Out to lunch x OOTD

I always tend to stuff myself with food whenever I come back to SG for my breaks. Tried controlling my diet this time around but clearly, that didn't go according to plan. Definitely a struggle living in a food haven like SG.. LOL

MEE POK.

Try being away from SG for over 3 months if you think I'm being too overexcited over a bowl of mee pok.

Da bao'ed (takeaway) for lunch the other day since I prefer to eat in the comfort of my own home.

Can't decide whether living in an area highly populated with good food is a blessing or not. hahah

Nam Nam Noodle Bar for lunch after a visit to the dermatologist the other day.

Beef Pho & their salad = PHO-tastic (sorry I just had to).

Nam Nam Noodle Bar

Wheelock Place

501 Orchard Road

#B2-02, Wheelock Place,

Singapore 238880

Tel: 67351488

**

Had a quick lunch in town this afternoon with my mom & her friend today. I've been craving for Paradise Dynasty's noodles for too long so that's where we went! 

FINALLY.

Ordered 2 trays of their famous XLB's as well. They're well known for their different flavored XLB's.

No pics though because the usual excuse - was too hungry to bother to whip out my phone.

If you like foie gras, you should definitely try their foie gras flavored XLB's.

担担面 / Dan Dan Mian!

If you're thinking of going down, just note that they don't accept bookings/reservations, only walk-ins.

Paradise Dynasty

2 Orchard Turn

#04-12A ION Orchard

Business Hours:

11a.m-10p.m (Mon-Fri)

10a.m-10p.m (Sat, Sun & PH)

Of course, no matter how full one is, there is always still room for dessert. I actually have a separate compartment in my stomach for dessert alone ;)

I've been wanting to pay a visit to Paris Baguette Cafe, which is a famous cafe/bakery oringinally from Korea. Although my mom was in heels & hardly walks anywhere (case in point: she drives from ion to get to takashimaya), she relented & we walked to their Wisma Atria branch from ION to grab coffee & dessert!

Was rather impressed with the plush furnishing although the cafe is in the middle of the mall & is not enclosed.

Random pic while waiting for the food....

Ordered the strawberry cake (reminded me of the one at Antoinette) + Haha Family chocolate cake.

If I'm not mistaken, I think the HaHa Family cake is inspired by HaHa from Running Man? I don't know the correlation between HaHa and chocolate cake though so I could be totally wrong.. LOL.

& of course, a visit to Paris Baguette Cafe would not have been complete without buying what they're famous for - their Royal Pudding. Bought some to bring home & try!

Paris Baguette Cafe

#02-48/53, Wisma Atria Shopping Centre

435 Orchard Road

Tel: 68362010

~ 

TODAY'S OOTD

Today was definitely a dress-down kinda day.

First time wearing these Topshop shoes which I scored for just slightly over 15GBP (around $30) if I remember correctly? Even my mom told me not to lie after I told her they were from Topshop - she thought I had secretly bought this from Alexander Wang........ HAHA.

Just goes to show that high street items can sometimes rival their designer counterparts :)

P

Top: HommeFemme

Shorts: Abercrombie & Fitch

Bag: Chanel

Shoes: Topshop

Thanks to my brother for being my trusty photographer btw!

Actually surprised that he agreed.. hahah THANKS DIDI.

I've trained you well ;)

**

Can't believe I've been back in SG for nearly 2 weeks already.

Time needs to slow down.

Not ready to go back to the UK / back to reality yet :(

xx

instagram.com/nicsamx (@nicsamx)

ask.fm/fashfoodx

BACK IN THE +65.

*BACK IN SG / +65*

As soon as I got off the plane, I instantly felt the blistering heat. 

Whereas I would have complained before, SG's 365-days-summer was a welcome relief after being in single digit (dC) weather for the past 3 months!

Got this outfit back in the UK a few weeks ago but was unable to wear it as the weather didn't permit. Brought it back to SG to make full use of it!

No more being bundled up in chunky knits & puffy jackets.

Finally able to reclaim my summer wardrobe!

Matching top & bottom set: Miss Selfridge // Shoes: Isabel Marant // Chanel perfume iPhone case

Taiwanese food for lunch at Shin Yeh (Liang Court branch) ~

Had the steamed crab with glutinous rice!

They were quite generous with the crab & the egg roe (the best part!)

Complimentary dessert - Muah Chee (glutinous rice balls).

Ordered an extra dessert since we still had space. 

Mango shaved ice!

**

Chanel perfume bottle.

A new home for my iPhone ~

New set // all hand drawn!

