New Brand I like - - The Face Shop! :)

This is my new favourite store hangout, looking at every single thing in the shop, trying the products, looking at the back of the bottle and taking my time to explore around. Like Skinfood, another of my favourite korean brand, The Face Shop stocks up with every skin pampering product from head to toe!

Su Hyang Snow Skin care range has so far, the best moisturizer I've ever tried

Click here to read my TFS buys and product reviews

I keep a separate blog on Beauty and Fashion called "Be Chic Be Beautiful", written mostly for myself because i simply love to write and the topic interests me deeply. I try to keep such topics off this personal blog that is mainly for friends. The link to the blog is under 'Favourite Links'.

Anyway, Skinfood and TFS are my favourite skincare brands at the moment but because it is so hard to be a Skinfood member (need to accumulate $250) while $80 spent in one month at TFS qualifies me as a member enjoying 5% off all products, TFS is my latest favourite favourite. **See, possibly accessible and affordable brand loyalty programs are really important!**

PS: My current love of all things Korean includes

- Patronizing Korean stores (TFS/Skinfood/Laneige) for skincare

- Looking at Korean fashion trends for inspiration, aside from my favourite Japan Vivi magazine

- Wearing a Korean Hanbook and taking a picture with it at my school International Fair

- Boycotting Nokia and getting a Korean LG phone

- Having my Boyfriend to look Korean - stylish hair cut, carrying metrosexual bag, buying more trendy clothes and experimenting with new colors that suit his skin tone, having a proper skincare regime, getting spectacles that has tiny metal studs at the side because it is sooo korean ---> Result: He really looks like a Korean now. I like :D

- Crying at certain Korean dramas such as Hwang Jin Yi, My Girl (i don't even cry at sad American movies)
- Other Korean dramas I've watched includes Da Chang Jin, Gong S, Goong Princess, I love Kim Sam Soon, Summer Scent, Witch Yoo Hee

What does this mean?
It is so easy to get me stuff that makes me happy!

Hahahha, Think Korean stuff or classic Audrey Hepburn/ Tiffany/ Chanel or Japan Vivi

xoxo, principessa

Project JK

Project JK stands for Just Kindness and is a small group of people who believes in kindness towards animals. They mainly deal with rescuing strays from the streets and rehoming them, observing pet dogs and their living conditions and aims to sterilize the animals.

This writeup is written purely based on my impression of them and one thing i admire is that they believe in avoiding culling/euthanasia.

When i read through their blog entries, i felt really sad and sorry for the animals, sometimes i feel touched and fuzzy because the stories and their love for animals is so heartwarming, and sometimes it is really sad when they point out the fate of some animals. It makes me feel like doing something for these animals..

Why do i even care about animals? What gives me this heart to love them and want to help them and care for them? I think it's because i'm a Christian and that i'm softhearted in these sort of issues, i think about how God have created these animals to accompany us, how He had fed and clothed these animals in His creation.. giving them rain and shelter in the trees, natural food all around. And i thought about those and i feel like the animals are our friends. I don't like people who dislikes animals, and hate those who are mean or abuse animals.

This is a really random post but if you have the time, do read the blog by ProjectJK, i placed it in my favourite links sidebar.

Or visit http://projectjk.blogspot.com

love, principessa

PPS: Support kindness towards animals, DON'T get a pet if you can't care for its lifetime, Sterilize your pets to prevent unwanted litters that may land into accidents or killed due to neglect/inability to care for them.

Vivi magazine and overdone trends

I just bought the Feb issue of Seventeen and Cleo magazine. I know magazines aren't cheap and although i love reading them, it always pains me a little to throw them away after 6mths-1 yr because they take up too much space! Usually, i will just read Cleo, Her World and Vivi Japan. Of all, my favourite will be Vivi Japan because it is full of Japanese fashion that never fails to amaze me, they're colorful, they can be according to moods, to seasons, it could be Asian sweet or like the uber cool or punk image of the West. The way they match clothes is amazing, from accessories like hats, scarfs, jackets, vests, bracelets, rings, necklaces, stockings, leggings, shoes.... hair and makeup. It's beautifully coordinated right to the Z. meticulous perhaps because of their traditional intricate kimono and hair culture?

