Every woman needs a Little Black Dress. I bought my 1st when I was 17 and I’m still using it. It’s got that amazing stretch to it that fits anyone from a size 6 to a 12. Over the years, I have accumulated a few LBDs and these days I’m especially drawn to the ones with a little ‘edge’ to it…something a little different about it…that sets it apart from every LBD out there…

I love the stretchiness of Quontum’s multi-colour strappy back dress to the frill collar with T-bar open back from Sass & Bide.

1. Haircut

2. Hollywood Wax

3. Full Leg Wax

4. Buy at least 2 new bikinis

5. Beach clothing

6. Sunscreen

7. After sun spray

8. Daily Moisturizer with at least SPF15

9. Camera

10. Set mobile to receive global roaming

11. Travel insurance

12. Convert Pounds to Singapore Dollars.

13. Seasickness/travel sickness tablets

14. Indigestion tablets

15. Pedicure

All I need to do now is get some Dollars and we’re good to go!!

A few months ago, I was speaking to one of my very good friends when I told her that J and I were going to Singapore in April and her immediate response was :

“Are you guys getting married?!?”

To her, being another Asian living in the UK, she’s cooped up in her parent’s house under strict Indian family rules. She would never dare mention anything about a boyfriend or whoever she’s seeing to them because she knows the next thing they would say is: “So…when’s the wedding?”

You see, coming from an Indian family, there is no such thing as dating. No such thing as breaking up and moving on to someone else. If you introduce him to your parents, they assume he’s The One. At the back of their minds, they will be inspecting him to imagine what kind of husband he would be, how their grandkids will look like, how smart and ambitious he is…the whole nine yards.

But I’m not marrying J…not now…not for a very long time. But I refuse to be with someone for years and not have my parents know just because I’m afraid of the constant pestering of marriage afterwards.

And if we ever do decide to get hitched, whenever that may be, it would be solely our decision.I’ve lived the first 20 years of my life living up to my parents expectations and doing everything right so that they would be happy.

I’m determined to do something for myself for the next twenty…

If you’re looking for cheap good quality and on-trend dresses, let me fill you in on a little secret…Vero Moda. The 1st time I came across this label was back in the summer of last year when I was shopping online for a summer dress for my boss’s BBQ. I was immediately taken by the simple and colourful design of the dresses. What sealed the deal for me was the price! I just love how something that looks expensive and bang on trend only costed me £30!

Vero Moda is a french label and is readily available on the high street in Europe. In the UK however, it is only available online. You can get your dose of Vero Moda fashion at Asos or from their online shop. Delivery to the UK is only 3 Euros!

Vero Moda is a quality clothing line with the right look at just the right price which offers the option of chic affordable clothing for the everyday woman and I love it!

Forecast for the next 4 days in Singapore (Taken off Google.com)

Now, there are only 2 seasons in Singapore; it’s either hot or it’s rainy. There comes the annual monsoon season which stretches till Feb…sometimes maybe even into March. Beach resorts suffer their least busiest period during the monsoon because the tides are too rough and the beach…well, the beach is the last place you wanna be at during the monsoon. But once April kicks in, the sun’s out…the beach is calmer, the clouds dissapear and you got the HOT season…

However,this year, the year I’ve chosen to go for a holiday…the year James will be visiting Singapore for the 1st time, the monsoon has somehow decided to linger a little while longer…

Great. Just. Great.

I have a love-hate relationship with bikinis. I hate how it’s a constant reminder of my small boobs yet on the other hand, I love how sexy some of them are!

For those of you with small boobs, you probably already know the constant dos and don’ts we’re bombarded with from “fashion experts” about our bikinis:

DO get prints. DON’T get solids. DO get ruffles. DON’T get bandeaus. DO get halternecks.

I have just one. You probably won’t agree but here goes anyway. Whenever, I’m shopping for my bikinis, I always get the loudest, brightest and skimpiest one out there. That way, the last thing anyone will be focussing on are your boobs!

You know, the ones with prints and colours (in season ones of course) and littlest string bikini bottoms with halterneck tops which go right down low to show whatever cleavage I should possibly squeeze out of my little mosquito bites (see Aaron Chang pic).

I also try to get ones which fastens at the front; that way, you can squeeze your boobs closer together; creating your own “custom-made” cleavage however you see fit!

I’ve tried and tested many different brands of bikinis over the years and the high-street ones are just not my cup of tea. They just don’t cater to smaller busted women!