*Chrome Hearts inspired*

Taiwanese porridge @ Coffee Lounge, Goodwood Park Hotel
Yesterday's lunch ~

**

Planning on getting a new camera soon so please bare with the iPhone5 photo quality for the time being!

~
Follow me on instagram! x @nicsamx
ask.fm/fashfoodx


xx

Skin Wardrobe

Another quick post to tide this space over till I'm done with exams.

Recently got these 3 products from Chanel's resynchronizing skincare line. I like to refer to them as my skin wardrobe - a change of cream for different occasions/days. Le Jour is the flirty white dress for the day. Change into your black dress at night (la nuit), & on the weekends, let loose in your comfy sweats (le weekend). Not really in the position to do a detailed review now as I've only just started using them. 

Being Chanel, a hefty price tag comes as little surprise. Admittedly, if my mom hadn't bought them, I probably wouldn't have dropped that sum of money myself.

Just a sidenote - you still have to continue with your main skincare routine alongside these products. They merely act as boosters.

If anyone has tried this line of products from Chanel, I would love to hear your feedback!

xx

New Year, New Do!

Happy New Year!!

Can't believe its 2014 already! HOW??

Back with my first post of the new year, along with the debut of my new do!

Permed my hair yesterday after wanting to do so for awhile. The new year often brings changes so this was my first major change in 2014! This being my first experience with perming, I didn't quite know what to expect. At the back of my mind, a lingering fear was that my hair would turn out resembling a full head of fried instant noodles. Thank goodness it turned out like the more positive outcome I had envisioned!

Pretty sure the only reason why I look half decent in this pic is down to the hair, as I went au naturale, sans makeup.

The only problem was that this head of hair took quite some time to achieve. Definitely love the hair way more than the process of actually achieving it. I can sit in bed for hours on end. Though, when it comes to a chair, its a whole different story. After sitting in the chair for close to 3.5 hours, I felt like running around the whole salon when I could eventually get up!

Back view

(note: my mom's photography skills. She's still learning. Had to do some editing to make it slightly more viewable..)

Anyone umm-ing & ahh-ing as to whether they should perm their hair, should just get round to it! Its a new year after all!

If you've any questions about perming, I'm open to answering them via email / my ask.fm! (links are below) 

I don't really want to bore you with too detailed a post in case you aren't interested, but if any of you are, I might do one about my experience.

xx

ask.fm/fashfoodx

fashfood@hotmail.com

High Street Buys: Shoes { ZARA }

Purchased 2 pairs of shoes from Zara a few weeks ago but never got round to showing them until now.

Leaving Zara empty-handed is a rarity for me. But for some reason, I've never really gravitated towards their shoes. However, I chanced upon these shoes during a sneaky browse through their online shop the other day. Of course, my fingers have a mind of their own and before I knew it, I had all too eagerly keyed in my payment details and checked out. Oops.. Though the price tags on these shoes did make me feel slightly less guilty..

I still haven't quite managed the mammoth task of wearing heels without tripping in the span of approximately 5 minutes. So since both pairs of shoes have a chunky heel instead of a stick thin one, I figured I wouldn't be a walking hazard in them. At least its a baby step in the right direction! (and I probably won't end up on my butt while taking that step.. hah!)

Open high heel Nappa Leather Ankle Boot

"These boots were made for walking.."

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the link for this pair on Zara's website anymore. If you're interested, you may want to try heading down to one of their stores to try your luck!

Happy shopping!

xx

Shop my closet!

Heyy! 

A couple of entries ago, I told you guys about my Carousell page. In case you've not read it & don't have a clue about what Carousell is, I shall enlighten you!

Carousell is a local (SG) website that allows users to post their items for sale. In turn, users can also shop other's items. It's pretty much just one big online flea market (except slightly more organized and definitely less hectic..). Items sold on there range from the contents of people's closets to the latest gadgets! Condition of the items also varies from new to almost new to slightly more preloved! If you've an iPhone 5/android phone (?) you can also download their app for free!

So after my free mini advertisement for Carousell (LOL), the purpose of this post is to tell you that I've updated my Carousell site! (www.carousell.co/fashfoodx) I'll also be updating it with even more items within the next day or so!

If you're interested, keep watch for that because I'll be leaving SG next week so collection of items must be done by the end of this week (latest)! 

Remember to follow me on Carousell (@fashfoodx) for more details!

One man's trash treasure is another man's treasure ;)

xx

Bangkok trip! (Part 1)

If you've read my recent entry, you'll be aware that I've been reeling from a breakup (leaving Bangkok)..

I was there for 6 days, which for me, isn't enough. 