Hence, i'm a follower of Japan fashion and beauty..and lately due to watching korean dramas i'm also into Korean fashion and beauty. :) The Chinese like us seems to be less beauty conscious as compared to the Japanese or Koreans, but Taiwanese and Hong Kongers are seemingly more beauty conscious when compared to Singaporeans. Singaporeans are really the lazier bunch - we dress casually with flip flops, tees and shorts, or that boring boring jeans + tee + sneakers combo, tees and mini skirt and tote bag with flip flop combo, or we copy the other girls on the streets with the exact same Topshop/ Zara/ Mango clothes.

Think about this:

1) The Little Miss tee shirts craze: i see some girl donning on one everywhere i turn my head in school and in town (i'm guilty of owning one but i havent worn it out to school) Now, even guys wear it too and become "Mr Funny" etc.

2) Tunics from Topshop/Dorothy/Zara etc etc paired with leggings. Fashionable at first, but not when everyone even aunties are wearing it.

3) Eyelet peekaboo. Then it was eyelets everywhere, on your dress on your tops in your skirts and even shorts. I love eyelets, but i disapprove of it being a trend! It was bad, all the brands such as Sense, BYSI and even This Fashion have it while online selling blogs are choked by eyelets.

4) Vintage. We see brown vintage belts, we see brown vintage bags, we see whatever dress/skirt/top/shoe/bag girls label as 'vintage' when its actually from some shop in Far East or Thailand. Not vintage dear, it's brand new made a few weeks before you actually wear it.

5) The boyfriend shirt. Magazines telling you to steal your dad's or your bf's/brother's shirt, roll up the cuffs and wear it with shorts or as a dress clinched by a belt. I like this look, it's edgy and shows you have some spunk in you. Although i won't wear it (if i do it'll be a la dress), i think its overdone when i walk along my school compound and see someone dressed like that every 5 minutes.

6) Skinnies and the not so skinny. Everyone everyone eeeveryone is wearing skinnies. Even the not so skinny and unforgiving plump thighs/legs/butt. Skinnies as the name suggest is for skinny people with skinny legs! Okay, maybe it can look passably okay with the well endowed, but colored skinnies on curvy frame? It shouts: look at me fat thighs, i'm trying to hard to get them noticed.

Anyway, i don't profess i can dress well. I'm relatively plain as compared to what Japanese and Koreans wear, i'm more conservative into wearing new shapes out but i think we all need this pinch of adventure within us when we try clothes. Try a different colour you've never had, try a different shape, a diff style. Who knows? You may like it and see another side of you! But don't follow trends blindly, don't be a copy and zombie of fashion, be yourself and add just a little bit of trend into your wardrobe so you'll look refreshingly new each season. :)

Japan Vivi Fashion (Click for bigger pictures)

Some examples of what i mean, they really make an effort in dressing up!

I love the sundresses in their June issue

Looking adorable in their kimonos, i really wish to have one. When i go to Japan i want to wear one and take pictures of it. :D Their summer kimono is made of light materials and floaty pretty prints.

I think this is their Spring issue. Sweet (left) vs Cool (right). The model on the left is Lena, she's my favourite model. But the model on the right, Jun is my inspiration because she is the same shape as me, we have proportionately larger hips/butt/thighs cos we're pear shaped.

Feb 08 issue, different ways of mix match in Jun's cool style

One of their Feb 08 beauty pages. I love that makeup on Marie (left). She's only 20 you know?

xoxo, principessa

PS: My job application to the US is not confirmed yet so i don't know where i'll be working, but in anyway i'll leave it to God to lead me to where He wants me to. :D

PPS: I think i'll take Lindyhop as my school cca to get some exercise through the most happy way for me- dance.

Wednesday and school frights

Nothing much to write about, it's the first week of school. Yesterday was my first lecture for 4000 Tourism, and i was already freaking out with all the Year 4s around. They all know each other and form groups of their own. Of course, and naturally with all the experience they've got from doing honors year module..i'm quite worried. :( How do i do well in class if there are so many people better out there? Not to mention i don't really know my group mates (all inexperienced year 3s like me) or their working style, and the guys seem rather slack...i'm so worried. :( But i'll just do my best. Sigh.

