This blog is about a lot of things, all of which are linked by one common factor: me. I love music, dancing, coffee and, above all, learning (about things and people). People have described me as pretty and random (or maybe just pretty random). Be nice.
Welcome back to my accidental guide to enjoying life while unemployed. Part 4, the final installment, focuses on expanding your mind, a natural enough progression from having dealt with the basics in Part 1, eating & drinking in Part 2 and keeping fit and active in Part 3.
I apologise for the delay in getting this up. The delay was, aptly enough, due to my having landed a job, which, due to its nature, meant that I was occupied with running around, having to arrange all sorts of things before its commencement.
That being said, I did have fun writing and researching this. And, given the sheer amount of time that I’ve been off work, will continue to practice what I’ve preached with only the occasional indulgence.
Welcome to Part 3 of my accidental guide to enjoying life while unemployed, which looks at low-cost ways to keep fit, or, as I like to think of it, the fitness edition.
If you’ve missed out on Parts 1 and 2 of the guide, shame on you! I won’t take any offence if you make sure to check them out before or after reading through this section.
I’m assuming everyone knows about the ultimate in low-cost fitness that is running and walking, so I won’t go into these in more detail. Besides, I’m not a fan of running. I’ll do it if I have to, but it’s not my first choice when it comes to fitness options.
So how on earth do I keep my figure so trim? I thought you’d never ask.
Disclaimer: I don’t benefit from any of the sites I’ve linked to here.
Now that we’ve covered the basics of coping with unemployment, it’s time to move on to life’s visceral pleasures: eating & drinking. In this post, I’ve chosen to focus on cooking, dining out, coffee and wine, all of which I enjoy.
As I mentioned in Part 1, this isn’t intended to be a comprehensive guide to be followed step-by-step, and should be regarded as a supplement to help you enjoy life a little bit more than you may have been. An aide de vivre, if you will.
Feel free to spread the word to anyone whom you think would benefit from this. I’d also appreciate it if you would leave a comment, either sharing a tip or letting me know what you think.
As you might guess from the title, this isn’t something I set out to write. At least, not something as long as it’s become. The inspiration, as it were, for this, came about when I’d met up with some Twitter friends. They hadn’t realised I’d been unemployed for as long as I’d been as I’d been so great at keeping myself busy.
Now, I’m not an expert at this. Nor do I ever wish to be. And everyone’s circumstances are different. Take everything I say with a pinch of salt because, while I’m offering serious advice, my tongue has been pretty much firmly lodged in my cheek the whole time.
The best one, in my personal opinion, is Oriole which had not just the best combination of really convenient location and great coffee, but had an incredibly delicious tasting coffee in the form of its World Barista Championship entry, Citrus Sin. I'm not the biggest fan of citrus; I don't like lemon meringues, I dislike Grand Marnier, and I think orange and chocolate as a combination, frankly, shouldn't work. The Citrus Sin, however, converted me. It's so damn yummy that I'm salivating now just thinking of it!
Since I was last here, several new cafes have opened up, all purporting to serve world-class coffee. Of course, given Singapore's proximity to Australia, this really shouldn't be a big surprise. The ones I've read the most about are Loysel's Toy (by the same guys behind Papa Palpeta, but in a more convenient location) and Forty Hands. And thanks to this very detailed blog entry, other cafes I haven't yet tried now include CuppaChoice at Temple Street, SoHo Coffee on Armenian Street, EspressoSoul at EFG Building on North Bridge Road, Joe & Dough, The Plain on Craig Road, and, of course 1-Caramel of Angry Birds Coffee fame!
I know, I know. I'm a little late on this one, regardless of whether I'm going by the Roman calendar or the Chinese calendar. And it's not as if I'd just thought of these, as I'm already informally sticking to these guidelines (that's right, guidelines, not rules), but thought I might as well write them down, if only to either get some insight on them, or just so people can get additional insight into how I think. Not that anyone really wants that. My mind ain't a pretty place, I tell ya, all cluttered with illogic and stuff.
Anyhoo, here goes:
Be brave. This is really self-explanatory, isn't it? Even though I forked out for a membership on the site, my friend still had to kick my a** to get me to send some messages after the first few non-responses. Although given what I've been up to recently (which include approaching a cute guy on the street to ask for his number only to find out he bats for the other team), you'd think being brave or buay pai seh wouldn't be an issue for me. But it is.
