Of Ice-cream & other cravings

someone please explain to me this sudden mad craving for ice cream D:

i'm usually a very froyo person so i'm blaming it on PMS! damn you PMS! i've been snacking insanely on the most unhealthy things ever, and i'm sure it's absolutely terrible for me. must stop... soon.

i haven't actually been doing much this week, in fact i think the most exciting thing i've done today was to buy a new printer for the office! :D :D :D got a Canon printer from Challenger at $139, yay! we've been running downstairs to LRH's office to "borrow" their printer for a good while, lol. oh and we have a new temporary guy minion which is awesome!!! we need all the muscle we can get!

as i was saying, i bought a printer because we've been printing out labels for sticking on envelopes instead of manually handwriting! am hoping that this will reduce any chances of error and also be more efficient in the long run. we've just started doing the new "system" this week, so everyone's still adjusting to it.

i'm in the "let's just not dress-up" mood this week, which is also equivalent to very few photos!

a recap of what i've been doing since my last blog update, in words:

Sunday: photoshoot for TVD! we went to the Botanic Gardens and nearly died from the heat :( it was so humid cos it was gonna rain!!! thankfully we finished the shoot before it started raining! photoshoots are always so tiring!

Monday: super busy editing photos and mad rush, preparing for launch at night!

Tuesday: replying emails, packing, and stocking in new stuff at Kissjane!

Wednesday: the same as Tuesday, editing photos for the new launch, some of which i've uploaded on Facebook already! also bought my new printer, hehe.

i've also been having some "together" time with my awesome boyfriend, and it mostly involves eating. LOL. nothing fancy, we've been enjoying home-cooked meals together (cooked by my mummy who's the most amazing cook!!) or eating BCM at his family's stall and also satisfying my junk food cravings :S

cajoled YZ into bringing me out for ice cream at Udders last night, cos i heard about the new Maple Walnut flavor and i am insane about anything nutty + mapley together. so sinful, we ordered 2 scoops, demolished them promptly and went home with another 2 pints which we opened straight away!!!

i love my boyfriend for being my constant companion. when i detox, he detoxes with me. when i binge on junk food, he binges with me too. teehee. thank you BB ❤

so today i've already ate my way through the Maple Walnut pint that we bought back, and there's only 1/3 left now. *guilty* hahahaha. other than eating my way though a huge bag of chips too! gosh. time to get a hold on my junk food cravings! :(

***

moving on, one of my mostest favorite manufactured piece of 2012 so far just arrived and i am crazily excited and mad pleased with it!!! ^____^ all the other girls kept at least one piece for themselves! yessss it's the ultra gorgeous denim bralet that we tweaked from Topshop's original design, and it turned out sooo pretty! i am keeping the two prints for myself, since i already have the original Topshop piece.

 

the floral printed version! paired with the Pleated Paperbag Skirt in Purple. super love! the fit is perfect.

a close up of the pretty prints. also has a row of faux pearl finish buttons in the middle, which makes it look really classy!

can't wait to launch the next collection already! :D 

***

and some highlights of the last couple weeks instagram-ed!

  

favorite yoguru and how fat Baby looks like in the morning

  

superduper yummy BCM from YZ's family's stall ^^ i had meesua, so good!! a gorgeous sunset i chanced upon on Sunday after shoot, it made my day better instantly!

 

new shoes, super love! jelly wedges and tribal loafers. check out my cutie pie QQ looking all happy and excited! she's such a dear!

follow me on instagram @yinagoh cos i update quite frequently! :D

life's simple pleasures are keeping me feeling very blessed and happy ^_^ eating, working, spending time with the bf, reading in my spare time. just a little too lazy, haha! i think i will do a blogpost next on some of the recent products I've been using in my daily skincare routine! :) 

til my next post, hope everyone's having a good week so far! ❤

Clarisonic Mia + OD-ing on Florals!

my Clarisonic Mia is finally here!

