playing with my new toy

After queuing for 5.5 hrs from 10pm-3.30am, it's finally mine.... I tested the 'death grip' and my M1 signal seems to drop from 5 to 3 bars, which is totally fine. Not bad enough for my calls to get disconnected. Shall try it at work tomorrow to compare how Woodlands reception differ. Now, I have to get out of bed by 5.30am for conference call at 7am.. I'm so gonna die at work =(

midnight bluessss

Trying to diversify out of Balenciaga, I decided to sell my Anthracite Twiggy and branch out to something else. I really like twiggy and mine has become so slouchy over the few months of use. But the green undertone of 09'F/W Anthracite was bugging me a bit. Under flash, this baby looks really deep charcoal gray, something I really wanted. But under natural light, it morphs to display greenish-bluish tones which I'm not entirely loving. So when the chance came, I decided to let it go for a shot at something that I have been lusting since the time I first saw it few years back.

First seen in 2008, it spoke to me immediately. It definitely helped that A-celebrities were spotted donning this beauty.

Finally, I managed to get my hands on one =)

It might appear small initially but it can fit a lot. My 10" netbook fits in with space to spare. A4 fits in perfectly too!! Perfect 'working' bag =)

Yes I know how similar it is to Mulberry Alexa but both wears so differently. Alexa is so relax and casual and British (tan always gives me an English vibe) whereas PS1 has more structured lines and seems to have more edge. Plus midnight blue against brass hardware, total head turner... The leather up close actually has gold sparkles amongst the sea of blue. very pretty =)

Everyone have to own at least 1 messenger. 2 in my case!! It's hard to choose my fav.....

suit up penguins

Congrats Dr Cheng =)

3 things we have in common? Doctor bfs, our love for Balenciagas and of coz us being AWESOME gfs =)

GGH Black City, Galet First, Pourpre Twiggy

changes for the better

First week working with my new boss after getting back from Spain. He's a people's guy and loves joking around. He even gave up his personal office and request big boss to build another cubicle right beside mine so we can work closely together and bounce ideas around. Typical style of a non-local. First few days when we were clearing my ex-boss's office, we discovered ton and tons of back dated documents, some simply extra copies which he couldn't be bothered to dispose, some original signed documents that he couldn't be bothered to file and tons of other junk... It was a total nightmare. Everything is in a freaking mess but thankfully my new boss is more of a optimistic person and we kept telling each other that it can't get any worst than now so we just have to bear through this... I really hope so. Good thing our organization thoughts are pretty much similar so we should be able to work together very well....

update: my boss has been giving me a ride home for the past 3 days. Sadly, he will be leaving for USA for the next 1.5 weeks so there goes my free ride home........

Spanish love

Before this trip, my knowledge of Spain was limited to their fashion brands, soccer and 1 tennis dude. I didn't know about the influence of Moorish, Islam, Christianity and Roman on Spain, phantom the idea how different religious beliefs managed to cohabit peacefully together, learned the significance of bull fighting, visited 7 out of 41 UNESCO world heritage sites of Spain........

Pros of joining a packaged tour

1. Everything is planned for so all you need to do is pay and get on the plane
2. Transportation is covered throughout so visiting smaller towns won't be a problem
3. You will hopefully get a local (Spanish) guide who knows his/her stuffs. Audio aid, if available, works well too.
4. No worries about language barriers
5. Good accommodations (all our hotels this time round were 4*)

Cons of joining a packaged tour

1. Fixed itinerary. Little free time to explore the place on your own or for shopping
2. Stuck with people in the group you might not get along with (hasn't happened to me but tolerance is definitely required)
3. Package food SUX. Out of the few meals they covered, 3 of which were CHINESE (come on. Did I travel halfway around the world to get lousy Chinese food???), their so called local specials are essentially 'tourist specials', thus unable to accurately reflect their cuisine.

VALENCIA – BARCELONA

Cathedral of Valencia

Somewhere inside this Cathedral houses the cup Jesus used at the Last Supper, the Holy Grail.

Mercado Central, their central market. something similar to the Grand Bazaar Market in Istanbu, Turkey. Here, they mainly sell ingredients for their famous Paella, fresh fruits, hams, cheeses and olives

UNESCO World Heritage Site, La Lonja de la Seda. It was one of the very first few commercial trading centers before Banks were established. People traded based on trust and verbal agreements and this building later became the first 'bank' in Europe.

top: Zara, shorts: F21, blazer: Zara, head wrap: Uniqlo, shoes: Aldo, bag: Balenciaga

Another of Gaudi's master piece, Casa Batllo.