Be more open-minded. This one is a little harder. I don't really have a type unless that guy's Oriental, in which case, there's a certain kind of physique which most definitely appeals to me. In any case, a friend's noticed that any type I had is long gone, whether it's physical, occupational or what not.
There will always be a second date. This is here because some of my friends have said that I'm too judgmental. It's partly true. I used to have this rule that I'd go out with anyone who asked me out at least once. Not because I was desperate or anything, but because I recognise it takes courage for someone to ask someone else out, and that I didn't want to be the person that ruined that guy for women thereafter. Then I grew older and realised that I was being ridiculous and didn't have that much time and patience to waste on people. And then my own father told me last year that he thought I wrote people off too quickly. So I thought I'd set myself a second date rule. That being said, this has already broken. I wrote the first guy I met off the online dating site after the first date. There's a fine line between giving someone a chance and torturing myself.
Slow down. To be honest, this isn't a problem for me at all. It's more a problem for the other party! Take a case in question when a guy mentioned he was potentially high maintenance in certain areas which shall remain unspecified. A friend asked me, "Did you tell him you're Catholic and all?" My response: "It didn't seem like the right moment..."*
Keep fit. 'Cos, quite frankly, all the drinks, coffee, cakes, snacks, dinners and lunches are definitely going to go to my hips otherwise. Plus, it's a good way to blow off steam.
Love myself. I am a fantastic person who is incredibly good at my job and a wonderful friend. I am a person of many talents: I can dance, am unafraid to butcher songs, and can get along well with almost anyone. To top that off, I am living in one of the best cities in the world. I can be perfectly happy just as I am. I have great friends and family. Not getting a response from anyone in no way invalidates that.
As I told a friend recently, dating - online or not - is scary. Online dating can be much worse in so many ways, because you are putting much more of yourself out there than you would if you were getting picked up in a bar. In a bar, people are pretty much judging you based on your looks. It may be superficial, but it's the truth, and it's only one piece of the whole puzzle.
Online, they're judging you based on, well, everything.
Plus, it does take some of the romance out of the whole process, especially when people write to you for ages on end, asking endless questions, without ever looking as if they'd like to meet up. Yes, women liked to be courted and wooed and writing to them asking them out for dinner immediately may not be the proper way, but neither do we want someone to try and find out everything there is to know about us before even meeting. There's a fine line and I guess we're all trying to figure out how best to tread it.
* Not that I don't ever plan on telling him, just that the moment that topic of conversation came up was most definitely not the right moment. Trust me.
Here's my top 20 songs of 2010 post continued (numbers 20 through 11 can be found here). Yes, I realise that there're actually 25 songs in total because I've posted two songs from several artistes, but, as I was trying to limit the appearance of each artiste to just once, that's why I've highlighted other songs I really like from the same artiste.
10. Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man - Simply fantastic folk-rock. Irrepressible banjos. Catchy chorus. What more could you ask for?
9. Vampire Weekend - White Sky / I Think Ur a Contra - White Sky is such a happy tune. Ezra Koenig's joyous yodelling just can't be beat. I Think Ur a Contra is a slower paced but no less beautiful song.
8. Rihanna - Only Girl (In The World) - I can't stand Rihanna. I like some of her songs, yes, but, I haven't forgiven her for the twin crimes of Umbrella (most annoying song ever) and Unfaithful (don't you dare get me started on how stupidly melodramatic the lyrics are). Still, I can't deny that this has been her year, between Rude Boy, Eminem - Love The Way You Lie, What's My Name and Only Girl. I prefer Only Girl because it's just incredibly danceable, and, yes, it has got the electronic beats which tend to dominate half the songs I love. It's like something David Guetta would produce.
7. Lady Gaga - Telephone featuring Beyoncé - A Lady Gaga song just had to appear on this list. I like Alejandro and all, but I much prefer Telephone because it's just so awesome. Firstly, it's more danceable, and, as you've guessed by now, that's one of my criteria for a good song - whether it makes me want to move - and, secondly, the battle between these two incredible singers makes for one hell of a powerful song.
