Remembering

Did the annual packing of Javin's room with him in preparation for Chinese New Year last night. Went through his clothes and went through a lot of memories. The winter clothes he wore during our stay in Korea still had that familiar smell. We packed until past midnight and I was pretty tired, but hearing that it was a heavy load off Javin's chest and his sincere words of appreciation, made it all worthwhile.

Times like this I feel how womanly I actually am compared to him. Albeit growing up in a modernising society, I guess I still take pride in and embrace my feminine role in my relationship. Javin can't fold and pack as neatly as I do and it made him ask if I could help him do so for the rest of our lives. Aww... Obviously I said yes but I hope he know that it doesn't count as a proposal hahaha

In the car ride back home, we saw construction workers along the MRT line. Maybe they were fixing the problem that caused me cab to school last Monday. In that moment when I saw groups after groups of them working on the tracks in the dark with helmet lights, I suddenly felt so grateful. Despite all the typical complaints that Singaporeans have, I'm thankful for these people who work hard and contribute to our country. Our day is their night and our night has become their day. Some people are over-appreciated and some people are severely under-appreciated.

Javin and I discussed this for a bit in the car. Such discussions really reinforce my belief that I am with the right person to build a meaningful relationship with. As I grow older, I find it difficult to "click" with people on a deeper level because we all develop our own set of values (moral ones hopefully) that we abide by. Javin is, therefore, a very special person to me.

Platform slip-ons

I know I said I wouldn't be buying anymore shoes this month, but I really had to get a pair because I grew half a size bigger or something and all my shoes are no longer comfy. Can't be wearing the New Balances I wear for the gym everywhere. Or maybe I can. Speaking of gym I have not exercised in ages and I miss it!

So I got these platform slip-ons which were supposed to be my staple footwear, but they're too big for me. I took them because one size down was too small. I have to use those heel grips to prevent the back of the shoe from slipping off my heel (they're supposed to be slip-ons not slip-offs hahaha...) and now they're really tight because I have to use two thick heel grips for each shoe. But there's no other way to keep them from slipping off! I really love them so I'll bear it for now. Or maybe I could get those skate slip-ons from Céline... Just kidding, I have no money for that. They do look a little alike though, except the platform for mine is way higher + ripple soles, while those from Céline are probably more comfortable. Actually, don't all slip-ons look similar? Now I sound like an airhead hahaha

TGIF everyone!

P.S. If anyone is looking for some simple slip-ons/loafers, I saw a pair of marble print ones from Charles & Keith's online store that day

Still not over exchange

I just spoke to a dear friend who is in New York right now and I felt so happy just listening to how much she is enjoying herself. Listening to my friends' exchange stories always brings me back to memories of my own exchange days and I really wish I could be away right now to see more of the world. She is there alone, so that made me envy her a little more because I always wanted to try being in a foreign place just by myself and making memories shared between me, and me. It's the best way to grow and learn more about yourself. Exchange brought me a lot of intangible things and I would like to give back by sharing my experiences, but I am busy until this weekend so I will continue my posts on exchange next week. Shame on me, it has almost been a year since I left for Korea! For those who have any questions on Korea/Seoul/exchange etc, feel free to drop me a comment below or e-mail me. I have already gotten quite a few emails regarding this so if you are hesitating please don't, asking can really help eliminate a lot of trouble/trial and error and shorten the preparation process for you (:

Email me at vallylsa@gmail.com ♡

midweek Korean music fix

If you feel...


R&B/swaggy/Kpop

 Electronic/pop


Ballad/emo (haha)

Word.

As I write this I have my earphones plugged in at the highest possible volume that can drown out all the chattering going on around me without causing deafening effects. Is it earphones or earpiece anyway? Or headphones? I can't tell the difference. Why do we have so many words anyway? The specificity of words should help us express ourselves more accurately and more clearly, but sometimes I feel like it can cause misunderstandings when different people use the same word differently and feel differently towards different words. Whoa, too many "different"s in one sentence. Kinda got me stunned for a while.

So many words in the world, yet no one word to accurately describe all the best feelings in the world. That explicitness yet ambiguity in words, writing and language is one of the things that makes them beautiful. Words are strung together to try to describe something intangible and define it as closely as possible. It's never 100 per cent accurate, but we manage go beyond the words and get it anyway; we feel it anyway, and it's a wonderful feeling.

Random yogurt thoughts

Decided to type down some random things as I have my banana with yogurt.

• Finally got to spend time with Javin today, and the whole day at that. Score!! He's so busy working so I don't really get much proper time with him these days, other than sitting beside each other and doing our own things. I do miss times when he had more time, but I understand that life is as such. I am thankful for today.
• I had this extremely strange dream last night about a giant pig that appeared out of the darkness and started attacking people. I was with my sisters and my youngest sister's best friend, Amelia. We ran really quickly though, so we managed to find refuge in the nearest shopping mall's basement. We felt a little bored while camping there and decided to catch a movie and hide in the theatre. Unfortunately, there were no movies showing anymore! We were so afraid because we were no longer in the basement where it was safe. We ran back but when we were at the ground level we saw a sea of screaming people running into the mall. We knew the giant pig was here so we hurriedly ran to the stairs (no idea why there were stairs where it's supposed to be escalators) and ran down towards the basement but my youngest sister and Amelia ran up the stairs! I was panicking and asking them to come down with us. At this point I woke up.
• I think I had that dream because after not eating pork for almost a year, I had ramen (yes I ate the char shu) and xiao long bao on two separate occasions. I surprisingly found it quite tasty even though the taste of meat can be too overwhelming for me. Maybe I felt uncomfortable eating pork.
• More and more people around me are getting diagnosed with certain health problems. It scares me to see how life and health is so fragile. I really need to cherish life and live it to the fullest. This just makes me more determined to live as healthily as I can. I guess living longer and having nothing to do is better than being a burden to my family.
• It's amazing how my mom, who used to not like dogs very much, is now so attached to and loving towards our dog. She loves Choco so much and it's heartwarming to see. This only goes to show that we are capable of changing, no matter how impossible it seems. It's all in the mind.