Went out with my girlfriends today for an Orchard road picnic - Joy and Anna. I made little bites from my bf's family company (All Big) frozen products like crabmeat stick, salmon cheese, golden fish solo, seafood tofu while Joy got Beehoon and watermelon. Anna brought Krispy Kremes donuts. We were supposed to go to the Botanic Gardens for a picturesque picnic but as i have this dumb appointment with the aesthetics doctor, there wasn't enough time to enjoy Botanic Gardens so we brought all our food outside Far East and had a little Orchard Road Bench picnic! Why did i say the appt at Calvin Chan clinic is dumb? Because for a 5 minutes meeting with the doctor, we had to wait 1 whole hour before he's free to attend to me. Waste of time, and he didn't say much that helped. Joy reproached him by being unprofessional for having clients to wait so long. What happened during the consultation? They took pictures of my "After" IPL treatment face. WHAT, i refused to be their photo advertisement to show customers of the success of the treatment having waited so long :( Of cos, i didn't say that.

On a random note..

School is seriously worrying me. My 3000 Environment Sustainability module is 100% CA with no exams and every week, i have to come up with a lecture response aka learning portfolio. The boo thing is that i don't have good friends in this module, dying alone :(

4000 Tourism - No need to mention, it is frightening. Similarly i have to come up with a relevant blog post, picture sharing, video sharing or comment to someone's post every week on our module Ning site. :S

Even level 1000 geopolitics has Dr Carl giving us readings after readings even before lectures start :(

1000 E-Commerce is boring and dry.

1000 Communications and New media? I haven't been to the lecture but we can't even be 15minutes late for the weekly tutorials!!!

How depressing.

xoxo, principessa

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day

Before they are over after gazillion days, i better write something down before i forget.

New Year's Eve

This year's New Year celebration is one of the better and more memorable one. No countdowns with the crowd cos i actually hate crowds although i know the atmosphere will perk the party spirits up a few notches... instead, i spent it with my friends the whole day!!

New Year's Eve: Joy is back from Sydney and this is our 'last' JAE (Deb is missing) reunion before 2008 comes. What did we do? We had high tea at a chi chi Dempsey road, this barrack like area in Spa Esprit building. It was greenery all around us and the atmosphere is certainly cheerful. Not to mention i like touches of Nature (although i am very much a city girl at heart, i am especially inclined to the idea of protecting Nature, stop global warming, save the trees and animals kind of thing. Actually, i think it all stems to being a Christian. Because i know that God created the world, all the more we should take care of it and stop replacing every natural thing into some cold techie landscape.)

ANYWAY, pictures are easiest for me to describe the day with, SO

Their menu is quite interesting, real toy soldiers as the cover


We ordered two pots of tea (White Rose tea and Muah Muah) and these three gorgeous desserts!

The strawberry shortcake is to-die-for, warm and cold at the same time and melts in your mouth :D The chocolate brownie is super thick and very very sweet, i love the blueberries and walnuts coated with caramel but its too sweet even for four to share. Green tea tofu tiramisu is a dream - soft and flavourful. I love the combination of strawberry short cake and Muah Muah (a type of sweet black tea w raspberry n chocolate), or the super sweet brownie with white rose tea (i keep harping to my friends on how good white tea and roses are for your complexion!) Opps.

Oh, and that's Alvin - Anna's boyfriend. We are all savoring the dessert! Can you believe, they serve in mass tins? Those army kinds, ewk


Most of the dessert is gone and someone's unhappy, hahah


Okay, posed shots.


We have a lot of nice smiley pictures so we did this.

A test shot that turned out great!

Greenery and us. :)


Eh, fooling around in the restroom


Even more fooling around, a la theatre kiss

So New Year's Eve was spent high tea-ing the chi chi way with great friends and company. We played Bridge over there too, before we felt embarrassed for occupying the seats for too long, and headed to Anna's car for more. A tip for anyone who wants to high-tea there: The dessert and pot of tea is too big a portion for one unless you want to balloon in sweetness. Best shared as a couple, or is a good portion for 3 dainty girlfriends. :)

Later, as Joy leaves for church countdown... Alvin, Anna and me left to Ang Mo Kio for Botak Jones as a double date with my bf, before heading to Nopp's house to play with his dogs, compete in the Wii games and play bridge and this funny game Alvin's churchmates invented called 'Molly' till 2am. Yes, we counted down with the TV and bridge. I can't believe December passed so fast!

New Year's Day

Stayed over at bf's place and the next day, i baked a yummy butter cake with his sister Nely!

Ta-dah~ It was really fragrant and very good!