6. Janelle Monáe - Tightrope featuring Big Boi / Cold War - Ms. Monae is one talented individual. From her vocal gymnastics and great dance moves in Tightrope to an emotionally-packed performance in Cold War (which also features a great, no-frills, raw music video), she's just wonderful.
5. Tinie Tempah - Pass Out - I've only just discovered the name of this heck of a CHOON. Mixing electro, grime, r 'n' b, drum 'n' bass... This song is just so deliciously filthy. I can't use any other word to describe it. It just makes you want to get down - and I mean down - on the dance floor and just... grind.
4. Cee Lo Green - F*** You - I don't really need to justify why this is here, do I? Great lyrics (rhyming "Ferrari" and "Atari"? Genius), catchy melody and, yes, not-at-all gratuitous use of swearing.
3. Gorillaz - On Melancholy Hill / Superfast Jellyfish - It was a tough choice between which of these two songs I preferred. I mean, one's one of the happiest, most joyful songs I've ever listened to (in spite of its title), and the other's got De La Soul rapping, "Superfast Jellyfish / Goin' superfast / You can't even see 'em / But you wanna eat them." C'mon! In the end, the sheer joy of On Melancholy Hill, the simplicity of the melody and Damon Albarn's dreamy voice won out over the craziness of Superfast Jellyfish. Given the sheer quality of each and every one of the songs, Plastic Beach ranks among my top three albums of 2010.
2. The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio / Conversation 16 - I can't recall how I got into The National. I think it's when I stumbled across Slow Show and Terrible Love some time this year and decided to buy a ticket to their concert in December just for the hell of it. One of the best shows I've ever been to, that's for sure. Between the brilliance of their lyrics - "I still owe money to the money to the money I owe" (Bloodbuzz Ohio - a brilliant ode to the difficulties of adulthood) and "I was afraid I'd eat your brains / I'm evil" (Conversation 16 - an anguished song about the singer's relationship difficulties) - and the way the Matt Berninger's admittedly limited voice blends so well with the melodies, this band has crafted some of the most finest songs I've ever listened to.
1. LCD Soundsystem - I Can Change / Dance Yrself Clean - James Murphy is a god among men, managing the difficult task of making emotionally-packed electronic music, prime examples of which include All My Friends and Someone Great. His latest and last offering, This Is Happening, is no different, containing such gems including I Can Change, a plaintive, desperate plea to a(n ex-)lover ("I can change, I can change, I can change / If it will help you fall in love") which, somehow, just manages to get me right there, and the epic Dance Yrself Clean, which is, in my opinion, the best song on the album. Listen closely to 3:08 when jamming guitars and loud percussions and James Murphy's wailing voice all kick in and elevate this song from 'meh' into 'oh dear gosh, this is WONDERFUL'.
So what do you think? What are your favourite songs of 2010? Any songs that I've missed out that I should really listen to? Think I should stick to just whining about my life rather than attempt to blog about music? I'd welcome any and all comments, though if they're really mean, I'd ask that you e-mail me instead. :)
Right, here's my maiden venture into the world of music blogging. Not that I'm planning to become a music blogger - unless you count the gig reviews and songs I love posts - but I just thought it'd be fun to try writing about the songs that have made my year. I realise it's a strange mix of pop, alternative and dance, and that there are some real cheesy selections amidst the genuinely great stand-out tunes that were released this year. However, as music is subjective, this really is a list of my top 20 songs of the year.
Let's start with numbers 20 to 11.
20. Phosphorescent - Los Angeles - Glum, boozy, bluesy, intense... a great rock song.
19. Summer Camp - Round The World - All right, this is probably the twee-est song of this list. The way Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey's voices just intertwine with each other in this great dream-pop tune makes for a fantastic climax.
18. Magnetic Man - Perfect Stranger featuring Katy B - Katy B's amazing vocals (which are reminiscent of Cassandra in Rui da Silva - Touch Me) go oh-so-well with Skream, Benga and Artwork's production. This may be dubstep, but it's also got elements of uplifting rave as well. And for another take on this song, check out Benga's awesome remix.
17. She & Him - In The Sun - An incredibly chirpy '60s-esque tune. I love it. I really do. It's such a perfect pop (in the indie sense, now) song.
16. Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are - Yes, this is cheesy and clichéd to the max. But it's soulful, it's smooth and it's touchingly innocent.
15. Scissor Sisters - Invisible Light - It's got such an irresistible beat. And it's produced by the genius that is Stuart Price! And if that wasn't enough, it's narrated by Sir Ian McKellan! Warning though... the video is NSFW!
14. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream - It's just the quintessential pop song. It's incredibly catchy and oh-so-sing-along-able. And, fine, what propelled this into my top songs of 2010 is the cover by Darren Criss and the Dalton Academy Warblers as shown on Glee. In fact, I think the Glee version surpasses the original!
13. Taio Cruz - Dynamite - There has got to be a song every year which captures the spirit of just pure partying. This year, Dynamite is that song. It evokes the memory of DJ Otzi - Hey Baby, which, I'm not ashamed to admit, was one of my favourite party tunes during my university days.
12. Caribou - Odessa - I'm not sure what genre you'd call this (psychedelic shoegazing?) but, whatever it is, Odessa has undoubtedly got one of the best basslines of the year. You'd never guess from Dan Snaith's menacing mumbles that this song's about a break-up.
11. Hot Chip - Take It In - Take It In starts out with dark - almost gothic - thumping beats and then suddenly sucker punches you, soaring off to become one of the most uplifting tunes you'll ever hear.
I'll follow up with numbers 10 through to 1 in the next post.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Somewhat belated but still relevant - my list of goals for 2010, aka things to do before I turn 30:
Be more confident and assertive. Develop a "what's the worst that could happen?" mentality and act on that, rather than be too scared or nervous as to what others think.
Learn how to drive. I have never taken a single lesson ever, and I'm kind of at the stage where the idea of driving terrifies me... and the idea of learning how to drive in London? Even scarier! Still, I've always maintained that I'm a fantastic driver in my dreams. Seriously. If you want the best getaway driver in town, I'm your woman.
Be more active and do four cardio activities per week. Getting down to a nice weight which will remain unpublished would be good too.
Achieve greater job satisfaction through moving to a role which challenges me sufficiently.
Meet more people - professionally and personally - and maintaining the connection.
Be smarter with my money and invest more wisely. At the moment, close to half of my portfolio is in high-interest savings account, which means that after-tax, my money's growing at less than the rate of inflation.
De-clutter - my wardrobe, my flat, my life!
Travel. I moved up at the end of 2007, and since then, I've travelled less than 10 times (including business). While I don't think I have the time, energy or financial resources to recapture my final year days when I visited ten different countries in one year, I'd still like to get out of London more often than I have so far. I've got two trips planned so far, and a lot more to go!
Get more sleep. It's 2 am on a work night and I'm still up!
Get more music in my life. It'd be nice to take up a class just for the heck of it and learn how to sing or play an instrument, though this isn't one of my priority goals.
Ironically enough, it's at a time when you're unemployed that appearances matter the most. You need a new suit, new shirts, new everything so that you look good in interviews, and that also includes make-up. It's said the French never go without "polite make-up", that is to say, concealer and blusher. I didn't use to bother too much with that in Singapore as the humidity meant make-up would just melt right off you. In England, however, where one's susceptible is looking wan and pale, concealer and blusher are of the utmost importance... particularly if one's to meet potential employers. And wouldn't you know it? These are the two items of make-up which you shouldn't scrimp on. While holy grails vary from individual to individual, my concealer-of-choice is Benefit's Boi-ing (in 02 Medium), while M.A.C. does awesome blushers; I currently own three: Trace Gold (M.A.C. web-site description: fairylight gold with shimmer, I use this more as a bronzer and for parties), Secret Blush (dirty neutral plum, with gold pearl, my usual work look during the winter) and Hipness from the Fafi limited edition collection (intense coral with soft white pearl, usually on weekends or when I want a more summery look). When I don't want any strong colour on my face, I use Benefit's Dandelion, which was my usual look in Singapore, but doesn't seem to show up much in London.
