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: 

Pink Peplum and House of Cards

Goodness it's Monday already. I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Besides brunch and window shopping on Saturday, I did not leave my apartment. The reason for the self-imposed house arrest:

I am a huge fan of political dramas and an even bigger fan of Kevin Spacey so I pat myself on the back for only taking 1.5 months to get to watching the series. Without giving too much away, it is about Frank Underwood (played by Spacey), the House Majority Whip, who gets passed over as Secretary of State by the newly elected President and then decides to exact revenge on those who betrayed him. While you can expect Frank to be rather evil, no one else on the show is anywhere close to endearing either. Each character has secret agendas of their own which makes the show absolutely riveting. Season 1 is only 13 episodes long, so I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend a cold and snowy weekend. 

Anyway I lied - I did in fact leave the house for a quick grocery run yesterday and decided to put on a new purchase: 

I picked up this vibrant pink blouse on Friday evening from H&M and couldn't wear it quickly enough.  There are so many things going for this top - the subtle peplum is very flattering, the colour screams Spring (no kidding!) and most importantly, the quality of the lace is far superior than what you would expect of H&M.  

My only gripe - the back zip doesn't go down far enough on the top, which results in a bit of a wrestling-wriggling action to get it off! I just call it exercise.. 

H&M top, DL1961 Nina denim, Target Kaelyn boots (they are real suede not faux!), Morning Birds Sweatercoat

Regardless I look forward to the day I don't need to hide this top under a thick coat (albeit a really snuggly one..)

Have a great week! 

Date Night - Valentine's Edition

S and I forewent celebrating love on Thursday since we had our usual date night set up for Friday.

This week, I managed to wrangle reservations at the Lounge at Atera - the basement cocktail bar beneath the aforementioned new restaurant about town which the New York Times recently awarded three stars to.

Considering the cost of a meal at the restaurant, we assumed correctly that cocktails would be priced at a premium. So we went casual for dinner with classic French bistro cuisine at The Odeon.  While I am no connoisseur, I loved the croque monsieur which I washed down with a refreshing glass of Grüner Veltliner.

We then walked around the corder to Atera. The lounge is small - with space for about 15 people. What it lacked for in decor (apart from the leather seats, the space is very sparse), it made up for in innovative drinks. 

I was in an adventurous mood, so went for the Sap - served shaken, the pine gave it a sweet woody flavour while the egg white resulted in the frothy meringue-like finish. Very easy to drink! S enjoyed the Loose Tai - which as the name suggests, was a spin on the Mai Tai - not just with malt syrup stirred through but also with the addition of malt bits sprinkled on top of the drink. 

Alas we were both so tired from work that we just couldn't handle another round. I do want to try the Bee's Mead though which means a return visit is most definitely on the cards. 

Anyway, I must have been subconsciously channeling old Hollywood as this is what I wore:

H&M Conscious Collection 2012 dress (sim) - last seen here

From my instagram - J Crew Cocoon Coat, Nine West pumps

Giles and Brother hook cuff, Hermes clic bracelet, Cheongsam fabric clutch from Chinatown, Anthropologie belt (sim), Alexis Bittar earrings (very sim)

Have a great weekend everyone, and if you are in the US - hope you have a lovely President's Day too! 

Elevated Acre

The Financial District is more than just Wall Street and that famous bull. My favourite place south of the island is a wonderful privately-owned public garden, the Elevated Acre. A couple of weeks back, I arranged a midday coffee date with Thea there for some outfit photos - resulting in a rare glimpse of my work wear style.

Even though I work in financial services, usually beaten in the conservative stakes only by lawyers, summer style in my office is just a little bit more easygoing. The menfolk do not need to wear ties and the women, well, they get to wear printed pants!

The entrance to the Elevated Acre is located at the top of a couple of flights of elevators/stairs at 55 Water Street. The somewhat secret space is a welcome escape from hustle and bustle of the financial district. There is a expansive lawn nestled within colourful flower bushes - which is my favourite spot for lunch (and a siesta) on a warm day. Then beyond that is a "boardwalk" which offers panoramic views of the east river and its bridges. 

H&M shirt and pants (Latter currently in stores. Size down as it stretches. A lot) (sim, sim and sim), Ann Taylor belt (sim), Dinosaur Designs necklace (sim), Valentino bow pumps (sim and sim)

Do you have a similar refuge from the work day?

(Edit: Use this coupon for 20% of one H&M item through Labor Day!)

Mermaid

8.5 years in and S and I are still going strong with our Friday date nights. Last week's started on a really romantic note - a joint work out at the gym. The thing is, we used to make googly eyes at each other back when we first started dating at uni so exercising together again was kind of sweet. I mean, a couple that works out together, stays together right? Ha! 

Anyway, I did have a feeling the rest of the night was going to be epic and as such, dolled up for the occasion. 

We commenced the evening with pre-dinner drink at one of my favourite cocktail bars in the East Village, Gin Palace - which is part of the Death & Co. cocktail empire chain, just sans the 2-hour wait (no joke).

I would give up meat before giving up gin (it's like having your daily serving of fruit) and I am thrilled that the city has many places that put this fine alcohol centre stage (for example, Bathtub Gin and Madam Geneva). 

A couple of gin and tonics on tap later, we skipped on to Kyo Ya for a late dinner. Sitting at the chef's counter was a no-brainer, an option that was available even though we chose to go down the a la carte route. The recent NY Times review was spot-on - if the dishes weren't already delicious, Chef Sono's bubbly personality had us convinced that we need to return soon for the kaiseki menu.

