Hong Kong, New Zealand and Indonesia in 6 weeks

3 countries in 6 weeks was madness when you equate that to a total of 8 flights and 62 hours up in the air. I'm going to condense all that in.......a single blog post.






Onboard the Aqua Luna. Probably the most relaxing thing we did in Hong Kong. They have these day beds on the upper deck where you could kick back and chill out with a glass of complimentary tipple. The light breeze and gentle rocking of the boat as it sailed from Tsim Sha Tsui pier to Central was enough to put my jet lagged self to sleep.







The real Hong Kong.






The make believe Hong Kong........I mean Disneyland. The girls (Lil L and her cousin) LOVED it while their mothers looked like death warmed over. 36˚C heat and high humidity are a killer combination. Not to mention lots of strategic maneuvers to deter a few fierce mainland Chinese tourists from jumping the queue MULTIPLE times and pushing our kids away from us. Scary.








I can't help but heap mega compliments on the amazing Crystal Lotus restaurant at Disneyland Hotel. The service, setting and beautiful chandelier...... I had to make a reservation and pre-order these special character dim sum. Not cheap but definitely worth the splurge. The character dim sum weren't only beautiful to look at, they were absolutely scrumptious. Just don't get the jellies...... They were kind of meh....

The staff really went out of their way to ensure that certain ingredients weren't added into my food. This is a lifesaver for those of us with severe food allergies or intolerances.






Next up.............New Zealand





It'd been 5 years since I've been back home to New Zealand. There were lots of catch-ups with family members and old friends, some of whom I haven't seen in 20 years.






I decided to take my parents and Lil L on a road trip, traversing through the Mackenzie Country on the alpine route to Queenstown. The journey took an extra 2 hours (a total of 8 hours) because we HAD to stop here and there to gawk at the stupendous landscape with snow capped mountains in the background. My parents and Lil L had just discover photography so all three disappeared in a flash the minute I stopped the car. Okay, okay.....so did I.




A quick flight from Christchurch to Auckland and then onwards to Hong Kong with an overnight stay before yet another flight to Jakarta AND a shuttle to Bandung. Yes, I'm feeling exhausted just reading this too.






A makeshift cafe utilizing recycled metal containers as stools. European style cafes are only just beginning to become increasingly trendy in Indonesia even though the country is ranked 4th in the world for coffee production. Surprisingly, the figure doesn't translate to actually having a coffee drinking culture like we do here in the west but that's starting to change now.







Traditional kue (Indonesian spelling) or kuih, as they're called in Malaysia. I made my poor cousin drive me back to Sari Sari twice because I couldn't get enough of their delectable snacks.






Dusun Bambu directly translates to bamboo village. The architecture and interior have an undeniably bamboo theme which made the place so unique. It has a resort feel where you can hire a bamboo hut or a suspended bamboo pod (no, I'm not kidding!) for a meal and a snooze fest.






The floating market in Bandung was a little gimmicky. There weren't many operating food sampans when we were there. Food hygiene wasn't high on their list either. Having had a 24 hour fever and an upset tummy from suspected food poisoning, I wasn't particularly keen to risk another episode of pain.



6 weeks of traveling came and went in a blur. Before I knew it, we were back in the U.K. As you can tell, I'd completely forgotten about outfit photos while I was away.





Wearing a 5 (or was it 6?) year old Karen Walker dress, panama hat, K.Jacques St Tropez sandals and CLUSE watch (available in the U.K here).






This Isabel Marant parka has been featured so often on this blog that you're all probably sick of it. I managed to nab this Isabel Marant dress on eBay from a reader. Lucky coincidence, I should add! Did you notice my blinged out Miu Miu sunglasses? A bling or two doesn't cut it so I might as well go all out.





Isabel Marant jacket, T by Alexander Wang t-shirt and R13 crossover waxed jeans.

My "can't be arsed to dress up" outfit which consists of The Kooples hoodie, The Kooples sweatpants, Golden Goose sneakers, Miu Miu sunglasses and ASOS t-shirt (amazing tee for only £6!!)

1 Lace Top, 2 Ways

Outfit: Miu Miu sunglasses, Vanessa Bruno lace top, Etoile Isabel Marant ruffled skirt, K.Jacques St Tropez sandals.