I'm fortunate in that my lips are one of my best features and simple lip balm will do. That being said, I do have more than half a dozen tubes of lipstick. My go-to brand, as with most females, is M.A.C., however, drugstore brands such as Rimmel (available in Boots and Superdrug) and New York Color (available in Superdrug) have been touted as being almost as good at around one third (or less) of the price. Strangely enough, Rimmel, a UK brand, is more expensive in the UK than NYC is.
As for the rest... I occasionally use lip gloss and tend to stick to neutral eyeshadows. Here again, I love M.A.C. for these two, but I think drugstore brands work just as well, with GOSH (Superdrug) having been singled out for having eyeshadow shades very similar to M.A.C.'s.
And here endeth today's how to look good while not breaking the bank lesson.
Not that I'm any expert at all on these things. I'm a bit of a spendthrift and it's been difficult these last few months! Baby steps, I keep telling myself. Baby steps.
Now if only I knew where to get a reasonably-priced suit which still looks good after a couple of cleans...
P.S. Beauty Counter Direct are offering Boi-ing in 02 Medium at £7.50, a 52% saving of its usual retail price of £15.50! Use code "STU8" for a further 10% off. Cheapest delivery option is £2.99.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
If it wasn't obvious by now, I truly love vintage clothing. For some reason, my body shape is made for vintage clothing. Modern sizing doesn't ever get it quite right, while I've often tried on a vintage dress or two, only to marvel at how well the dress fits. And of course, it's recycling at its most useful.
Fortunately - or not - for me, UK vintage isn't half as fun as American and European vintage. Translated, that means the truly amazing brands and pieces tend to be found in the US, continental Europe and, strangely enough, Singapore (as shops there source from all over the US). Of course, you can find a piece or two in some of the exorbitantly priced UK vintage stores, but part of the fun is bargain hunting. Some of the - I hope - more valuable pieces I have are a Frank Usher dress and a Jessica McClintock prom dress, both purchased for less than £10 each. I also have a Louis Feraud jacket and dress set which I got for less than £20, but, which, alas, turned out to be too big for me, even after factoring in the differences in sizing. The most amount of money I've spent is about S$400 on a Gunne Sax black velvet and gold skirt prom dress.
Anyway, back to the relatively less fun vintage scene in the UK. My favourite brands, that is, those which I actively look for and would consider buying and aren't priced out of my budget, are Hervé Léger, Azzedine Alaia, Catherine Ogust, Lilly Pulitzer, Tadashi and The Vested Gentress. Of these six, the first two are French and who made it big in the US and the remaining four are based in the US. As a result, these labels tend to be more easily found in the US, either in a thrift shop, an expensive speciality vintage store or eBay. I know eBay transcends all barriers, but buying anything from outside the EU can be rather tricky, as not only is there the potentially costly question of shipping, there is also the thornier issue of customs duties, which can add on another 20% of the cost of your item.
The other part about vintage collecting and investing - the part that isn't as fun - is the cleaning and storing. This site offers some great advice on what needs to be done. And this is just as important as finding the right brand and fit; without this part, your investment - and I do mean investment in everypossiblesense of the word - will go to waste.
And, yes, we may be in a recession right now, but other than shopping at Primark, going thrifting (aka shopping at thrift stores) and on eBay are other ways to keep your expenses down.
Happy vintage-ing!
Related Links:
Vintage Fashion Guild - An international collective founded in 2002 by a group of vintage sellers with a shared passion for vintage clothing.
Elio Ferraro - Florence-based vintage shop with a branch in Selfridges, In addition to being a vintage retailer, Elio is also a designer of couture fashion. One of his dresses can be viewed here.
Queens of Vintage - QoV calls itself "the first daily vintage glossy" and features vintage tips (from fashion to beauty to interior design), a Make and Mend section for those with far more artistic ability than I possess, and a 100 Vintage Queens feature which, well, pretty much does what it says on the tin. Stores featured in their NYC vintage shopping guide include What Goes Around Comes Around (which is currently having a moving out sale *sob*) and has an outlet in Harvey Nichols. If only this had been published before I went to NY... ah well, I'll just have to make my way there again some day!
Beacon's Closet - Based in NY. Strictly speaking not a vintage store. More like a clothing exchange store, but with new clothes being brought in all the time, you can count on finding gems there almost every single time you walk in. In the two times I've been there, I found an incredibly gorgeous and comfortable Andy Warhol-inspired hoodie by Paul Frank selling for $12, and a chain-link belt for $6.
