Finally got down to rearrange the New Zealand pictures and I can't believe i took 11GB worth of photos + videos!

NZ has one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen, absolutely scenic and incredibly gorgeous. We visited only the South Islands for this trip, beginning from Christchurch – which was pretty much a quiet hometown, and did a road trip 7-days road trip to explore the different towns. It definitely brought us great excitement each time we arrived at a new destination and the towns were simply different yet captivating in their own ways.

Shall let the pictures do the talking. (;

DAY ONE
CHRISTCHURCH

Arrived at Christchurch!

Checked into our hotel – The Chateau on the Park.

We weren't quite satisfied with the rooms, they looked pretty different from the pictures we saw on the site! ):
The highlight of this hotel would probably be the unlimited connection of Wifi (though signal fluctuates), which is pretty generous for a hotel in NZ, so I've heard.
Location wise was not too bad, a 5-10 minutes drive to one of the biggest malls there – Riccarton Mall.

Heading for lunch! 

Lunch was at La Porchetta- Italian food for the first meal in NZ.

One of the biggest and busiest malls there – Riccarton Mall.
You can find restaurants and the different retail brands there like supre, cotton on etc.

Heard from my new found NZ-Singaporean friend, Cheryl, this is the best supermarket around our area to stock up on food and necessities!
True enough, prices were lower than those small shops along the roads.

Sun set on the way back

The first day was a simple one as we had to get a decent rest to begin for our road trip the next day.
Will be back for the next part soon!

Habitat Coffee is one of my favorite hang out cafes with the girls, especially when we get to see a familiar face or two whenever we are there. Ryan (the man behind the business) has been an absolutely sweet friend to all of us and never fails to treat us with great hospitality each and every time. Oh yes, did I mention Poots is part-timing there too? Please feel free to say a hello to her if you see her there, I bet you'll make her day!

It always brightens up my day to know that I'll be heading there, knowing that I would be having my favorite Habitat freshly-brewed Hazelnut Latte, accompanying with a plate of truffle fries and a slice of their signature Black/Red Velvet Cake or Orange Walnut Cake at Habitat Coffee. These delights are to-die-for!

#OOTD: Donning on Fairebelle's Kimono Dress, love the sleeves and the embroidery (removable) sash!
Did a Black Velvet Cake Takeaway home for my family and i'm sure they will love it as much as I do too, we are all Chocolate fans. And that's Ryan by the way! Do say hello to him too, you will make another person's day too. (;

HABITAT COFFEE
223 Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 574355
Tel: +65 6456 2567 
Opening hours
Tue – Fri: 11am to 10.30pm
Weekends: 10.30am to 10.30pm
Closed on Mondays

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Mother's Day celebration this year was spent over a good lunch at Crystal Jade Golden Palace.

Been there twice or thrice for their dim sums only, but this occasion calls out for something better this time. Apart from the usual dimsums, we tried their Peking Duck for the first time and were rather impressed by it. Taste wise was good overall though momsie felt that the rice flour skin wrapping over the sliced skin were a lil too thick for her liking. Apart from that, the common way to appreciate the remaining duck meat would be to dice and fry it (including the most expensive part – drum meat) with noodles (yi fu main) but we were pretty surprised to see that they actually served the drum meat separately.

Not just my first time experiencing this, but my parents too, had never seen such a serving method for Peking Duck amongst all the restaurants that we have tried before. And that's a good thing definitely, you know for sure that you are not missing out on the good stuff with the price you pay. (;

All of the above are worth ordering, especially the XO carrot cake & roasted pork.

Wearing my new favorite high-waisted orange-mustard prints skirt from Klarra. Brightens up the whole outfit! (;

Love <3

Mr Efu <3  and my new pair of heels from Mitju, love it!