H&M sequin skirt (currently in stores) - very aptly called the mermaid skirt by the staff at Kyo Ya, (sim) J Crew tank, Dinosaur Designs and Cartier bangle, flea market ring, Aerosoles sandals (sim)

The night still relatively young, S and I went on to Lovers of Today. What a gem of a place! Tiny and unpretentious, the cocktails were remarkable. My favourite being one with gin (!!), rose syrup and bubbly served up. Twas the perfect nightcap to an "epic" evening.

Hope y'all had a lovely weekend!

Vande Mataram

India celebrated it's 65th year of independence from British rule on August 15th. As is the tradition every year, there was a parade down Madison Avenue yesterday to commemorate the occasion. 

With appearances by Bollywood actors, cricket stars, "Mother India" and even "Gandhi-ji", the parade was such an explosion of colour and festivity. There were deejays on almost every float - like everyone present, I was bopping away and enthusiastically waving my plastic flag throughout. 

H&M dress (current - very Mary Katrantzou-esque no?), Aerosoles sandals (sim), Cartier and Dinosaur Designs bangles, Alexis Bittar earrings,(sim), Marni sunglasses (sim on sale)

For more photos, check out my instagram feed, @UshaJoy.

Hope your weekend was as colourful as mine!

Schiaparelli, Prada and Kusama

I had nothing planned going into the weekend (highly unusual) but somehow managed to do, see and eat a whole lot (not so unusual).


We had a guest from Australia staying the weekend and a lot of Saturday was spent day-drinking, mostly outdoors at (on?) the Frying Pan.


On Sunday, I had a few hours to myself while the boys were at the baseball so I skipped up to the Upper East Side to catch the Met's annual Costume Institute exhibit - Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations. 

 via

Whilst the garments on display were beautiful, this was no Alexander McQueen-tortured-genius extravaganza. Nevertheless, I was very amused by the videos that formed an integral part of the exhibit, which were of simulated conversations between the two women (who never met in real life). What initially appeared to be the women talking to each other, on scrutiny revealed they were in fact talking AT each other. In a good way. Much like the conversations I have with my dearest girlfriends.

Then I walked the few blocks south to the Whitney for the Yayoi Kusama retrospective. As she is known for her obsession with polka dots (girl after my own heart, that one), it was unfortunately too much this:

via

and not enough this:

via

You win some, you lose some. Though I hear the Louis Vuitton window displays are paying the "right" kind of homage to Kusama so I might check that out soon.


Anyhoo, I then met up with the boys in the LES to experience the Mission Chinese buzz for ourselves (Verdict = overhyped. There are as good (or even better) Szechuan restaurants in the city. I find it totally unnecessary to wait hours for tasty but nevertheless unremarkable food).

I am a serial overorder-er (sorry!) at Chinese restaurants hence this new lace shift from H&M was perfecto:

H&M shift - currently in stores, Marni shades, Rebecca Minkoff  MAC Clutch (sim)

Anthropologie Bonheur Necklace (2010)

Anthropologie summer booties

Hang in there kids - only 2 more days to the weekend! 

My Saturday - Dots on Dots

Earlier today, darling S and I met up at Doughnut Plant after separate morning appointments:he - after his weekly mentoring sessions; me - after calligraphy class. We are off on a beach vacation in less than month so we had to restrain ourselves from having more than one each - they were THAT good! 

Hazelnut yeast donut 

Coconut-creme-filled yeast square

Donut-shaped cushions adorned the walls of the cafe - naturally the Yankees one was my favourite.

If you caught this post, the following photos will tell you which of the two Marni for H&M pailette necklaces I went with:

Prompted by daylight savings tomorrow, it was the perfect time to bust out my new Spring denim, even if it was exceptionally chilly today.  

Entwined Dots Blouse, Current/Elliott Stiletto Crops, Glitter Booties, Chloe Tilia sunglasses

I am not afraid of sheer backs. In fact I adore them, and I have plenty of underthings with pretty straps that I am more than happy to show off.   

Our wonderful Saturday wrapped up with dinner at Kajitsu. An exceptional restaurant, it is a travesty we haven't been back since our visit last June. News of an impending location move and more importantly, the change in chef prompted my harried phone call for a reservation. We count ourselves very fortunate as the restaurant is now fully booked until the end of April. 

Here is a beautiful recap by Kate - without a doubt, the food tasted as exquisite as it looked.

Marni at H&M

So it happened. I stood in line for Marni at H&M. 


I promise it was not at all intentional.  I planned on shopping online off the UK site to be sent to a London-based friend visiting me next month. I set my alarm incorrectly and woke up an hour after Marni went online - *facepalm*. 


From my bedroom window, I could make out the very short line outside my closest H&M. Since I was not going to fall asleep even if I tried, I decided to freshen up and join the queue - armed with a thick mag and lots of paper to sit on. 


The 2.5 hours really did go by in a flash. I made friends with a lovely couple ahead of me - we shared reading material, held each other's spot for coffee breaks, chatted about crazy New York shoppers (i.e. us) and REJOICED in the fact that we were going to be in the first group to shop.


Once the store opened, I was in and out within 10 minutes, managing to leave with everything on my short wishlist:

...and then some:

I do not believe in excess so I won't be keeping all these. At this stage, I am letting go of the earrings (clip-ons! EEK!), the multi-coloured necklace and the dress (size 2). I have to decide on either the black or the white paillette necklace. I also have an extra blue polka dot skirt in size 8.

I am more than happy to offload to anyone interested. You know how to reach me!


Edit: This post reveals which paillette necklace I eventually went for!