My bf likes it too

Happy New Year, Cookie! *proceeds to shake her like a baby*

And then, we spent the afternoon at Time Zone at Causeway Point by spending CRAZY amounts of money at the sweet machine and all that. It's mad, but Nely spent $60-70 just on that sweet machine and we had to carry 2 FULL NTUC sized bags of sweets, chocolates, capsule balls plus 2 soft toys back. She got to Jackpot eventually..and we played all sorts of games and took many of those nostalgic photo stickers too.

Hence, I was soooo late for meeting Sophie and WJ for dinner at the airport to send Angus off to London! :S

The Hong Kong cafe we ate at, T2

WARNING: They charge a super lot for extras and i believe they are super stingy too. No drinks or water served, charge 40 cents for a pack of wet tissue and $2 for this super tiny biscuit which everyone assumes comes as complimentary or as part of their service charge. Man. :( Off, and 17% service and GST charges. Day light robbery.


I had this $5.88 noodles, tastes okay but i'm still fuming over their forced charges

At MAC with Angus and his friends. Sorry bout my camera, its taken w 2.0mega pix phone cam


At the departure gate. *waves* We will really miss you!

And that sums up my New Year pre and post. :) Sorry that i'm wearing the same top, i've no choice but anyway, 2007 have been a good year. Thank God.

xoxo, principessa

Thailand Mission Trip 7-15th Dec (Photos)

Pictures speaks a thousand words. So i shall save my breath and show all these lovely pictures instead! :)

To view, it's recommended to click on "View all Images" below the slide as the blog space is too small to show the pictures clearly. It can be viewed as a photo album or if you click "Original view" at the top right, you can view the slide show i've made in the size i've intended. Bigger is clearer :)

Switch off the sound by clicking on it if you dislike the music.

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Day Six

Day Seven and Eight

FINALLY, all the pictures are uploaded. Took the whole day to do it. But, thanks for looking at those pictures!

And below, here are some of the best or most arty shots i love most, without any photo-shopping and they've only been rotated or cropped at best. Hope you like them! :)

Favourite /Artistic Shots my brother took with his powerful 10 mega pix Canon

He took too many arty pictures so i'll only show you a few which i like.

This is amazing, who would notice these details?

He loves to take pictures of people with zoom, and click at the right moment


I like the contrast in colors, i cropped off the left side so this is not the 'original' of what he took But still, this is good. I am amazed he can find this shot, this location that i've missed!


Family portrait at this Christian drug rehabilitation center at Cha Fang - an idyllic piece of heaven complete with flowers, fresh misty air and fresh fruit fields.


Have you ever seen 云海 (sea of clouds) in real life? This is it! Breath-taking wonders of God's creation


Dad took this, all of us balancing on that plank of wood you see


Cow we bought for Betty's orphanage has grown so huge. Close up cow

Favourite / Artistic Shots I took with my 4 mega pix Nikon

In the Airport Limo - A shot of the Bangkok public bus


I think this is my proudest picture :) I love the contrast in colours and the steam, very very nice. I discovered this shot!


Haven't cropped this yet, but i took this after my bro showed me this spot, perfect angle of sunlight and contrasting colors. If you notice, this dustpan only came after he took the picture. Amazing.


I took this gorgeous sun set amidst the rolling hills, looks so surreal isn't it? I assure you this is exactly what i saw. Glorious creation.


I discovered this strange aligning of clouds. My gosh, don't they look like a stairway to heaven?


I love this garden shot too, its so fairytale like and soft. :) Initially, the picture was very dark as the sun is not up, i experimented with the exposure level in my camera and this came out! WOW.


Needless to say, i like this because of the nice flare of sunlight behind. Self taken :D


My version of Betty's cow, i had to climb this steep slope to get close to him!


Taken at this Thai Chinese Garden, love this angle :)


I have to show this because this is the best, most fulfilling bowl of noodles i've ever eaten for $1.20. There are meatballs, fishballs, wanton, slices of lean meat, pork's liver and so much more! Ultra delicious!!

I have to take this, my favourite Golden Retriever at Cha Da Di-e's place. Very obedient. I love him!

After so many pictures, there is really one word to sum up Thailand (Northern Thailand): Colorful Thailand. It is a place full of life, nature, colors and warmth.

I've been wondering, are slide shows more tedious or posting pictures alone? I prefer posting pictures alone if there aren't so many because you could scrutinize it or skip it if it is not interesting :I I took some pictures with my new 2 pounds Vivitar Slim and Wide camera too but as i'm so broke now, i can't afford to develop them yet!! But when i do, i'll post them up too :) So excited to see them myself.