Do you like Piña Coladas? (Ann Taylor 50% Sale)

Baby R turned four months recently and I am now, sadly, a couple of months away from heading back to the coalface. Call me shallow, but I am hoping that a little retail therapy will lessen the heartache that will inevitably come a-crashing when that time comes. 

Pineapples are still trending I see and I don't mind a single bit. We live in a tropical paradise so can you even blame me? This is what I look forward to wearing on my first day back:

Ann Taylor Pineapple Lace Shell

Ann Taylor Pineapple Lace Pencil Skirt

LOVE this look! Who cares if I am likely to have to go topless when it's time to pump?

Since baby boys are also deserving of some piña fun, I bought these really cute swim shorts for the bub:

Target Baby Swim Shorts

Everything at Ann Taylor is 50 off today with code Cyber50. Come be twinsies with me?

British Museum at the Singapore National

We live a 5-minute walk from the National Museum of Singapore - but apart from popping over to the gift store for unique presents we'd never actually ventured in to see any of the exhibits. We finally took the 'long' walk on Sunday to check out items on loan temporarily from the British Museum. 

African neck/chest piece

Egyptian jars containing remains of the deceased

The British Museum, while steeped in scandals surrounding its acquisitions of artifacts, still remains my favourite (the Met a close second).  

QE1 medallion

Loosely arranged geographically, the exhibit naturally only showcased a teeny tiny fraction of the collection housed at the British Museum. I took these photos to remember some of the more interesting pieces. 

5-headed statue from Java

Carved wooden oar from the Pacific Islands

Skull-holder from the Pacific Islands

Mayan carving

Fertility statue from Asia

  

Wearing:

Anthropologie Split-Tone Tank and Kanara pencil skirt
Mansur Gavriel tote bag - my all-too-perfect nappy bag (along with this heart-print Skiphop kit)
Charlotte Stone Sophie sandals (I have this similar pair too)
Harper and Hudson necklace (of the teething kind but you couldn't tell!)

It has taken me a few months to get excited about my wardrobe again - you know, more than just chucking on a plain nursing tank and bottom and calling it a day. Let's just say there was an exclamation of 'hallelujah' when I discovered this Bordeaux top from Anthro is baby-friendly. Luckily I had the foresight in getting it in two colours, ha!

'Till next time!

Rish

It's the last day of 2015 and it seems like a fine time to take a look back at the past year. For me, most of it was spent being pregnant, and very happily so. 

Fortunately I had no morning sickness, and lucked out with great health that allowed me keep spinning and exercising right up to week 40 of my pregnancy. Apart from the usual pre-natal no-nos I ate everything I wanted, whenever I wanted, and better yet, in any quantity I wanted. Could you blame me if I said I kinda loved being pregnant?

They do say that the Universe is always fair - and labour was a loooonnggg 46 hours that put this natural-birth-no-meds-preferred Earth Mama to the ultimate test. On 12 December 2015 just shy of 41 weeks, baby Rishav came into the world with a full head of jet-black hair and the longest eyelashes I have ever seen.

We're now enjoying maternity leave with endless amounts of cuddles and kisses, as well as absorbing the fact that I have a son (A SON!!)

2016 is so bright because we are now three. 

New York New York on Orchard

Hello hello, long time no see! My laptop at home went kaput and after months of waiting for it to get fixed, I have finally given up and have dug up an archaic machine.

Anyhoo, let's get started on the backlog of outfit photos, shall we? This was taken one Friday evening in late June - possibly the last date night we had before flying off to New York (where we spent a glorious couple of weeks). 

Watsons Bay Wedding

We've just returned from a quick visit back to Australia, spending our time between our old homes of Sydney and Adelaide. I hadn't been back for nearly 4 years and it was SO GOOD to return.  

One of the main reasons for our trip was to celebrate the wedding of our wonderful friends. The gorgeous bride L, and I first met when we shared offices in the law firm we worked at right after finishing uni, and continued to remain kindred spirits through cross-country moves on both our parts. Nearly a decade later, my heart was overflowing with love as I saw her walk down the aisle to meet her beloved under the fig tree by the picturesque Watsons Bay. Just before hail pelted down on us. 

An Afternoon at Raffles

Over the weekend, S and I went for the hilarious Faulty Towers lunch performance that was passing through Singapore on its way around the world. What we didn't realise until a few days prior was that it was to be held at the iconic Raffles Hotel. 

The colonial-style hotel has been around since 1887 - going through receivership, passing through a few hands, and undergoing massive refurbishment. Naturally, its exclusivity has decreased over the decades - and much of the hotel grounds are now open to the public, encouraging visitors to wander the beautiful space.

Oh! Joo Chiat

Singapore, like Malaysia, is a country of rich heritage, which is most obvious from its architecture. So between our trips to Saigon and Tokyo, we went on a walking tour to one of Singapore's most interesting neighbourhoods - Joo Chiat. Which unlike many HDB-heavy suburbs, is home to beautiful preservation buildings. 