Decades, Inc. - Based in LA, Decades is apparently *the* vintage fashion store for Hollywood starlets. Prices, as you can imagine, are incredibly expensive. Also has a branch at Dover Street Market.
Vintage shops in Singapore include (in ascending order of priciness) Dustbunny Vintage (my personal favourite as owner Pia doesn't do the hard-sell and she picks out other pieces based on what you like), Déjàvu Vintage and Granny's Day Out. Several other shops are featured in these Straits Times articles: Market Sweep and Vintage Vaults.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
As an update to an earlier post as to how to stay up-to-date and informed in London, I thought I would post some online solutions or tweaks on how I'm managing my credit crunch living.
Theatre If you are looking for cheap theatre tickets, check out this useful post by WebCowGirl on the 12 best ways to purchase cheap theatre tickets. Some of them are more for people who have the time to queue up, but, all in all, this isn't too bad.
For me, I just tend to type in the name of the show I want to see and "discount" into Google and, sometimes, a link to a proper discount site pops up among the top few hits. Otherwise, LastMinute.com sometimes has good discounts.
There's also the preview night option, which I recently used for August: Osage County where I purchased a ticket right smack in the middle of the Dress Circle for £17.50, where it was originally selling for £30 after opening night. I did the same for Into the Hoods earlier this year as well, and ended up saving a fair amount of money for what turned out to be two very good productions.
Cinema Cheap tickets ranging from between £3 to £5 for fairly recent releases can be found at Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square and Roxy Bar and Screen in Borough. Alternatively, the International Student House on Great Portland Street has a free movie screening every Sunday.
It is also worthwhile signing up to Time Out's Opening Nights for the chance to win tickets to movies about to be released.
Fashion For discounts and sample sales, there are two must-go sites which are most definitely huge money savers given the economic climate and the time of year (as most retailers are angling for the shrinking consumer wallet right now): Money Saving Expert's discount shopping page which lists all the online vouchers and discounts available, and those of you who have become a little more accustomed to a higher standard of living, Fashion Confidential, which lists the discounts and great finds found in online boutiques such as Net-a-Porter and Matches.
There is also a new newsletter which calls itself Chiconomise (the act of living stylishly for less) which was launched in the last few weeks. It's sent out every Thursday. Time Out's shopping section (updated weekly) and Sample Sales London are great sites as well.
As for those fervent online shoppers who do not mind taking the risk of not being able to try clothes on, check out Brand Alley, Koodos and Secret Sales, which periodically run online sample sales from brands such as Aftershock, La Perla, Miss Sixty and even Balenciaga.
If it doesn't hapen to be sale season, you can always try the tried-and-tested route of thrift shopping. Check out the Association of Charity Shops web site for those convenient to you. Dress agencies (shops which stock secondhand clothing, usually designer or known brands) are also a good bet. One which has been featured in The Daily Telegraph recently is The Clothes Agency.
Beauty I'm told that HQHair's outlet store is a good site offering substantial discounts off designer toiletries and cosmetics such as Nars, Stila and Bloom, while Strawberry Net offers up to 5% discounts onthe same. I tend to rely on special offers at Boots or Superdrug myself.
Friday, April 11, 2008
When I was living in Singapore, I tended to be aware of whatever was going down in the little red dot.
Now that I'm living in London, I'm happy to say that I seem to have managed to exercise this particularly useful ability of mine to cover the big smoke.
With Singapore being the size it is, it's not too hard keeping abreast of the concert,s club nights, theatre, sales, etc. going on. London, however, is a whole different animal.
So how do I do it? It's a combination of a lot of Internet surfing, being on the mailng lists of ticket sellers, reading Time Out and just generally reading the various free newspapers the increasingly rare times I leave the office early enough to grab one.
Some useful sites I've found which cover everything from the exhibitions to plays to sales to music are Urban Junkies, Flavorpill and Londonist. However, there's always a chance that by tickets would have been sold out by the time a gig makes its way onto these sites. If you're worried this might happen, you should check out IndieLondon's gig guide on a regular basis. I've found it's more comprehensive than Time Out, as Time Out does sometimes suffer from the sold-out syndrome as well.
