taobao batch 3

this will be the last batch of taobao orders before july, in order to complete my kimonos for the photoshoot.... supposed to get all my stuff in 2 batches but apparently some of the things i bought previously wasnt what i expect them to be & some of the extra items cant be found in SG... so have the get additional orders from taobao.....

batch 3 taobao orders

 not much things for this batch... the most important things are the zori (japanese sandal), tabi (japanese 2 toes socks) & the black cloth for haori... the previous cloth i bought was way too hard... is like wearing a plastic sheet....

my zori

the zori is really pretty... it would be better if i can find the gold colour zori but sadly those gold colour ones are way too expensive... this beautiful pair cost about 88rmb which is S$18.50... not say very cheap or expensive but definitely something that i cant find in SG.... thought of wearing geta (sandal wore with yukata in summer) since i have 2 pairs but want the whole look for my photoshoot so no choice but to buy.....

fabric paints

another important thing from this batch is the fabric paints.. previously i gotten mine from art friends but i not sure was it due to the shifting or order problem... the choices of fabric paints are pretty limited now & for colours i want, they only sell in small quantity.... so have to get from taobao again... i dont know about the quality of the paint but they are definitely cheaper than here... for the big bottles which is 500mL, it cost about S$17 but in SG, a 59mL will cost like S$5... so much cheaper.... most importantly, i cant find the sparkling gold fabric paint (small bottles) in SG.... shall try out the fabric paint soon, hopefully they are good =)

smile plants

just a random post about the game that i am quite addicted to now.... honestly, i really suck at playing games especially those strategy kind of games... totally suck.... i feel that you shouldnt waste your brain cells when playing game... it should be just resting & enjoying the brainless fun... but of cause some people bet to differ... but anyway... all along i only know how to play simple games like bejewelled, bubble shooter kind of brainless game.... even for PC games, i only like find the hidden object = detective style games but is just searching for things.... the toughest i can go was only maple...even so, i had a hard time trying to jump around.... argh..... so recently, my bf showed me this hp game call smile plants... is something like the candy crush, bejeweled kind of game..but with the additional feature of growing plants....

the thing i like about this game other than the swiping motion to clear the grids, is the cute drawing!!!!

start up page

actual game play

omg... arent they cute!!! but i havent seen the witch lookalike plant yet...

the rewards

play with friends things

all the photos were taken from the itune app site... cute drawing hor.... but apparently this game wasnt that popular now that i think they took down the game from facebook cause i cant find it online.... but who cares... i am happy looking at my cute little plants.... but there is only so few slots for the plant so after you have finished growing & decorating them... i think the game will get kind of boring... currently i am at level 20, almost done growing all the plants.... so far i am still enjoying it, so shall continue playing till i get sick of it =)

omiyage from japan & malibu rum =)

so my lab mate just got back from Hokkaido & she has kindly bought us quite a number of omiyage (souvenirs) from japan =) she went to the shiroi koibito cookie factory!!! i was like i WANT TO GO there!!! cause the cookies are like heavenly nice!!!! nowadays you can also find them at takashimaya basement when they having some japan fair... but is still quite pricey to get them in SG... so i had shamelessly requested for that from my lab mate =p

japan omiyage

she bought like this BIG tin of shiroi koibito!!! i was like wah... never seen such a big box before lea.... those i saw in japan airport are like just half the size & no metal thin!!!! she also bought us other snacks from kobe... hmm... ok lo..... shiroi koibito is still the best!!!!! then she also bought us individual gifts =)

music box + coke

she gotten me this cute little music box... at first i just thought the music box was cute then i realised there is more than meets the eyes..... the music is "Give me five!!!"... meaning is from akb48!!! like wah!!! so kind of her!!! ok... i am not a huge fan of akb but i do like their songs so i was like omg!!! i love it!!!! then the coke bottle isnt some special coke BUT look at the bottle, it has momoko written on it.... yup... momoko is the nickname/forum name that i gave myself.... so sweet of her to get me a bottle with my name.... going to display it on some shelf when i gotten my new house =)

then sidetrack abit... also a souvenir but is from DFS = malibu rum!!! i didnt know this liquor exist till another lab mate told me about it... she was like going on & on about how nice this alcohol is.... so must try... but alcohol cost a bomb in SG so the best place to get = DFS...