Happy Mother's Day, Mei and I love you momsie. <333

CRYSTAL JADE GOLDEN PALACE
290 Orchard Road, #05-22 The Paragon,
Tel: +65 6734 6866 
Opening Hours:
Mon – Fri: 11.30am – 3.00pm, 6.00pm – 11.00pm
Sat: 11.00am – 3.00pm, 6.00pm – 11.00pm
Sun & Public Holiday: 10.30am – 3.00pm, 6.00pm – 11.00pm

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A reversible dress from Fairebelle that you wouldn't want to miss! Love how they matched up the colours (which can be worn the other way, inside out too).
Coupled with the fact that you tie it different, halter design, spaghetti strap design, you name it, you got it. (;

Been wanting to head down to Antoinette for the longest time and I finally patronized the place two weeks ago, right after the Lucidol shoot (as continued from the previous entry). Had a dinner date with the girls, leney and poots, and dinner went ever better when Z came along with us.
 
The food array was of a decent scale with each and every item on the menu looking very inviting. With that in mind, we were pretty spoilt for choices and unknowingly, we settled for eight items on the menu for just the four of us! It didn't seem like an unfamiliar act to us (I guess we always over-order) until Z had a petrified look on her face when 3 desserts all came at one go. It was a pretty amusing moment because we then counted the items & went into a slight shock mode. Mind over matter – that's when our tummies felt full. Geez.

If i were to put a finger on the menu to point out my personal favourites, it has got to be the Blueberry Pancakes (Absolutely tasty), Pavlova Ice Cream (i heard the crepe is as good), the Macaroons, Nougatine Crepes & Gnocchi Carbonara (though i think it will be much more satisfying if it's pasta than Gnocchi due to the overwhelming Gnocchi taste).

I love the setup of the place, very cosy, spacious and grand albeit the small place. I can't wait to explore the other outlets, in particularly the one at Penhas Road or the upcoming one at Palais Renaissance.

For the amount of food above, we spent apporiximately $38 (after GST) each. You can also check out their menu Here.

ANTOINETTE
333A Orchard Road,
#02-33/34 Mandarin Gallery
Tel: +65 6836 9527
Opening Hours:
Daily, 11am – 10pm

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That week was accompanied with another round of feasting after Fred introduced us to Tonkatsu by Ma Maison at Mandarin Gallery. The six of us (Brad, Ming, Fred & Vel, Ethan & Me) went for the dinner two days before Fred&Vel flew to the states for their wedding shoot

Quoting Fred, he said it's one of the best Tonkatsu places around. And true enough, there was a really long queue but thankfully Fred managed to get us seats. Tonkatsu was definitely very generous with the portion of their sets and with refillable salad and rice. One thing for sure, a set is more than enough to make you feel full to the brim! Again, if you are not sure what to order, I think the Hungary Mangalica Rosu Katsu Set has the best tasting meat, and I love the Prawn Katsu which is as long as 25cm.

TONKATSU BY MA MAISON
333A Orchard Road,
#02-35/36 Mandarin Gallery
Tel: +65 6733 4541
Opening Hours:
Mon–Fri: 11am–3pm, 5pm–10pm
Sat–Sun & PH: 11am–10pm

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Just take a look at the intricate lace details and the flap bottom design – this dress from My Hearts Desire is a must have in the wardrobe.
Besides that, classy black will never go wrong.

 
To lace and peter pan collar fans, you know this combination dress is calling out to you.
Love the striking cobalt blue and you can hop over to My Hearts Desire to take a clearer view!

Just two weeks ago, Zianna & myself participated in a collaboration shoot between LoveBonito x Lucidol. We had to do a total of 3 completely different looks each, with hair & make-up by Lucidol Team and outfits by LoveBonito. The picture above shows one of the looks, and I reckon it pretty much tells you the theme for the day- Japanese.

We had really interesting hairstyles & looks for that day, not forgetting to mention that it was Zianna & my first time trying on faux lower lashes! It didn't feel as uncomfortable as I've imagined, and in fact, they were pretty comfortable. I personally felt that there was a substantial difference to the make up cum appearance after putting the lower lashes on the very day of the shoot, and I concluded myself that that must be a key step in hopes to achieve a Jap Look!