Daily Candy is quite good for quirky, unusual shops and experiences in London; of course, you do need money to enjoy quite a few of their suggestions, but the layout and design of Daily Candy is so deliciously girly that I just enjoy reading the daily e-mails even if I can't quite afford to partake of some of the activities proposed.
If shopping is more your cup of tea, and you love your brands, then Fashion Confidential's sample sales alert is what you need. Every few weeks or so, you'll receive an e-mail listing the upcoming sample sales for brands such as Ted Baker, Temperley and Biba. Lynku also lists a number of sales.
Of course, it's not cheap indulging in all these activities in London. You'd want to stretch that pound as far as it can go. This is where the Internet comes in handy. Tickets are usually sold by a number of Internet retailers. However, not all of them are priced the same. I have seen tickets selling for £16 on one site retailing for £19.50 on another, despite the fact that the tickets were exactly the same. So if you want to purchase tickets, I would strongly advise you to check the various ticket sites before making your purchase. If all of them are more or less the same price, then perhaps you should go to Gigantic (if it's selling your event) as 10% of the booking fee will be donated to Oxfam, so at least you're contributing to the greater good. If the event is sold out, try Scarlet Mist which is a forum where people sell their spare tickets, but at face value, rather than marking it up as they tend to do over at Seatwave.
When going for a play, check out Theatre Monkey's review of venues which provides seating plans and advice on the best seats for the category you're going for. While this may not help you save money, it does at least help you figure out what you're getting for the money you're paying.
That's all I have for now, and will update this in subsequent posts as and when I come across new sites of interest.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
There're some songs which when I hear, I simply cannot help but just been filled with an incredible joy. I feel like skipping, no, dancing, down the sidewalk and just want to burst into song, so happy does the song make me feel.
My top five happy songs are: 1. Daft Punk - Digital Love It was a tough fight between Daft Punk's One More Time and Digital Love, but in the end, I decided on this tune. It's the kind of song which seems to capture the feeling of being young, happy and in love. That, and it's incredibly fun to sing along to the robotic voice and just dance crazily when the pounding bass kicks in midway through the song.
2. The Cure - Friday, I'm in Love This song is just chockful of joy, from beginning to end. There's no let-up, no chorus, no bridge, just pure ecstasy, the kind you get when you're, well, in love.
3. Counting Crows - Accidentally in Love The guitar riff that kicks off this tune is just so exuberant. It never fails to leave a smile on my face.
4. Sinead O'Connor - I Guess the Lord Must be in New York City The tune's incredibly upbeat and there's a kind of joie de vivre that's in Sinead's voice when she sings "New York Cityyyyyyyyyyyyy!"
5. Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancing I defy anyone to listen to this song and not have an idiotic grin on his or her face. As I've mentioned before, this song makes me most emphatically want to kick up my heels and do a little jig, much in the same way the Prime Minister (as played by Hugh Grant) in Love Actually did..
What're your top five?
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
A literary meme from MercerMachine and the post which started it all:
I am the girl who jokes about breaking other people’s hearts when, in reality, the only heart she has broken is her own. I’m the girl who’s afraid of commitment, afraid of rejection, terrified of failure, and yet, falls in love far too easily.
I'm the sister who fought with you all the time when we were smaller and who still fights with you whenever we've been in the same place as each other for too long. I'm the sister you played football with using one of her doll's heads. I'm the sister who invented "basketbrawl" having watched one episode of WWF too many. I'm the sister who loves you dearly, and has missed having you around these past few years.
I’m the girl who memorised your timetable and waited for you outside your classes, while we both pretended that I just happened to be in the area. I’m the one who sat with you watching the mid-autumn celebrations one Friday night, and who ended up failing her Economics test the day after. I’m the one who missed you so much when you went away, and whose heart you broke when you didn’t have time for me when you returned. I’m the one who wondered if I made a mistake in leaving you. I’m the one who took a year to get over you, choosing not to return to Singapore during the summer because I didn’t want to run into you.
I’m the girl who still thinks of you sometimes.