malibu!!!

for this 1L bottle, it only cost like S$26.70, like OMG cheap compared to what you find in cold storage... if i didnt remember wrongly, it cost like $75+ for 750mL!!! like HUGE difference.....

cocktail instruction

so one fine day, we decided to open this bottle & try.... my friend suggested pineapple juice & the malibu cocktail instruction also suggested that.... so we bought pineapple, mango juice & sprite cause want to give it some gassiness

mixers that we bought

final product

the juices for this brand is way too sweet especially the mango juice... super concentrated!!!! pineapple crush was ok... we mixed about 1:4 ratio = 1 portion of malibu to 3 portion of juice.... & seriously... malibu rum is really nice... it has this nice coconut taste but not too strong whereby pineapple juice will really bring out the sweetness in it.... really nice.... adding some sprite also nice cause it gets more gassy.... so... if you guys intend to go travel & have not thought of what to buy at DFS... get a bottle of malibu rum!!! nice & cheap =) *thumbs up*

wedding bands from Lee Hwa

*back dated entry*

after 3 months of waiting, finally gotten my wedding bands last sat (17th may)..... actually we supposed to get the ring about 1 month earlier but due to some problems, there was delay...

we ordered the ring in Feb... as mentioned previously, we went to almost all the popular jewellery stores in SG but decided on Lee hwa... our rings were under special promotion which was almost 50% off... the final total for both rings cost S$1176... i think that's quite a good deal especially when my ring has a row of diamonds... of cause those are not GIA certified diamonds, but they still cost a fair bit of $ if you buy it without discount....

when we purchased the ring, the staff told us a rough gauge will be 3 months wait as the stores dont have our sizes... sadly... we both have fairly big, fat fingers =(  so somewhere in april, the Lee hwa staff informed us that the rings are ready for collection.... like wah.... 1 month earlier than expected wor.... so we went down but then to our disappointment, the ring sizes dont fit... mine was 1 size smaller, still can squeeze in but hard to take out.. but for my bf, it was like 2-3 size smaller.... i guess the problem arise because there was no available ring sizes for the design we want, so we had to try the sizes from other ring designs.... i understand that the ring sizes may vary slightly for each design but like 2-3 size different for my bf, that's like wah... BIG difference.... so no choice... have to alter the ring.....

then early may, the staff called us again to go down to try the ring... this time the size fit = good but then there was this white speck on the inner lining of my ring & some scratches on bf's ring... i mean under normal circumstances i will probably make do with the rings but i felt for wedding bands, they should be as perfect as possible when i bought them.... so the staff has kindly agreed to help us re-polish the ring & check the coating, etc....

finally, last week we managed to get our rings!!! actually the staff called us much earlier time but i was away in HK, so didnt get the call.... this time, everything looks nice & shine... perfect =) like all wedding bands, you will be given the free ring pillow... then we also joined the Lee Hwa member, 2 coupon for free polishing of rings within 2yr & a sure win lucky dip which i gotten a $80 voucher... haha....

the long awaited ring

bf = on the left & mine on the right.... i tried to take a clearer picture but somehow the camera just failed to focus.... the ring has this matt lining in the middle, then mine has additional rows of diamonds....despite having some hiccups in getting the rings, the staff were nice & polite, really appreciate the services.... in conclusion, i think Lee Hwa is a good place to get wedding bands especially when you choose those designs under promotion  =)

please look where you walking

no matter how tired or lazy i am, i MUST write this post cause what happened today really traumatized me.....

today was all good till what happened at night during dinner time... i went for dinner with my bf's family at a coffee shop.... after we ordered the food, when we walking back to our seats, i heard & felt some crunchy crushing sound under my feet... at first i thought i stepped on some glass, branch or snail.... but when i turned back to look & to my horror... i actually stepped on a HUGE moth... a HUGE moth... really HUGE moth!!!!!!!! i dare say, it is the biggest moth i seen so far in my 20+ years of life other than specimens... that insect i would say has a wing span of almost 20cm, if not more.... like OMFG HUGE ass moth!!!!!!!!

