a new year full of purpose

You guys, we're finally back here at the starting point. The ride wasn't very smooth but that leaves us with more drive and will to take on the next one and make it better than ever. Here's wishing you a happy and blessed new year, let's begin on the right foot and pledge not to stray from our resolutions.

So what are your new year's eve plans? I'm going to a mexican restaurant and bar called El Toro, i heard they have great tacos and churros. I can no longer contain my excitement!

I've been thinking about this for some time and thought i'll have you be my guest and witness this. I'm going to post up a few questions for myself to answer in the NEXT new year's eve, which is that of 2011. I didn't want to let myself down with all these plans i've made for the year, so what better way than to share them with you and risk embarrassing myself if i don't live up to them? So here they are,

Questions to self:
Are you happy?
Did you fulfill all your resolutions?
Have you quitted your bad habits?
Did you work hard and try to live a balanced life?

I'm glad to have you sweethearts on my journey into a new and better year. Have an excellent one everyone!

errands day again!

Another day of errands. Busy, busy, busy! Check back in tomorrow and we'll have a little chat about our new year's eve. Are you excited? I have something up my sleeve and will get my hands on it tonight. See if i can work some magic and wake up to an exciting new year's eve morning. What are you guys up to? I'm not certain about my plans but i do have a few things i'd like to do tomorrow. Anywhere you'd like to suggest to me? Here's one of the few things i'd like to do after the countdown,

What do you think? It's open tomorrow and i don't think i wanna miss it. See you on tomorrow my beautiful readers!

a rocking black & white house

My loves, ever wondered who lives in these black & white colonial houses you often see around? Or what it looks like on the inside? Last week, my bestfriend shared this spectacular house tour of Mark Seeger's home, an American expat who chose this alternative opposing the 'traditional expat lifestyle of a condo and 42 inch LCD TV on the wall'. It's fascinating that in the beginning, this beauty had neither floor nor roof and had been vacant for close to a decade. Just in case you're not in awe yet, here's the catch- he rebuilt this baby.. himself. Feast your eyes..

That outdoor shower and dining table is insane. Hope your Tuesday is to!

(more from where that came from: desire to inspire)

joyful news!

I wanted to share a little tidbit from last week but couldn't allow myself to do that without first addressing someone i hold dear to me. I'm not one to follow tv shows, you name it, i have never watched an entire season of anything. In fact, i hardly watch much television unless i feel like it. But moments ago, everyone on Facebook and Twitter rejoiced over Sezairi Sezali's win in Singapore Idol. I am so very touched by this news, so happy for him words cannot explain. It's so incredible, our once so adorable Airie who too often gets backaches and continuously expresses his love for my mom's noodles is now Sezairi Sezali, a Singapore Idol. Stripping off the friendship, i'm sure we all know he's a fine musician and singer and that he very much deserves this.
(a young us from 06)

I pray escalating success for you in the years to come, my dear. Sky's the limit and you'll get there. I'll miss you around but you'll always be in my prayers. With all my love, congratulations.

Hope you beautiful people are enjoying the idol fever. Have a blissful Monday! xx

Happy Christmas & Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I don't celebrate Christmas but i do take the opportunity to join in the fun and cook dinner for my family. In this house, we love chatting over good home-cooked dinners.

On a separate note, it's my second x'mas with you folks and i'd like to thank you for reading my humble blog. I'm also very grateful for the friendships we've made through here. You have no idea what it feels like when readers add me (regardless FB or Twitter or anywhere else) and tell me how much they enjoy my blog. Thank you so so very much.. I am forever grateful.

With all my love, have a cosy holiday my sweets.

Have a Muji X'mas!

Not too long ago, my boyfriend and I went strolling in town when we decided that we should explore and conquer the whole of Ion because we never did, not all of it. It's a chaotic maze, full of interesting stores. So like i had thought, it was an epic failure. We also happen to be looking for a few Christmas gifts and walked right into Muji. Ahhh.. Muji, the bringer of eye candies. Here's sharing with you my Muji indulgence from their incredible x'mas catalogue.

Paris in a Bag.

Christmas 'Tree'

New York Map Handkerchief.

And to wrap them all up.

Unique boxes!

And a gorgeous sack.

Gorgeous hey? Have a Muji X'mas!

enter frame

I love frames of all shapes and sizes so i'm vexed we don't have much around the house. A mix of art, photos and posters would be rad. It is not completely my house afterall, so i'll keep it down. But when the time comes and i'm left with a space to call my own, you bet i'll cop these ingenious ideas. How swell are these anyway?