some of you might be wondering what this Clarisonic thingy is, it's actually something like a giant electronic toothbrush, except that it's used to cleanse your face instead of brush your teeth! :D

Clarisonic Sonic Skin Cleansing Systems use a patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to gently, yet thoroughly remove 6X more makeup and 2X more dirt and oil than cleansing with your hands alone.

cleansing is really one of the most important steps in skincare, and i gotta admit that i can get really lazy sometimes, and i think that my improper cleansing may be the cause of those clogged pores and breakouts! :( so after i read about the Clarisonic and how it promises to effectively cleanse the skin, i was really sold, and immediately wanted to get one!

some readers have been asking where i bought it from: did some researching and i ended up ordering the Clarasonic Mia from Kissandmakeup on the March 30. it was sent to me via USPS, and reached me on the 9th, so it took about 10 days to arrive! really testing my patience hahaha. i've been reading up on the Clarisonic for quite awhile, and i was really tempted to just go down to Sephora to buy it, to save all the hassle of ordering online/waiting for it to ship!

however, Sephora is selling only the Plus version and Mia in white, and it's a lot more expensive than getting it online! :( the Plus costs SGD375 if i'm not wrong. i decided on getting the Mia, which is smaller and cheaper, though it has less features than the expensive Plus (which i don't think really justifies the heftier price tag)

a lot of the online stores don't ship to Singapore, and i chanced upon Kissandmakeup, which ships internationally. the shipping with insurance costs $14.95, so in total, i paid USD133.95 via Paypal, which is substantially cheaper than getting it from Sephora, so i think the wait is worth it! :D

Sonic Cleansing Benefits: 

 Removes 6X more makeup than manual cleansing 
Leaves skin feeling and looking smoother 
Removes impurities that keep creams and serums from working their best 
Gentle enough to use twice a day 
Reduces oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes 
Minimizes the appearance of visible pores

the Clarisonic Mia comes with a plink charger that connects to the brush magnetically, so cool :D also included in the box is a small tube of cleanser, which i read is not really that awesome, so i'm just gonna stick to my own cleanser! oh and i chose the Lavender color cos purple is one of my favorite colors. Pink too girly, and White is too boring. Yellow and Blue are.. MEH.... so Lavender it is! :D

i'm hesitant about telling you all to order from Kissandmakeup, because when i received my parcel, i ripped it open to find the Clarisonic packaging in super bad condition! :( very battered and bruised looking. thankfully, the contents were not damaged!

some helpful girls on my Twitter and Instagram have shared some other websites to get the Clarisonic from, and you might want to take a look at these alternatives instead:

http://skincarerx.com/
http://www.skin-etc.com/
http://www.ebay.com/

:D

hope that helps! i've just tried using the Clarisonic for the first time (still gotta wait 24 hours for it to charge before 1st use... really testing my patience, this thing) and i like the feeling of my skin being gently brushed til its squeaky clean! :D it doesn't feel too abrasive, though i don't know why my cleanser isn't foaming up much. planning to use it once a day every night, since i don't think i'd need such a thorough cleansing in the morning, no?

i'll carry on using it for the next few weeks before delivering my final verdict! keeping my fingers crossed that i won't experience any purging, and that it will work wonders on my skin!

***

i'm still very crazy about florals, so i'm sharing the love on TVD with some superbly gorgeous floral prints wheeee!!! :D :D :D 

the Chromatic Floral Blazer paired with purple skinnies and my Tods bag! super in love with the vintage looking floral prints, and i think it looks fantastic when you wear it with a dash of pop color to complement the floral prints! ❤

and another dose of florals with the Tropicano Floral Shorts! paired with a lace chiffon blouse from Miss Selfridge. colorful florals look really good with pastel/neutral colors, me thinks!

