for my random outfit woe, methinks). I also had a whimsical trend moment with the pants-underneath-shorts action going on - a trend that I'd like to see more in reality instead of in lookbooks/ runways, although sadly the thought of layering TWO bottoms makes me think sweat and uncomfortable crotch....

Another random 'old-clothing' fact is the shorts are my dad's (I'm pretty sure they're more than 10 years old). Albeit the looseness of the waist I still like to wear them, although I think it's time to take some of the excess fabric in...

Peoples... cardigan, B.U.M grey tee, dad's shorts, customised lady's pants, Lacoste plimsolls

And the architecturally interesting spa building near our chalet....

Fun at Avillion Part Deux

 I've fallen back ill at home and with the fear of contracting the ubiquitous Dengue fever these past few days, hence the process of blogging (and preparing to be recruited for work) seems a bit slow for me.  Heck I was not even online for the past few days... the throbbing headache basically deterred the will power that I thought I had in me all this while. Let's pray my parents and I recover soon and regain back our health...

On a brighter note, as promised here are the continuation of pictures from the previous post...

You know what's so funny about being hooked to bargain hunting? No matter where you look there's almost always an opportunity to grab something  that's not only cool but won't burn a hole in my thinning wallet either.

I found this Pajama pant at Giant for a measley RM6. That doesn't even reach the amount of 2 Euros I tells ya! It's actually meant for girls but what attract me to purchase this pant (besides the dirt cheap price) is the adorable basketball/football print. Plus the sizing is perfect for a person slightly challenged in the height department (me!) and being a sleeping garment the fabric is soo soft, I plan to wear it out more often!

And this wool Kyuso jacket (still a label that I Googled but to no avail) had a minor facelift after some sequin action that I put on the right pocket flap. Details? I'll be showing you guys next time, as I'm afraid I'm so pressed for time blogging for the time being!

Kyuso cropped wool jacket, B.U.M shirt, Giant PJ pant, H&M striped socks, Lacoste plimsolls
 

Until next post dear readers! (which undoubtedly will be more sporadic, as I'm currently at the induction course and soon after that I'll be immediately working :)