(via automatism)

squeezed for time

Errands day today, will be running around. See you on the morrow. Just a question though, has everyone slowed down on blogging? Haven't seen much updates lately from you guys. Throw in something interesting so i'll be inspired to do the same, instead of lying around in bed with a throbbing headache. Better days ahead, i pray. <3

the smell of you lingers.

A different world awaits me. But first, to learn and live life by myself.

a morbid recollection

My resolutions for 2010 is still work-in-progress. Oddly enough this time, i am critical and unrelenting. Looking at my posts these couple of weeks, i seem to haven't said much about the goings-on in my life except to drop a few daily inspirations. My guess did not take me very far, so a closer inspection revealed that the only plausible explanation would be that reservations have grown with age. And that my friends, is occurring rather rapidly. It is going to sound fairly depressing but months now feel like years and i'm weighed down by many worldly ideals that pair with being an adult. To further severe my case, i am a middle class kid who was granted the misfortune of having to be born into an expensive city. There is also no need to remind you that i am at the edge of the adolescent bluff. I'm 21 and even that is almost over.

So as my hunt for inspiration steadily came to a halting failure late yesterday, i logged into my old friendster account out of desperation. Have you seen it? Reckon it got bought over by another company and given a face lift. Not too shabby. It's not like i was sure why i did it but for whatever the reason is, it proved to be more than what i had originally bargained for. Trying to retrieve my first 100 comments was no use, i should've known that you can never trust sites like this with your priceless treasures i.e first 'testimonial' from your boyfriend which would've been whimsical to discover. Anyway, they're very capable of screwing everything up beyond repair, hence the makeover and new operation. (Note to self- watch out for Face Book)

Consolation was that i found my old blog. They've restored it with a tacky layout but otherwise, nothing's changed. The ghost of that blog beckons me to wander into the mind of 18 year old Maria, angsty and crazy in love, i did that for a good 3 hours. Well, it doesn't look like i've grown out much from my morbid disposition but i'm not worrying about that yet.

Younger Maria was detailed, she wasn't half as a caught up with the real world as i, obviously, so it afforded her time to think deep into pertinent details like her love and emotions or something that made her terribly upset that day. She was so sensitive and wouldn't allow anything that moved her get away without some kind of reaction. She was more delicate and indulged in her love for poetry and her craft but little did she know that soon after dwelling deep into art and injuring a knee, she'd develop an obsession for politics and culture shifts. I'd say those were the responsible factors that popped me out of my shell and here i am today, exiled from the innocent paradise that once existed in my head 3 years ago.

These days i corrupt myself with speeches from Malcolm X and Dada artworks while adversely channeling healthier inspirations and the things i love to do as a normal, functioning woman of the society into this blog to save my life and mind. While some remnants of younger Maria remained, many have changed forever. That is so to prepare for the real world that now welcomes me.

Going back to constructing my resolutions. Bet you didn't realise, i'm back at my ugly habit again and that's staying up into the small hours! Well anyway, Happy Friday! Weekend's here!

cooking to heal

sour cream pasta + shitake mushrooms + chicken.

When life gives you pasta, cook it.

rough

Funked and disoriented so i'll be right back. See you honeys on the morrow! ♥

home is sweet and so was the weekend

Just got home from a surreal domestic holiday weekend. It's now time to catch up with the real world and some sleep.

happy weekend!

I am a mess right now. My weekend is jammed pack! Jammed packed the good way, thankfully. Who's going to Zoukout? I'm giving it a miss this year (yet again). It's Sam's last day in Singapore and she wants to take the party elsewhere. So have fun guys! For the rest of us not partying, what are you guys up to? I'm looking forward to an immense catch up with my boyfriend since we've not seen each other for close to a week now and it's starting to hurt a little. Wouldn't it be nice to even do a little dance with him? In case you didn't know, he's actually a brilliant dancer and he loves it. Only shy. ;)

Have a dance-y weekend!

the bests

Another awesome sleepover. Any day can be kick-ass if you have great friends. By that i mean, the ones who'll stay with you on the bumpiest rides.

Happy Friday! The weekend is here! xx

WAR IS OVER! (IF YOU WANT IT)

Print & display in your window, school, workplace, car & elsewhere over the holiday season, and send as postcards to your friends.

If you don't see your language here, then send us your translation of
WAR IS OVER!
IF YOU WANT IT
Happy Christmas from John & Yoko
so we can make a poster for your language.

The enchanting Yoko Ono calls for a peaceful protest every Christmas and i'm in this year. For some time now, i've been on a hunt for budget-friendly gifts and ideas this Christmas but nothing quite does it like this nostalgic print.