so happy to indulge in florals this season cos i've always loved florals and prints! :D

and today i went on a major shopping haul... D: had an appointment at the ortho followed by a facial, so i was in town and i figured i might as well get some shopping done heh. went back to office with two big bags full of awesomeness. surprisingly, i didn't get anything floral today though it wasn't for lack of trying! haha. bought some really gorgeous printed stuff though! yay! can't wait to wear my new clothes out :D

uploading previews for tomorrow's collection on Facebook, so go and check out our Facebook page here!
ciao! :D

Mostly Margutti: thoughts on being a chorister + Recent OTDs

this is a rare entry: there's actually more text than pictures!

i get quite a few reactions whenever i mention that i'm heading off for a rehearsal, or when i mention that i sing in a choir. the most common question posed is probably something like, "oh, do you sing in a church choir?"

it's probably pretty rare in Singapore to hear of adults singing in a non-profit, community choir purely out of the love for music, but that's what we do in the SYC Ensemble Singers (i know, it's rather a mouthful) which started out as the Singapore Youth Choir many years ago, but we've now ditched the "Youth Choir" part to the abbreviation SYC, because.. heh, a huge majority of the choristers are now no longer youths! :P er hem. including me of course =.=

 

so we spend an evening and an afternoon every week, braving our way through sheets of music, mostly contemporary, challenging works from living composers.

and no, we don't just sing sterile sounding church hymns (which is another common misconception) 

 

we also tour regularly abroad (in the past 4 years, i've been to Manado, Japan, Italy and Poland) and i am super looking forward to this year's trip: we're heading to Torino, Italy in July for an international Atelier (workshop) and it sounds like it's going to be SUPER exciting!

 

one of the most highly respected figures in the choral scene, also our conductor Jen. to the unknowing, a conductor's job may look like its simply easy waving of the hands, but it rarely is, anything but guiding the soul and heartbeat of the music with precise gestures, expressions and body language. this art is so subtle, i doubt anyone can profess to master it, but i'd say we're doing a pretty amazing job with Jen spearheading us :)

how did i chance upon the SYC? i remembered having watched a concert years back when i was in secondary school, and although i had no impression of the concert at all, when i thought of a choir i could join, the SYC was the first to come to mind. and so i googled for an email address, sent in an email, said a silent prayer and kept my fingers crossed.

when i joined the SYC, i had no friends. i simply joined because i missed choral singing so much, having done it for close to 8 years of my school life (yes... i am a geek!! i joined the choir in primary school, followed by secondary school!) my school choirs were nothing spectacular, in fact, i think they were pretty crappy. haha! but if you've ever sang in a school choir before, you know how it feels like. making music together is a joy.

and now, this joy is amplified on so many more levels when being a part of the SYC :) the people in there are amazingly talented and musically gifted, i was so worried that i wouldn't even be able to cope with the insanely quick pace and ungraspable music. it's crazy!

the best analogy would probably be something like being thrown into the sea and not knowing how to swim. i can barely sight-read for nuts, i've had no prior music training and it takes me about 10 seconds to figure out what note is printed on my score (counting upwards from Middle C or downwards from High C) -____- i've never been in a choir that sight-sang a piece after immediately picking up the score and plonking a note on the piano. almost started panicking then and there.

for some reason, i persevered on with the music that sounded so strange and incomprehensible to my ears, showing up for rehearsals twice a week, and as time passed, week after week, rehearsal after rehearsal, my ears started to make sense of the music, my eyes started to understand those foreign gestures and it was the most glorious sensation, of proper, music-making. 

it wasn't just me trying to persevere on, i'm sure the choir was trying to persevere in the act of having taken me in too! we had some difficult moments, just like in every relationship, when both parties (myself and the choir) had doubts and uncertainties about each other. 

but they persevered. i persevered. WE persevered. and then magic happened, and somehow, everything just fell right into place, and i am eternally grateful for that.

it's not just about the singing: being in the SYC has completed my life in such unfathomable ways. i found lifelong friends, companions, buddies. (my three amazing girls!) i travelled and took 18 hour plane rides to satisfy my wanderlust. i sang with other beautiful voices to captivated audiences in Italy, in Poland, to standing ovations, from the cold seasides to fantastically gorgeous churches. i experienced so much, got to meet like-minded individuals from all over, all bonded together by this common love of singing, of music.

i was privileged to sing the compositions of gifted composers, even more privileged to meet and have those very composers take the choir under their wing to create stupendously astounding music.