cause i seriously dislike & cant tahan, i dare not even look at insect pictures, so i cant post which species of moth i saw... but my bf showed me a picture of that horrible creature on his hp & i was like OMG!!! that's the one.... & then to my horror again, someone actually saw a flock of such HUGE moth somewhere in SG before.... i was like OMG again.... thankfully i am not there to witness that scene or else i will sure run off at lightning speed that can beat any Olympic medalists...

i might sounded mean in my post about how disturbed i was, i still feel sorry for the moth that i stepped on... i am really sorry... i really didnt mean to.... if i saw it, i would have avoided it at all cause.... so lesson learn today is that, everyone, please look where you are walking.... for you dont want to have a similar tormenting experience as what i had tonight... i seriously hoped i wont have nightmare tonight.... =(

HK shopping trip for wedding preparation (6th - 12th May) part 3

the last part of the HK trip post will be just on random shopping & food that i had in HK....

so after shopping for all the expensive stuff for the first 2 days, the next few days will be more on normal shopping & meeting some of the relatives.... as usual, my favourite shopping place is at prince edward =  花园街

 花园街

streets at  花园街

my rainboot look... cause hongkong was raining so heavily

look at the amount of stuff we bought... crazy... haha

happened to spot animate along the street at prince edward

the clothes at  花园街 is pretty cheap but compared to my beloved taobao.com.... the prices had jet up ALOT since these couples of years.... but i feel if you are looking for relatively cheap stuff, i think  花园街 is still a good place...

along the road along prince edward, i stumbled across a shoe shop which sell alot bling bling shoes & lucky me, managed to find a suitable shoe to match my gowns....

the shop name....

my shoe....

front view

the shop was having some closing down or moving sales... so the shoe was having 20% off then still have additional 15% off so the final price was 344hkd = about S$56... i think in SG will cost at least S$70 but the main problem is the heel so OMG high... at least a 3inch kind... & luckily mine is about 1.5inch = i can run in it... yeah!!!

subsequent posts will be on the food i ate in HK, yummy.... =)

my favourite beef stew at  池记 (郎豪坊)

salmon + ebiko rice @ yoshinoya... pretty unique but slightly salty

favourite steak at Boston seafood

quite famous cream puff shop in HK

triple chocolate... hmm ok lo

ordered green tea + azuki for mama... not too bad

cocomo restaurant at shatin

the menu

the bread + soup + salad, i like the bread.. soft & nice

stew rice with scallop + truffle... nah... not nice

kimchi udon... nah... average

side track.... i quite like the shatin shopping center.... my favourite is YATA at 新城市廣場第三期... is a japanese departmental store & the good thing is that the stuff there are not the super expensive kind.... pretty affordable.... there is also citysuper = something like fancy version of market place... pretty cool place to walk around too....

bread @ tiffany at prince edward area

nice borche

baked pork chop rice... NOT nice...

sushi platter from market place... quite fresh wor

roast meat platter from 翠华.. not too bad but slightly on the fatty side

my favourite porridge store at prince edward area

炸两 which means the 油条wrapped in 猪肠粉, is a common dish in HK & i quite like it

the porridge... not as nice as last time but still not too bad

so yup, with that i ended my 7D6N trip in HK... was a really intensive shopping trip.... i spent like S$1K on food + shopping... thankfully we can stayed at my aunty's place so we saved alot on the hotel.... once again... i urge everyone to go HK buy jewellery or expensive as there is no tax there... but have to compensate by paying for expensive hotels.... well... have to give & take =)

HK shopping trip for wedding preparation (6th - 12th May) part 2

second part of hk trip is still on shopping for dowry stuff.... so the second objective for this hk trip is to rent kua cause mama cant find suitable ones in SG.... & my cousins seem to manage to get some good deals during her wedding so it sparks the idea of renting kua from HK....