Hush by Miss A

I heard this song on the radio while driving home a while back and it's been stuck in my mind since then. Sorry all non-Kpop fans, but maybe you can click the play button and give it a chance? It's really catchy. I know Suzy is insanely popular and her face was literally everywhere when I was in Seoul, but my favourite is Fei <3

"… Uh… Who is who?"

Ending this post lest I reveal too much of my fangirl side. Evil people might use that against me one day.

Denim over and easy

I think someone has got to give an award to the person who created denim. It is so versatile and I can never get tired of it. Fun fact of the day: Denim originated from France and was originally called serge de Nîmes before it was shortened to "denim". Thanks Wikipedia, you have always been a great source of random information for me. Too bad citing you in my reports and papers seem to be generally unaccepted by my professors.

I am doing my best to recycle my clothes as much as possible thanks to my expensive hair and the terrible shopping addiction that I brought back from Korea. I can't even fit any more shoes/clothes into my wardrobes anymore. With my money dwindling away, I am really looking to opportunities to earn money, so I can save up for my future kids' education. Not. Okay yes it IS true (I even bought a pretty good investment-linked savings plan for that), but I kind of want some money to get myself some holographic brogues too... :'(

I just realised: am I twenty-two this year!?

Sparkly

Customisable Enchantment bracelet, Peace bracelet, Infinite bracelet from myntsh♡p

I was expecting just the customised bracelet from myntsh♡p, but Noi included the peace sign and infinite bracelets as a surprise, wishing me infinite peace for the year ahead. I thought it was really sweet of her. The customisable Enchantment bracelet is their bestseller, probably because it's a much more affordable version of the Pandora bracelet. The Peace and Infinite bracelets are great for people who prefer to keep their accessories simple and to a minimum. Alternatively, if you like a lot of accessories, you can wear them with rings and they won't look too cluttered.

What I like about myntsh♡p is that the jewellery is customisable, so feel free to email Noi and ask if your design is possible. She is really efficient, responsible and polite, so it was an extremely pleasant experience for me. Her customers are in good hands. Thumbs up for her patience and service!

Quote "valloure" for 5% off total purchase and free normal postage

Ashy greeny

Got my hair coloured and cut today. It's much shorter and lighter now! A lot of my curls are gone too (those are just temporary curls), but they served me well for five months. When my hairstylist, Steven, first asked me to go for an ash green colour for my hair, I was super apprehensive about it, but I really liked it at the end of the entire procedure. I guess I can say I have green hair now. I feel powerful when I think about doing that. Ha. Ha. Ha. Well, I had better feel powerful about my hair, because I spent a lot of money on it. I hope my parents do not read this. If they do, then I hope they also know that I decided not to buy my New Balances and other shoes. The reverse ombre effect (as named by Becky) is unintentional. I dyed my hair black so it's difficult to dye other colours over it.

I was in a good mood throughout the rest of the day while checking out shops and looking for inspiration for the secret project. It's launching soon and I feel a little nervous about it, because... More next time.

I thought I had a lot to write about so I started this post but I suddenly don't know what to write. Must be the lack of sleep. Speaking of which, it's been almost a month since I caught that nasty cold but I'm still coughing really badly. And I mean really badly. Like my lungs feel like they are about to rupture anytime whenever I cough. I can't sleep because whenever I'm about the board the train for lullaby land, this little itch gets into my throat and makes me cough up a storm. No sleep, no rest, no speedy recovery.

I put enough words together to form a paragraph goooooodnight.

P.S. Time is passing too quickly.

Flutter by

Angelic Sleeves Blouse in Jade from Damselove

White pointed shoes with gold chain ankle straps from Charles & Keith

Spring is approaching, which means more reason for pastel colours. I decided on a softer look today, considering all the strong colours I wore during the festive season of Christmas and New Year. I love the ruffled ends of the sleeves because it adds femininity so easily.

Damselove is having a mega sale and if you want to check out their other non-sale items, you can see what's available here.

First thoughts of 2014

I lie in my bed, soaking in all these thoughts and raw emotions.

The first four hours of 2014 has passed and I feel unbelievably incredible. There's so much positive energy surrounding me I feel like I could save the world. Just kidding, but, you know, I don't remember ever feeling this good about New Year's. I always felt kind of stoic about it. I didn't do anything out of the usual countdown with my family at home, so it's not the atmosphere. It's a nice feeling to have though. It's strong in a quiet way. Like watching fireworks through a glass window. That's one of the best types of feelings in the world to me.

It is going to be one heck of a year. And I can't wait.