Mostly Margutti was performed at SOTA last week, and it was an intensely thrilling and tiring experience all at the same time! we had almost daily rehearsals leading up to the concert, with the amazing composer Margutti himself. being under a new conductor is always awkward and shy at the beginning, but we soon warmed up to cries of "Seigneur!" "Domine!" "De Profundis!" "Aurora!" be it French, Latin or German, we are unstoppable, we are invincible. (even if it comes out sounding like Singlish.. oops.)

the stage lights go on, and we are no longer individuals, but one body of sound, dissonances blending into perfect fifths. we soar into the heavenly kingdoms with sincere, heartfelt prayers, then plunge into the murky depths of darkness and despair. and when the stage lights dim to a hushed silence followed by thundering applause, gratitude. and joy.

pre-concert:

 

together, we flaunt off our shiny big foreheads. just for you, SYC.

 

in a flurry of making-up: the redder the lipstick, THE BETTER.

 

two of the precious friends, made for life.

 

the ritualistic act of making-up: we draw our concert faces on the same way we prepare our souls and hearts for music-making. 

 

:D music making buddies

 

Marissa and i (:

 

Huijun, Fish and spot the Angela

 

scary faces!!!

 and post-concert! newfound friends from the Margutti Atelier choir. we are always happy to make new friends :D

 

even happier to eat, eat, eat!

 

cheers to a smashing concert and post-concert supper!

 

now this is what i call communal dining :D

 

the man himself: Corrado Margutti! he is oh so charming and his voice will melt your soul.
expect the unexpected, serenading and crooning to unsuspecting passerbys and fellow supper-ers

the girls who are always there for me ❤ 

so yes. i figured i owe the SYC one blog entry, after 4 years of being in the choir. hahaha. even if you, my dear reader, may not really be so interested in this aspect of my life. i would write more, because i feel like i've barely touched base with this already wordy post. but some things just can't be expressed with mere permutations and combinations of just twenty-six letters.

thank you for having me, SYC.

http://www.syc.org.sg/

https://www.facebook.com/SYCEnsembleSingers

http://www.youtube.com/user/SYCEnsembleSingers

PS. fresh blood always welcome! you can email in to enquiries@syc.org.sg :D

***

okay, sorry for boring out those who have absolutely no interest in my choir life. heh :P

something of the usual: outfit photos! this time round with the Cambridge Satchel in Burgundy, 13" :D this size is awesome but doesn't fit much more than a wallet, phone, small camera and small miscellaneous items!

first outfit: a lace top with Candy Empire HWS in Smurf Blue ;D i think the burgundy really holds the outfit together, cos the mint + smurf blue combi would look rather boring on its own!

the lace top is currently in the process of being manufactured for TVD, teehee. we made some changes though, such as adding an inner lining cos it's see through D: and the Denim Empire shorts are gonna be restocked for S100's collection in light and dark wash! :D

2nd outfit! oohhhh i am so in love with the new maxi skirt that's gonna be in S100 too!! matched it with a floral bralet from Topshop that has lovely prints ❤ the skirt is madly comfy and so flattering! probably gonna keep it in at least two colors :D i love how maxis elongate and slim the silhouette!

super excited for S100. planning in progress!!! fingers crossed for an A-MA-ZING collection!!! :)

Review: Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes (Give-away!) + More Cambridge Satchel Love

 

"The new Hypnôse Doll Eyes takes its inspiration from every young girl's dream to reinvent a fringe of separated, thick, long, 'nylon' shine lashes: true doll lashes! The new Hypnôse Doll Eyes mascara lengthens, curls, volumises and separates for the ultimate wide-eye look."

got to try the mascara at home for myself too, and i gotta say i looove the flowery rose scent of the product! :D the conical shape of the brush makes it really easy to reach even the inner/outer corners of your eyes, and the effect is so natural, but opens up your eyes dramatically at the same time, for that wide-eyed doll look! :D it doesn't clump easily unlike some other mascaras, and i really like the end result.

my verdict: this is a product that really delivers what it promises! 