Outfit: Vanessa Bruno lace top, Frame jeans, Petit Bateau nude vest, Hermes Garden Party tote and K.Jacques St Tropez sandals.

Over here in the U.K, we get what I'd call blink and you'll miss it summer. I've given up allocating unnecessary hard earned money to fund my summer wardrobe. I've spent more time wrapped up in my parka than wearing cute summer dresses. Forgive me if you see plenty of recycling over here on my blog. Most of what I'm wearing are from yesteryears which you've all seen many times before. 

I've been thinking of ways I can add a dressier summer top to my existing wardrobe which can also be worn when the colder months come around again. I was trawling Vestiaire Collective (as I normally do when I've got a moment to spare) and came across this near new lace top from Vanessa Bruno Spring/Summer 2015 collection at a steep discount. Of course, I was too cheap to spring £300  for the same thing the previous year. As you probably know, the French designers are notorious for their itty bitty sizing so I sized up to a 40 as opposed to my usual 36/38. 

Surprisingly, I could get away with wearing a nude bra underneath because of the thicker knit but the lace material also kept me cool under the blistering summer heat. I wore a Petit Bateau nude vest (second photo) when the temperature dipped below 20˚C. The best thing about a well made lace top is you could dress it up or down depending on the occasion. 

My take on glasses

My eyesight is the bane of my life. Allergic to all kinds of contact lenses, glasses are my only savior. The onset of the big 4-0 brought about a different challenge - long sightedness. Yes, it's a hot topic amongst my friends who like me, are all in our 40s struggling with both long and short sightedness. Even those who were lucky to have their eyes lasered encountered the same problem once 40 came around the corner. We all inevitably ended up having to wear glasses.






In my spare time, I trawl websites and stores for frames. Yes....well....rather strange hobby, you might say but it's a frustrating exercise trying to find a flattering pair that ticks all my boxes. Rectangular or cat eye shapes seem to work better with my round-ish face. They've got to be wide enough to fit comfortably around my temple. Thicker and longer nose pads are a must for my flat-as-a-pancake nose bridge. I've learned through decades of wearing glasses that plastic frames are better for my clumsy self but they rarely come with thicker nose pads.





Vision Express (I'm a longtime customer. 7 years to be exact) invited me to the launch of their Exclusive collections featuring a varied selection of affordable frames, designed in France with price tags starting from £39. My personal favorites are glasses from Sensaya and Heritage range. Slightly retro with a modern take.







I was then whisked off to get my eyes tested. Surprisingly enough, my short sightedness have improved tremendously while my long sighted vision has deteriorated a tad. The optometrist detected a slight yellowing on one of my lenses which may eventually lead to cataract. That was rather alarming considering my age.  I was advised to keep my sunglasses on as much as possible, especially on sunny days.






These glasses featuring a little faux pearl on either side are a reminiscent of my Chanels which cost twice as much. The metal hinges and plastic temples were solid. The bridge sat firmly without slipping off, much to my delight.





The optician fitted my Sensaya frames with varifocal lens. My first! What a revelation!  I no longer needed to take off my glasses each time I have to read teeny tiny fine print or do any work on my smartphone.

The rest of Vision Express' Exclusive collection is available here.

Photography (1st and 2nd photo): Tun Shin Chang.


*My glasses and lens were given to me. I'm also a longtime customer who have purchased numerous glasses and sunglasses from my local Vision Express.

Winter Neutrals

December was unusually warm until......WHAM! Suddenly, the temperature took a dive and it's now properly winter. This was a quick snapshot of the frost on the window pane at Brockenhurst station as I got off the train. Despite the deceptively sunny weather, the temperature was well below 0˚C.






What's crazier is seeing daffodils and tulips on sale everywhere.........





Clockwise: Zadig & Voltaire merino sweater, New Balance 420 sneakers, Frame Denim jeans (65% off), Hermes Garden Party, H&M wool scarf and Isabel Marant Etoile linen t-shirt.