Each of our looks was accompanied with both an outdoor/indoor shoot, and we will be showcasing how to do up the "Jappy" hairstyle in a few simple steps in those shots we took . Can't wait to receive the publicity materials and will do an update then.

Thanks to folks from LoveBonito x Lucidol, it was a really fun shoot albeit the long hours. (;

Jie & Z.

The talented Ginny behind the designing works.

The ever gorgeous Zianna!

Heading out.

With Daphne, our stylist!

A pose to complement our outfits and makeup. ;p

i love Z's nude lips.

Matched up my coral maxi that I wore to the shoot with a Draped Shrug Vest that I got from Triselle, love the Draped details and the material of this piece!

Our gift from the Lucidol Team.

P.S: Didn't know Bifesta & DollyWink are both under Lucidol and I have heard so much raves about both brands.
If i'm not wrong, Bifesta is known for its make up remover and it is the former Cleaning Express makeup remover. (Not too sure about this because I have not used up my bottle of Cleaning Express to get a new one). As for DollyWink, I have been dying to try their liquid eye liner for the longest time! Will try this pencil one first, and get the liquid one the next time.  Will review this if it's good!

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Another piece from Triselle, and you probably would love the unique tier-flap at the top. Quality is definitely commendable!

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I love bright colours outfits and this is one such from Pearlavish! Get the summer look by matching it up with a vibrant pair of heels. (;

This maroon dress from Pearlavish has a flattering cut especially the waist area. Match it with a blazer for a corporate look or just a simple pair of wedge to casual it up!

Last but not least, you will love the material of this workdress from Pearlavish. It absolutely comfortable on the skin. Comes in a nude sweet pink shade and the additional belt too.

I'm back to the humid Singapore from the cooling New Zealand and boy, the holiday just flew by in the wink of an eye. Am missing the crisp cold weather in NZ, the clear nights and frosty mornings, the hearty breakfasts, the magnificent sceneries, the tranquility, the peaceful towns and the list goes on. I'm really glad I went on this trip to explore NZ, witnessing what it's known for- the spectacular landscapes.

More of the NZ Travelogue soon!

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Pic credits to Brad.

The Toshiba Ultrabook is a great companion while travelling especially for its lightweight and the thin aspect of it.

I tend to have a bigger handbag (slightly bigger than A4) with me whilst travelling, and this 13" toshiba ultrabook z830 simply fits in comfortably.
Also, I'm used to holding my bag instead of slinging it on the shoulders and the light-ness of the ultrabook definitely helps a lot. I'm glad it doesn't take a toll on my arms nor hands after carrying it for hours!

In a nutshell, here are 5 things I love about the Toshiba Portege Z830 Ultrabook:
1. It is sleek & thin
2. It is light
3. Up to 8 hour battery life on save mode
4. Resume from sleep mode as fast as 2 seconds!
5. The spill-resistant keyboard

If you are interested to get an even closer look & feel on the Toshiba Portege Z830 Ultrabook , you can check out the gameshow filming that we did in KL. it's called the Toshiba Intel Ultrabook Challenge, and we had four different challenges we did, using the Toshiba Portege Z830 Ultrabook. We were interviewed during each challenge as well, so watch them to know our own personal views on the ultrabook!

Episode #1 – The Treasure Hunt Challenge

Episode #2 – The Ping Pong Challenge

Episode #3 – The Quick Draw Challenge

Episode #4 – The Q&A Challenge and the results.

Alternatively, you can hop over to the facebook tab at Toshiba's facebook to read & watch more about us!

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1. This is one of my favourite dresses in the wardrobe right now! Love the midi length and especially the waisted-flap design which helps to accentuate the waist. This Desire Lines Dress from Stephie's Shop is simply comfortable on the skin too.

2. This Upper West Side Dress from Stephie's Shop is one staple piece that we should have in the wardrobe. The nude colour and simple design give the dress a great versatility. Match it up with a blazer for work and chic look, or wear it by it self for a casual weekender look.