Lancôme even came up with a Facebook app for you to fiddle with and create your very own doll avatar by uploading a photo of your face, and it's super fun to play with!!! :D :D :D my doll looks very generic though. haha! can't really tell that it's me, huh?

and now for my favorite part, GIVE-AWAY!!!

that's right, Lancôme will be sponsoring THREE sets of products worth $140 for give-away!

each set includes the following:

1 Ombre Absolue Impact 3D palette (shade may differ) worth $90

1 Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara – Deluxe size worth $50

what the eyeshadow palette looks like! check out Mag from Makeupstash's review on this palette here!

it's too simple, all you need to do is do the following:

1. Go to Lancome's Facebook app here, create your very own doll avatar!

2. Upload your doll avatar with the caption "I want to be a doll!" and tag Lancome Singapore!
(you have to "Like" Lancome's Facebook page first! some readers have mentioned that the photo can't be uploaded directly to Lancome's wall so please tag the picture instead!)

3. Comment on this entry with a link to your photo on Facebook!

give-away ends on 29th March, midnight! :D only open to local (Singapore) addresses!

YOU GUYS ARE LIKE HOW LUCKY CAN! i also want to win the awesome give-away!!! if noone takes part, i am going to upload and share my doll avatar so i can win the give-away for myself. HAHA.

what are you waiting foooor! head on to the Hypnose Doll Eyes app now to go make your own doll avatar! it's really fun!! i'd love to see what all your dolls look like too!

good luck!!! :D

***

and so i decided to bring out the Cambridge Satchel in Yellow 14" for some fresh air yesterday, and thanks to all the votes of confidence from friends on Twitter and Instagram, i stepped out courageously looking like this:

 awesome possum lilac floral blazer i scored from F21 sale, for only 35 buckeroos!!! :D mad love the prints on it! and i thought that the pale lilac would look smashing with the yellow Cambridge Satchel, teehee. didn't turn out too bad, i think?

love the dash of color the yellow Cambridge Satchel adds to the outfit!!! mucho loves.

i think you peeps are gonna be so sick of seeing and reading about the Cambridge Satchel real soon, i'm probably gonna carry the Cambridge Satchels out for the next few weeks until i exhaust all outfit and color combination possibilities and maybe get sick of it. LOL. bear with me, okay?! and yes, i think i am gonna end up keeping TWO for myself!!! haha. justifying that if i keep the Burgundy 14"(limited edition some more!) and Yellow 13"(simply cannot resist the gorgeous happy yellow shade), they are in different sizes and look totally different so it's okay :D 

anyway, YZ and I are doing a 7-day Neera Detox diet, and today's the 4th day!!! uh huh, 7 friggin' days of non-food. because YZ's doing a catalogue photoshoot for Giant and he wants to look skinnier lololol y'know "ai sui mai mia" (want good-looking don't want life) so we are both doing it together, since i want to cut down on my food intake and lose some weight as well! 

sounds like a torture, but it isn't that bad cos i get full on the drink pretty okay, but after 4 days of this drink, even a bowl of plain soup sounds appetizing to me. okay, shall peservere on til next Tuesday! :D CAN'T WAIT. woohoo!!! say no to fats!

meanwhile, have a fabulous weekend folks! remember to take part in the give-away to win the fabulous prizes! :D

Lunch with the Nuffies!

so i had lunch with the Nuffies and some other bloggers a couple weeks ago. and and and the other bloggers are all famous bloggers one!!! (except for me la, okay) our lunch group consisted of Boss Ming, Huiwen, Gabby and Jayne from Nuffnang, and Xiaxue, Qiuqiu, Sophie, Jessica, Jayne Tham and myself. i know right. made me think "eh wtf why they invite me to the same lunch as everyone else" yah. i know i am not of the same calibre. #shy 

Boss Ming treated us all to Crystal Jade Palace at Ngee Ann City, and it's my first time there and i was like blown away! why so nice one! partially cos i just finished my 4-day detox that time so maybe everything tasted particularly good.