Here are some new additions and current favorites. Truthfully, I haven't done a whole lot of shopping other than replacing well worn clothes that'd fallen apart. Either I've been extremely careless and snagged my Uniqlo sweater on sharp edges or a hungry moth had a hell of a feast but my favorite knitwear can no longer be worn out of the house. My merino wool sweaters from Zadig & Voltaire have fared incredibly well over the years. No bobbling whatsoever. Incredible. My frugal self managed to nab a brand new Zadig & Voltaire sweater with a cool embellishment for a good price.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Isabel Marant Etoile linen tees for 50% off over at The Outnet. This one's from 2 seasons ago and the fabric is a lot thicker than the tees from the last Spring/Summer collection.

I caved in and bought the Hermes Garden Party TPM which comes with a detachable strap last year. Very handy and light as a feather. I've had it with heavy bags that ripped my shoulder to shreds. No bag is worth shoulder and back pains. 

My infamous red New Balance 420s are so well worn that it was high time I shopped for antoher. After seeing Adidas Stan Smith and Superstar sneakers everywhere, I was keen to get a pair........except that the smallest size in the kids' section is still 2 sizes too big. Apparently, they run wide and big. And no....there's no way in hell I'll wear ones with velcro straps. So it's back to these New Balance 420s. Thankfully, I love the color combination. They're on sale over at ASOS for £42. In fact, if you head over to the men's department, they're priced down to £29!

Androgynous Style

Outfit: Miu Miu sunglasses, Alexander Wang t-shirt (hidden), Nike quilted rally hoodie (size down as it runs big. I'm wearing XS), Rick Owens leather jacket, The Kooples sweatpants (mine's medium) and The Kooples wedge sneakers.


"Are you a boy or a girl? I can't tell the difference."  Guys back in my university days used to taunt me. That's usually followed by "you should learn from the other girls." Pffffft. Whatever.

The standards and beauty ideals for guys and gals that Asians adhere to in Asia seem to be far more glaringly obvious than in the western world. Girls are meant to look pretty, girly, sweet, feminine, slightly sexy but not overly so but most definitely, innocent. Bah! None of those attributes apply to me. If anything, whenever I chanced upon a Chinese or Korean contemporary drama, my eyes are naturally drawn to menswear. The sharp tailoring. How they style sportswear. Their monochrome outfits.

A few close friends insisted I must watch "My Love from the Star", a Korean drama that took the world by storm. The lipstick worn by the heroine was even sold out in Winchester. Old historic city of Winchester of all places!! While my friends went mad for the heroine's clothes and accessories, I loved the male character's outfits. I found his sense of style (come to think of it,  probably his stylist's) far more appealing because it's more avant-garde and there are plenty of cool and practical sneakers as well as weather appropriate clothes.

Androgyny style can be sexy, edgy, comfortable and practical depending on how one interprets it.

I've noticed that whenever my blog's mentioned on certain forums, there's usually a comment about the decrease of fashion posts. It's also interesting to see that my Instagram account tends to get this introduction - "a blogger who normally writes about fashion but only ever posts travel photos here." I still enjoy fashion but I'm shockingly bad at following trends. I wear what I like. I take a million years to make up my mind when I'm shopping because I'm bloody picky. I prefer clothes from a few seasons ago which means I sometimes trawl secondhand places to see if they turn up. I often get sidetracked by food and travel. I'll try to add a few more fashion posts here and there but be prepared to see the same old clothes appearing again and again.

p.s. thank you to all those who helped diagnose my condition a few months ago. Yes! There's a name for it finally (IBS = Irritable Bowel Syndrome). What a difference it has made just knowing which food types to avoid. Thank you!

Net-A-Porter Sale Edit

SHOES

BAGS & ACCESSORIES

CLOTHES

Black Friday Sales 2015

It seems like we've embraced the American culture of Black Friday and Cyber Monday with great gusto. Here are some of the great deals happening this weekend. Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and readers in the U.S. One of these days, I've got to try pumpkin pie. It's a completely alien concept for me to put pumpkin in a tart but hey, there's always a first time!

Discounts on basics at Uniqlo

Get 30% off at Boden with discount code 3Y7L

Get 20% off at Selfridges with discount code SELFCCE

15% off everything at Feel Unique with discount code BLACKFRIDAY15

20% off everything at ASOS with discount code CYBER

Up to 80% off over at Elyse Walker.