Tourist street of Barcelona, La Rambla. It happened that our last day in Barcelona, allocated for shopping, coincided with their Catalunya Holiday and ALL the shops were CLOSED. Tourists roamed around the streets of the dead town, desperately finding shops that were opened...

While walking disappointedly along the streets, we spotted people carrying shopping bags. Surely there must be shops somewhere that were opened so we decided to walk in that general direction. The occurrence of those shopping bags increased and we knew we were getting close. Finally, where everyone flocked to..... a little shopping centre at their waterfront. Sadly, nothing for me still.... Luckily I prepped myself to not expect any shopping since my track of 'shopping trips' have been really bad, thus I wasn't that disappointed. But still, I could have returned a very happy girl with a full full luggage. Next time then.........

We had a really satisfying tapas dinner at the Waterfront though. Totally trumped the one served in the package.

GRANADA – GUADIX – ALICANTE – VALENCIA

A short drive to a cathedral town of Guadix, where people live in caves, called Troglodyte Quarter. The really cool thing about living in these caves is that the temperature inside the cave remains around 18-20 degree Celsius regardless of the season. Also, all they need to expand their floor area is to dig further into the cave (soft clay hill).

We then took a long drive to Alicante, a historic Mediterranean port. The Mediterranean coastline, stretch of beaches, sea breeze, clear blue sky, makes it the perfect sun tanning spot in Summer. Countless people flock here in Summer because of the nice Mediterranean climate.

top: F21, skirt: Zara, necklace: Metallica, Sandals: Steve Madden, bag: Mulberry

Next up, Valencia, the third biggest city in Spain. Some modern architectural amongst the country with the most UNESCO world heritage sites. Science and Arts Centre.

CORDOBA – GRANADA

Cathedral de Granada. There's this 102m tall bell tower which we had to ascend for a paranomic view of the surroundings of the Cathedral. It was about 34 levels and climbing it wasn't as easy as I thought after so many days on foot...

The body of Christopher Columbus. Apparently, his voyage to the discovery of America was funded by the Queen of Spain...

top: Zara, shorts: Topshop, shoes: Sperry, bag: Mulberry

Granada, capital of Spain’s last Moorish kingdom, lies at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the autonomous region of Andalusia and served as the Moorish capital of Spain until liberation in 1492. Alhambra, a palace, is one of the greatest accomplishments of Islamic art and architecture. It's basically a palace for display, arcs and pillars which doesn't support anything, symmetry in structure, alabaster wall engravings....

We ended the night with their local famous Flamenco Dance in the Gypsy caves of Sacromonte (holy mountain). It's similar to tap dance but with a little element of seduction.

The night view of Alhambra from Sacromonte

MADRID – PUERTO LAPICE – CORDOBA

Good bye to Madrid and off to Andalusia, Cordoba. It's sad that for our short 2 days in Madrid, we were not given any time to shop at this Capital! Also, we failed to tour Spain's famous football stadiums and watch any bull fights =( Definitely something I'll do if I return in the future. Then and again, most cities look the same and it's always more interesting visiting the smaller heritage towns.

dress: Topshop, shoes: Aldo, bag: Mulberry

Another long day of traveling on the coach but stopping by a little town called Puerto Lapice. Really nothing special about this town besides it being a rest stop for tourist heading towards Cordoba...

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site - Cordoba.

Something super interesting about this place is that it's a Cathedral that was built inside a Mosque, which was built over a Roman Temple once upon a time... Jewish, Arabs, and Christians managed to cohabit peacefully and help construct this magnificent structure (Mosque/Cathedral/Temple).

The most distinctive feature of the Cordoba is the arcs used in the mosque and was built in a shocking 10 months, as compared to regular structures of that era which took few hundred years to complete.

The holiest place in the mosque where the Coran was read

Right in the middle of the mosque, a Cathedral was erected.

And under the floors of the mosque, ruins of a Roman Temple was found

How much more complicated can this religious house get? hahahaha. No wonder it makes the UNESCO list =)

Madrid - Toledo

Plaza Mayor, the central plaza of Madrid

Palacio Real, a palace that's still visited by the Royal Family and used to host official events. It's huge with 1600 elaborately decorated chambers, and used to house over 6000 people.

dress: Miss Selfridge, necklace: Banana Republic, shades: Ray Ban, sandals: Steve Madden, bag: Balenciaga

We didn't get to visit the famous stadiums of Real Madrid F.C. but still managed to take a snap shot of the stadium as our coach drove past...

The entire afternoon was spent at UNESCO World Heritage Site, formal capital of Spain - Toledo. Christian, Jewish and Moorish used to coexist here.

Narrow streets, pebbled pathways, stone walls, arc bridges

Catedral de Toledo