the place most well-known for kua rental is actually 金都商场... you get off at prince edward mtr station & come out from the 联和广场 exit & the building is just opposite 联和广场...side track abit, TSL is also another famous jewellery store in HK

金都商场

this building is amazing, to me it's like the whole tanjong pagar street has condensed into this building.... all the shops deal with wedding stuff... like rental of gowns for both brides & family, wedding shoes, kua, wedding goodies, pre-wedding+actual day photography/videography & etc.... so inside this amazing building, we managed to find afew stores that rent kua but most of them are pretty expensive... just when we about to give up, we saw this  tiny stores selling wedding goodies but also have afew kua on display... we ask the staff how much for the rental, to our surprise, the price is pretty reasonable.... again, there are 3 categories of kua.. the cheapest kind is about 888hkd for 3D2N, middle is 1188HKD for 3D2N, cant remember how much the most expensive one cost but i would dare say is still cheaper than SG.... but since we need to bring the kua over to SG & back to HK, we need to rent at least 7days... & the price we were offered was 2288HKD, which is about S$370... hey man, that's much cheaper than what we can find in SG for similar kua....

the kua store pamphlet

forgot to take picture of the store, only took a copy of their pamphlet... the staff there was quite knowledgeable about the wedding customary stuff... & when she help me try on the kua, she wore gloves... wooow... so pro wor....

the kua i rented

 didnt take a picture while i try on the kua... this design is pretty nice, not the super fancy but still look formal... the best thing is that the kua look new... those that you can find in SG tend to look dirty & old but well... you cant complain much since not many stores do renting of kua... have to make do with what you can find... but of cause, if you dont have relatives/friends in HK who can help you bring over the kua then of cause renting one in HK is out of the option..... another thing i learn from the staff was that, we supposed to wear a red pyjama beneath the kua... one thing is precaution purposes since the kua is like OMFG expensive, more importantly is supposed to be something auspicious... so i will wear the same pyjama for 上头 on the night before wedding.... the staff also suggest us NOT to wash the pyjama since you want it to be like NEW...

red pyjama for bf (left) & me (right)

so after settling 2 important things, we went on to get other stuff for my 行头(jewellery/show-off stuff) to match the wedding + evening gowns... i actually intended to get those cheapo jewellery from chromel or kenji those kind of brands cause seriously, who will go up close & check whether your necklace is real anot.... but mama say should have something real... so fine... lets see what we can find in HK.... we took a brief look at those pearl/ diamond necklaces... like my god!!! prices are insane!!! a simple necklace cost like 6digits hkd... that's totally rubbish for me.... so the next best alternative is getting from swaroski.... i actually took a look at SG store before... i do like the pearl necklace that mirandar wore on the HUGE poster.... we also check out the price in DFS in changi airport... only less 7% GST, like not much discount... so we went to check out swaroski in HK... like woah.... really cheaper wor.... we went to the langham place outlet... after looking around the store, we narrow down to top 5 choices of which 2 of them are really stunning....

selma all-round necklace

fidelity collar... this 1 is not bad but the necklace may roll around

hot necklace

i think all these 3 necklaces are not too bad but when tried on, they dont look that stunning compared to the other 2....

nude all-round necklace ... really like this

azalea collar ... this necklace is amazingly nice when you tried on

azalea bracelet

so in the end i bought the pearl & azalea collar + bracelet.... that's my wedding present from my jiejie & bro-in-law =) the pearl necklace cost 2140hkd = S$348, SG cost S$400 for that necklace... then the azalea collar cost S$880 but in hk is 4300hkd = S$699.. you saved almost S$200!!! my god.... that's ALOT of difference.... so again... this prove my point to buy jewellery in HK is more worth it =)

the most famous kua rental shop in HK

to end off this post.... 冠南华 is like THE kua rental shop in HK but the prices are way too expensive so that's out of our option... the nearest mtr station is jordon... mama asked & the simple kua which wore for more than 10x, the rental still cost like 3000+hkd for 3D2N..... but you guys are interested, can always take a look at the site =)