The event, organised by OH! Open House, was touted as an art tour, rather than a historical one. Although one can't talk about Joo Chiat or be inspired by it without a description of how it came to be: Chew Joo Chiat, its namesake, was a wealthy Chinese merchant who owned a hectares of plantations in the area. He then sold and gifted parcels of his land to various people, whether rich or poor, which resulted in the area increasing in diversity in economy and architecture. These days, wealthy expats and locals live in those pretty Peranakan houses (mostly the former and most definitely in renovated dwellings), alongside less-economically-able migrant workers from India and Vietnam sleeping in cramped flats. 

Joo Chiat is something else, so be warned that the following post is photo-heavy. It is but a feeble attempt to show you how unique the area is.

Immanuel French Kitchen

After a couple of Fridays being out of town, S and I are exploring the city the best way we know how - through our bellies. Last Friday for our usual date night, we had to make a trip to Ikea (yet again). A quick google search for what to eat in the area pointed us in the direction of a french 'bistro', set uniquely in a hawker centre. 

Pardon the poor quality pictures, I couldn't head home after work before dinner so all I had was a phone camera which produces photos that can only take so much editing...

100

A few days back we passed the hundred-day mark of our move to Singapore. Time flies doesn't it? I thought about writing down what we've been up to the past three-and-a-bit months and as expected, it consists a lot of apartment-hunting-moving-furniture-decor-shopping. Fun times folks, fun times. While I look forward to giving you an apartment tour, here's a quick update of what's otherwise been happening in my neck of the woods: 

Orange Thumb

It has been just over a month since we moved into our new apartment - and it's feeling more like home with each passing day.  In our desire to embrace island life, we chose a place with a lovely balcony, one where we can enjoy the lovely view, streaming sunlight and constant breeze all the time. We also have a great deal more square footage than in our former NYC pad - finally we have a dining area, a proper room for guests, and space for flora and fauna! So off we went to the famous Thomson Road strip of nurseries to create a tropical paradise in our own home.

While I was told to shop along the vast row for selection and price, the Saturday we visited was one scorcher of a day. Walking around in fear of sunstroke just to land a potential bargain didn't seem wise. Therefore I'm glad that Hawaii Landscape was our first stop. You only have to see the photos to understand why my search ended there:

Brunch at PS.Cafe

Taking advantage of the close proximity to Singapore, my parents and brother drove down from Kuala Lumpur for the weekend to visit us in our new home. 

Not a whole lot was planned besides eating and chilling in our pool - which we hadn't been able to enjoy much ourselves until a few dasy ago. I genuinely didn't know how much I would love having a pool in the 'backyard' until we actually did. I can't get enough and I'm just SO HAPPY to be able to bust this out ALL.YEAR.ROUND. 

I digress. I was excited to take the folks out to a spot I'd only been to dinner before, but is oh so much more prettier in the daytime - PS. Cafe on Harding Road in Dempsey Hill.

Taking over a colonial bungalow, it's set in the midst of very lush greenery. Although located a mere 5-minute drive from the hustle and bustle of the main Orchard Road shopping drag, it's designed to feel like you're dining in the middle of a tropical rainforest. 

Mine, all mine - Moroccan mushroom stack 

Wearing: & Other Stories muu muu shirtdress; J Crew Lillian sandals (sim), gold braid necklace, and bar ring (sim); Mansur Gavriel mini bucket bag (in stock/pre-order available); Prada baroque sunglasses.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from warmer shores. No white Christmas in this part of the world but we make up for it in other ways: 

I am off to Kuala Lumpur for the first time since our wedding, and have packed this old, festive Anthropologie dress for celebrations ahead. Too much red? Never!

Have a wonderful time with loved ones and hope Santa is generous to all of you this year!

Furniture Shopping at Taylor B

So after viewing nearly 20 different apartments in various inner-city neighbourhoods on the island, we've locked in a place that will home! I am very excited to move in next week although now we have to deal with the big task of decorating the place. Made slightly monumental since we chose to move with no furniture apart from our bed. 

We'd heard plenty about Taylor B from friends. Unlike traditional furniture stores, Taylor B is a massive 4-floor warehouse situated right by the Keppel shipping container terminals - allowing pieces to move from ship-to-shop seamlessly. Styles in the shop vary from Victorian to industrial to vintage and pricing is more affordable than otherwise. (Just wait till you see how exorbitant Crate and Barrel is here!)

I took the liberty of taking photos of some of the more interesting things in the store:

Shelves made from 'tin' briefcases - unique but rather clunky when opening and closing the drawers

Greetings from Singapura

Moving countries is no joke and the last month was sheer madness as we geared up to move to the other side of the world. We wrapped up work, made one last American jaunt in Napa, Big Sur and San Francisco, packed up our belongings, and cried SO MANY tears as we said goodbye to our people in New York. 