This is in Bahasa Indonesia. Is it any different in malay?

Dear John & Yoko,
Your love will pave the way for peace in the world, someday. Thank you for believing. Imagine peace.

breakfast with you all over again

Remember my breakfast posts? I thought this place can't do without it. So yesterday, it was waffles with strawberry, blueberry and bananas.

Days are looking better for me and i wish the same for you. I tweeted that that's how it's going to be if you have faith. Truly, it's not okay to feel like you're walking on eggshells. I'm a pessimist, a natural. If you're anything like me you're in for trouble. So take faith with you, it's all you've got.

Now let's roll.

the big wish this xmas

Speaking of shoes and my minuscule feet, i ache soooooo badly for this vintage pair of Salvatore Ferragamo combat boots! No one knows how i feel about these boots. And i mean no one. This is true love.
BUT! Like any handsome bloke, there's a catch. It's a size bigger than my feet! Please help me! Can i really stuff fluff in there and learn to walk in it afterward? (Note: This is an actual question. I know i'm such a loser but you'll help me anyway right?)

If i nail this bad boy and you see me someday with them on, please be nice. Pretend you don't know what's going on down there and say hi!

p.s a very giggly post. Yes, the hyena sort.

shoe swap & girlfriends

Good Monday! How're you wherever you are? I'm feeling only a little better since the weekend but will still wrestle to keep my spirits up and flying before the gravitational pull of the earth eventually take me under.

By the way, have you ever done the shoe swap in the middle of anywhere? I see my girls do it from time to time but don't recall ever doing it myself because my feet is at least 2 size smaller than theirs. I'm not sure if it is unusual or embarrassing but i find it really cute when girls do that! I feel it suggests love in friendship, do you?

p.s this post is for my girlfriends. xo

(the sartorialist)

have a rad weekend!

Breaks Fremantle, 85 High St, Perth, Australia.

I'm spending my time at home to laze and didn't expect to find myself reminiscing Freo; its good food, amazing coffee, awesome cafes and the wonderful friends i made there. I officially miss Fremantle more than anywhere else in Perth.

Well anyway, just wanted to say.. have a rad weekend guys!

how're you? i'm uninspired.

I'm suffering from a bad case of writer's block. I can't seem to even score one sensible sentence without it sounding like an eight year old's take on a little known subject say.. politics? That i reckon could have easily been a much better job. Not nice.

My only inspiration (or the lack thereof) to counter this painful mindlessness is the decision to go pictorial for a bit until some madness befall me. When my head spins from the magical gush of inspiration and fireworks, we'll speak of Christmas, my life-changing trip to Indonesia and what else if not the much anticipated new year which by the way is looking like a cave of precious treasures from where i am at present.

This year has been a tragic one for many of us if not all. Guess it's safe to say that the mishap army might just send a few more soldiers in so let's buckle up and fight the war to stay positive. I haven't come to a confident conclusion of why that is so and i'm beginning to suspect that the economic crisis is anything but a legitimate reason. Can't be too sure of that either.

Good to know that the days are numbered. I am in the process of gathering a few ideas for the new year and actively working on my resolutions. I won't forget to share that with you beautiful people before the year comes to a close. Let's all look forward and march into the new year with courage and hope.

Thank you for encouraging me to blog and staying put through many months of absence. Know that some of the best friendships began right here in this almost anonymous, humble little blog of mine. Have a wonderful weekend everyone! xx

the benevolent postcard society

Have you heard of them or seen their lovely blog?

"The society is a postcard exchange and art project in one, the aim of the Benevolent Postcard Society is to bring a smile to its members through the random exchange of postcards from September 2009 to September 2010. At the beginning of each month, members send a cheerful, amusing, inspiring, pretty or quirky postcard to each other — either handmade or readymade. At the end of the year, all the postcards exchanged will be collected and published as a book, the final result of a year's sharing of good karma through random acts of kindness."

Isn't this the most inspiring project? I admit, i have a not-too-strange fascination with receiving mails, be it cards or letters and especially if it is handwritten and posted from a reasonable distance. Do you like posting and receiving mails? I know a number of people who do. Shall we try this together for the new year and circulate positive energies and good karma to each other?

sunday suppers

Just recently discovered: Sunday Suppers which immediately became my no. 1 favourite 'read'. If you're ready for the beautiful Karen Mordechai's photography and mouth watering food, go give the link a click. Don't forget to get inspired by some gorgeous setting for your next dinner party!

Love Karen's photography? See much more over here.

hello again, sweet readers

Are all you beautiful still here? I'm on a roll so.. Welcome back to my blog! xx

(lelove)