Anyway, I’ve got my bikinis for this trip already…time now to sort out my summer dresses ( which I have completely forgotten about and even left it out of my list!)

Preparing for a holiday is always stressful. You wanna make sure you’ve got everything cause you really really don’t wanna miss anything out.

To me, there are two kinds of holiday-makers. The Planner and the Floater. The latter being someone who’s only preparation for the holiday is booking the flights. Anything else, he’ll sort while he’s there. He’ll decide where to go and what to do while he’s there.

The Planner on the other hand, knows pretty much everything a tourist would need to know before he even steps on the plane. He knows what he’s doing and where he’s going on any given day.

I am, a Planner. I know where we’re going on which dates and how we’re gonna get there. However, I do have what I call “chill-out” days – Days when we can do whatever we feel like and give the other person a chance to figure what he fancies doing on that day.

Therefore, for this trip, seeing as I’m Singaporean and we ARE flying to Singapore, I have appointed myself to be the organizer. And much to my surprise, I have in fact taken care of everything that needs to be taken care off. Tickets booked. Hotel rooms booked. Ferry booked. Transport to airport sorted. Friends called and notified. Family notified. Facebook invitations for dinner parties sent out. All that needs to be done now is sort myself out!

I do have a little checklist that I go through whenever I’m preparing for a holiday. Seeing as I’ve only got 10 days to work through the rest of the list, I’m not sure how I’m gonna get through it!

1. Haircut

2. Hollywood Wax

3. Full Leg Wax

4. Buy at least 2 new bikinis

5. Beach clothing

6. Sunscreen

7. After sun spray

8. Daily Moisturizer with at least SPF15

9. Camera

10. Set mobile to receive global roaming

11. Travel insurance

12. Convert Pounds to Singapore Dollars.

13. Seasickness/travel sickness tablets

14. Indigestion tablets

15. Pedicure

Seriously?

Come On!

How can something that doesn’t even look good on a 6 feet tall model, look good on someone like me?

Even MC Hammer didn’t look good in it when it was considered “cool”.

I have to admit, this was one piece of garment I was certain I could not be persuaded to put on. No way! I was convinced that no matter how you jazz it up, it would still just be a ridiculous garment that I would not be caught dead wearing.

BUT!

I take it back. I wouldn’t mind wearing one ONLY if they look like these:

Wouldn’t you?

We went to watch Marley & Me the other day after work and I wish I brought my tissues with me instead of using J’s sleeve as a snort cloth.

I remember crying when I read the book a year ago and didn’t think I would with the movie as I knew what was coming but nope…that wasn’t the case.

Whether you have or have had a dog at some point in your life, this movie will tug at your heartstrings.

I would recommend the book though as there were a lot more “Marley moments” in the book than in the movie.

I do love shopping in little boutiques and finding quirky and unique clothing or jewellery. I hate how everyone seems to be wearing what everyone else is wearing to a point where you can’t distinguish one from the other.

Unfortunately, where I’m living at the moment, it’s saturated with huge high street brands in massive shopping centres. Therefore, I’m always on a quest to find independent jewellers or small businesses who make one-of-a-kind pieces…which brings me to my next big find…Christine Walsh Jewellery.

Her pieces are exquisite! I could not decide on which ones were my favourite as I browsing through her collection. A married mother of four, Christine gains her inspiration for her jewellery from everything like nature, art, textiles and fashion.

I had the wonderful opportunity of actually e-mailing Christine to speak about her collection…Christine started Christine Walsh Jewellery 3 years ago when she started getting great feedback from friends about them. Beginning with jewellery parties in her neigbourhood, she progressed to selling her collection on several online shops before landing onto Etsy.

Using gemstones which she sources from around the world, she makes timeless pieces of earrings, bracelets and necklaces for her label. My eyes were especially drawn to her emerald green pieces as they were so simple yet quite a statement because the colour is so captivating! I especially do love how she plays with colour combinations in some of her pieces.

You can clearly see the amont of passion and individuality that go into her pieces with the material she uses and the craftmanship that goes into each and every piece. There are no more than 5 pieces per design and the price ranges from US$35 to US$135. She’s also open to the idea of making custom pieces should you have an idea or design in your head which you want to see be turned into reality; making it even more unique!

At the moment, her pieces are available online on Etsy.com. Simply search for christinewalsh under “Seller:Usernames” in the search bar. Check it out for yourselves!