S and I have now been in Singapore just shy of 3 weeks. I want to say that we are settling into our new lives, however considering we are living out of our luggages in temporary digs awaiting the rest of our belongings being shipped over, it feels more like we are on some kind of extended holiday - albeit one where we have to work #boohoo.

We are taking baby steps to set down roots in this city and apartment-hunting is our biggest priority (although I have found a yoga studio I like!). To that aim, we've been spending weekends exploring neighbourhoods we think we might like. Last Sunday, we hit up Kampung Glam or Arab Street, historically named for middle eastern merchants that dominated the enclave. 

Big Changes

After close to five years S and I are leaving the great city of Gotham!

via

Our long term goals always involved moving closer to family. Being over 24 hours from them can get just a little rough. When fantastic professional opportunities came our way, we decided there was no better time than now to move back to the region. 

So in about four weeks, we will say ta ta to my favourite city in the world and our NYC family, and head off to the island so small it's marked as a tiny red dot on a world map.  

There are a million and one things on my to-do list and being busy has its advantages - I have zero time to feel sad about leaving earlier than I feel emotionally prepared for. Though I do take courage in all the exciting things ahead of us. It truly blows my mind to think that we can be with our families for all the birthdays, celebrations, holidays - and even when there's no absolutely reason at all. 

And while I can't think about what I will miss in the city without getting teary-eyed, I am THRILLED we are escaping what is expected to be a brutal New York winter. 

I first moved out nearly 15 years ago. This baby is finally going home.

Evening In The Life Of

S and I had one of our epic date night Fridays this past week. For a change, I thought I'd provide a play-by-play of our evening.

It started at 6pm with reservations at Sushi Dojo - where we dined on a $45 sushi omakase. I have been on a huge sushi kick lately and had raw fish barely a week ago with a gf and then a few days before that too. Who am I kidding - I could eat sushi all day all night. 

Sushi Dojo was excellent and as good as other high-end fish we've had in New York. I more am more than happy with good quality tuna from New England and sweet uni from Maine if that means it won't cost me a few limbs. An under-$50 omakase is ridiculous value in the city so we booked in to come back in a couple of weeks #sushieverydaybaby. 

Manicure from Paintbox

Shop My Wardrobe

Hello October! In efforts to make space in my wardrobe for the coming season, the following items of mine are for sale. Where possible, I have linked to the original post where more pictures are available.

All prices include shipping to the US. If you are located overseas please email me for details. Offers welcome too!

Happy shopping!

Anthropologie Night Moves dress - size XS - $35; Salvatore Ferragamo bag - $200 (from this post)

Love Me Tender

When we were wedding planning last year, we realised that for a variety of reasons we had to get registered (aka legally wed) before our traditional temple ceremony in Kuala Lumpur in December. 

Since the registration was a formality, we decided to have a bit of fun. So a year ago today, having told only our immediate family, we made my elopement fantasies come true and "ran away" to Vegas...

Paintbox - Nails of New York

I might live in the city of cheap and easy manicures, however getting cool nailart with gel polish for an affordable price has always been challenging. Until I discovered Paintbox a few months ago. At each easily-bookable appointment, I pick out a gel manicure design from their lookbook and decide on the colour scheme, and then settle in with a complimentary glass (usually two) of prosecco. 

My first appointment was made just before a double beach trip - Montauk and Barbados. Bright yellow made for an obvious choice. I was obsessed at how great it looked and durability of the manicure. I was hooked henceforth. Here are just two out of the MANY pictures I took of that look:

Sunday at the Frick

We crossed off an NYC bucket list item last month when we visited the beautiful Frick Collection on the Upper East Side. We never got around to visiting for no other reason than being spoilt by free entry to almost all the big museums through my (now-former) employer's corporate responsibility initiatives.

So we did the next best thing, and visited during the museum's pay-as-you-wish hours one Sunday afternoon. Henry Clay Frick invested much of his wealth in acquiring European art, furniture and sculptures and the house is filled with impressive pieces. Most are displayed where Frick originally intended when this was still a residence for the family. 

via

It's considerably small relative to the neighbouring Met but we still found Time Out magazine's list of 10 must-see works helpful for some degree of direction. There are also descriptions and a quick history lesson of everything in the audio guide which is free with admission. 

No photos are allowed anywhere in the museum but in the beautiful Garden Court, so we took advantage:

Oak Tornado dress (on clearance), Preen by Thornton Bregazzi sunglasses, and Giles and Brother railroad spike cuff

Mansur Gavriel cammelo/antico bucket bag, very very old Sportsgirl belt, and Brook & Lyn x Anthropologie necklace

Ivy Kirzhner Babel sandals (breaking my rule against buying multiples, it's the black pair to the gold version I wore to my wedding reception - which amongst other styles, is on super sale here)