Being a mere 2 hour plane journey away, Bangkok is my home away from home. Having this be my 2nd trip in the span of 3 months is testament to that.

From the narrow dusty lanes of street markets, to the daunting stretch of air-conditioned malls, Bangkok has so much to offer. The fleeting contrast between the old and new adds to the charm of the vibrant city.

I'll be breaking my Bangkok trip into 2 parts (Day 1-3 + Day 4-6). 

Be prepared for a slew of visuals.

DAY 1

Stayed in the same hotel as we did the last trip after a good experience there.

Checked in immediately after we arrived.

Bangkok's warm hospitality never fails to live up to its nickname - 'Land of Smiles'.

To be greeted with welcome drinks is not uncommon in Thai hotels/resorts.

To present us with these refreshers (2 juices + 2 alcoholic cocktails) after our long flight upon check in is not such a bad thing.

House hotel room tour........

Vanity area

Love the details in this sink

Toilets with a skyline view are the best.

The Pièce de résistance....

the most comfortable beds ever

Hallway entrance + a sneak peek of the bedroom

lounge area + the view from our room on the 15th floor

** HOTEL MUSE **

After settling in and refreshing up, we headed down to Central Chidlom departmental store which was just a 5 min tuk tuk ride away, courtesy of the hotel's complimentary tuk tuk service.

After raiding the stores, we sat down for dinner at one of our usual haunts in Bangkok - The Little Kitchen.

Som tam (papaya salad)

Thai iced tea + lychee cooler

Address:  Central Chidlom (2F), 1027, Phloen Chit Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok, 10330

Area: Siam / Zone: Lumpini(CBD) / Metro: BTS Sukhumvit Line - Chit Lom (160m) **

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and did our routine foot massage before bed at the massage place 10 steps away from our hotel's door. Being able to have a massage just before bed and one when you've just woken up is probably one the main reasons I enjoy staying at Hotel Muse. I could get used to this....

Day 2

Called room service for breakfast as we wanted to eat in the comfort of our hotel room and have the luxury of staying in our jammies.

Hit the shops at Siam Paragon after breakfast which turned out to be a rather successful trip. Will be sharing more in my upcoming haul!

After our spree, we crossed the linking bridge to Grand Hyatt's Erawan tea room for their afternoon tea.

Tea set :)

The bottom tier consisted of savory food whilst the the top 2 tiers had thai desserts, scones, and cake.

Lemongrass drink + thai iced tea

Bridge linking the stretch of departmental stores together

How cute are these cardboard cousins of iconic designer bags?

Don't really have other pictures from the rest of our day as we spent it shopping.. and shopping.. 

DAY 3

Had a late start in the morning as we decided to lounge around in the hotel room before having to check out and move to our new hotel.

Lunch at the hotel restaurant

view from the 20th floor

Coconut drink

part of the hotel lobby

When we went down to the ground floor, there was a Model's Own nail polish party being thrown. People posing and cameras flashing. 

If we didn't have to check out of the hotel, I would have probably sneaked in.

As we had stayed at Hotel Muse on a previous trip as well, we wanted to try out another hotel recommended by my mom's friend.

** HOTEL VIE ** - our abode for the remaining 3 nights.

the Vie Suite ~

hallway

coffee machine + mini bar area

study desk

hall / living room

master bedroom

toilet

one of my OOTD's. didn't really document my ootd's on this trip because to be frank, I put little effort into my outfits..

Floral cami : Forever 21 (found this in the abyss of my closet during my bout of spring cleaning)

Shorts : Abercrombie & Fitch

Sequin slippers : Fit Flops

After dumping our stuff in the hotel room, we headed to Siam Square.

With every trip I take to Bangkok, the more I discover.

This trip was no different.

I've never really thought much about Siam Square until I really meandered my way through its narrow alleyways. Rows of unassuming makeshift shops selling an array of items from topshop "inspired" T-shirts to pink iphone chargers.

Sharksfins on display at one particular store just on the edge of Siam Square

Queued with hoards of fellow hungry people at Somtam, one of the arguably more popular eateries in Siam Square. 

Do not let its humble exterior fool you. The food here is authentic and packed with flavor. Probably one of the best meals I had the entire trip.

Chicken wings, tom yum goong (soup), salted pork, somtam, glutinous rice

A feast fit for somebody who has burnt their energy walking around the shops for a few hours straight.

Glutinous rice

Dessert joint adjoined to Somtam

Siam night market along the streets

Ending on this note........

..A sneak peek of what I bought in Bangkok..

Will be updating this space with part 2 of my Bangkok trip soon!

xx