 

so so so so so so so so good. i really can't think of a single dish that i didn't like. omg i am a glut. everything was like so fresh and crunchy and flavorful and delicious! 

 

Boss Ming, Qiuqiu and Huiwen!

 

Gabby, Jayne and Sophie!

 

Jayne, myself and Gabby!

don't be confused, yes there are two Jaynes! haha. Jayne the blogger and Jayne the Nuffie. and i realize that no one else can get my camera to focus correctly except for me. (the only picture in focus is the one i took =.=) anyways, Jessica and Xiaxue arrived later, when we were all too busy eating to take any more pictures ahaha.

food picture spam!!! don't read on if you're hungry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

i swear everything is good. NO JOKE. 

 

above two pictures from Qiuqiu's blog!

 

and a group photo. Boss Ming smile until damn happy, LOL. one guy with 9 girls!!! shiok or not!

anyway, it was a damn awesome lunch, thanks Boss Ming! so proud to be a part of Nuffnang and the amazing team. and i love our new "managers" Gabby and Jayne as well! spent a lot of time with these two girls while we were in KL for the Napbas and they are really awesome people. can't wait to see Nuffnang soar to new heights together with the blogging community! without Nuffnang, so many good things wouldn't have happened to me. *sniffs*

after lunch, Jayne and i went shopping.. wheee! we conquered Topshop and H&M!!! alright.. not really, but we both got a couple of pretty good buys :D

i saw this uber uberrr cute pair of booties at Topshop on sale from $323 to $129!!! last pair in my size some more, woohoo! straight away buy. don't care even if i only wear it twice in my entire life. hello, i am Cruella de Vil.

and a cute polkadot bra plus some shades from H&M, only $19.90 and $9.90 respectively :D yay!

my outfit for the day: Topshop denim bralet and Miss Selfridge printed flare skirt! bralets are coming back into fashion this year... so awesome! love how flattering it is! :D gonna make something similar for TVD but without the exposed zipper which is kind of skanky :X

  

it's so short that if you don't wanna bare any midriff you have to wear something really high waisted! but i still love it.

another outfit: Zara blazer with adorable lipstick prints top and contrast stitched shorts from TVD!

 

the lipstick prints are like how cute!!! :D these two items should be coming up on TVD soon :D actually i wanted to make a similar blazer as well but i can't find the right fabric that's structured enough to give it that nice fit. still need to hunt for the right fabric!

***

something to share for those who're interested in taking up vocal classes or just enjoy singing in general.. you might know (or maybe you don't know) that i took vocal classes under 沸揮老师 at Imagine Music previously, they're opening up a FREE ADMISSION Vocal Workshop, on the 23rd Feb, Thursday! there are only 30 seats available!

to register, just call Imagine Music at 6337 0855! ^_^ 

it sounds like it'll be really informative and fun, and it's free, so do give them a call to register yourself for the workshop!

***

anywaysss, YZ just left for South Africa last night, and i sent him off at the airport at midnight, took a cab back home and it was like $26 or something... bloody hell. so expensive =_= he'll only be back on 3 March so i have 2 weeks of boyfriend-less time hahahaha :X hope he doesn't come back with any STDs. LOL. supposedly, 17% of the population in South Africa has HIV. 

and since he's away, perfect time for me to diet since i can't go on any couple dates at the moment. bwahaha. you wouldn't believe how much junk i've been eating the past couple of weeks. so today i had grapes and fish soup. my life is one long never-ending diet. byeeeeee!