I’m the girl who got over you only to fall for you once again when you broke up. I’m the one who compromised what she believed in for a few months of happiness with you. I’m the one you taught how to kiss. I'm the one you kissed goodbye at the train station in Prague, just like in the movies. You're the one I dreamt about a few months after we broke up. I'm the one who cried when I woke up and realised you weren't around anymore.
I’m the girl who told you that she’d be there no matter what. I’m the one who got mad at you for always being late. I’m the girl whose trust you lost when you let her down once too often.
I'm the girl you spent two weeks with after having just met her. I'm the one who called you in a total panic to help her get rid of a dead cockroach. I'm the girl whose couch you slept on after having had a drop too many to drink at Zouk. I'm the one whose bathroom you threw up in when you woke up. I'm the one who gave you one of her most treasured travel souvenirs.
I'm the one who summoned up the courage to tell you that I liked you since the day we met.
I'm the one you rejected.
I’m the girl who’s slightly mad at having been born Catholic, having been born in such a small country with so many rules and restrictions. I'm the girl who needs structure in her life, for otherwise, she wouldn’t know what to do.
I'm the girl who was "Pupil of the Term" when she was nine years old.
I'm the girl you said would never get an A for Mathematics in her A Levels, but did.
I’m the girl who’s allergic to alcohol, but drinks anyway. I’m the girl you think can drink the most out of all our university mates. I’m the one who went out drinking with some Marines the first night I was in Berlin in spite of her jet lag. I’m the one who texts you whenever I get drunk, the girl you come to fetch home when you receive her texts and the one you snogged when we were both drunk. I’m the one who got sick after one glass of Malibu and orange juice, having been perfectly fine after five glasses of champagne on another occasion.
I’m the girl who wants to drink a Waterfall.
I’m the girl you call for advice, who you think is all wise and all knowing, when all she really is, is insecure. I’m the one you think is confident and interesting when she doesn’t think so at all. I’m the girl who looks at her friends and wonders why anyone would like her when there are so many other better people around.
I was the kid who couldn't turn down a challenge. I'm now the adult too afraid of what others think.
I'm the girl who desperately wants to quit her job but is too afraid that she won't be able to find work fast enough. I'm the one who longs to work in London and New York, but doesn't want to risk so much and uproot herself in case she fails.
I’m the girl you called the sweetest girl around. I’m the one who told you that you needed to meet more girls.
I am the girl who fell in love with you, knowing full well you would never return her feelings. I'm the one who misses you seconds after you leave, wondering what why she feels so strongly for you. I’m the one who wonders every single day when what we have will come to an end.
Yes, I’m that girl. Who’re you?
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Although there's not likely to be an occasion for me to ever use these, I still thought it'd be fun to make a list of ideal make out music, otherwise known as music that gets you in the mood, whether it's the mood for cuddling, kissing or... more. I've tried to divide all of these into five categories, but realistically speaking, some of them do overlap. Nevertheless, here's a list of songs that I think are pretty damn good for getting some action. Some are a little depressing to listen to when you're by yourself, but I happen to like sad songs that speak of yearning. What better emotion to inspire in your intended target?
On The Dance Floor I'd love to hear these songs on the dance floor. If you're my partner, you should watch out.
Unkle - In A State (Sasha Remix)
Faithless - Salva Mea
Energy 52 - Cafe del Mar
Paul Oakenfold - Southern Sun
Armin van Buuren - Burned with Desire
Motorcycle - As The Rush Comes
Rank 1 - Breathing
Delerium - Silence
Sasha - Baja (also for Making Out)
Setting The Mood Any of these will put you in good stead for the whole night.
Air - Moon Safari (album)
Massive Attack - Mezzanine (but any of their albums pre-100th Window will do, really)
City of Angels - Soundtrack
Making Out These songs are so sexy, you can't help but give in to your instincts... especially when the climax kicks in!
Godsmack - Voodoo
U2 - With or Without You
U2 - All I Want Is You
Chicane - Saltwater (If I happen to hear this while on the dance floor... well, look out!)
Paula Cole - Feelin' Love
Meredith Brooks - What Would Happen...?
Dido - Here With Me
Radiohead - Street Spirit
Mazzy Star - Into Dust
Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence (Mike Shinoda Reinterpretation)
Lamb - Gorecki
Gotan Project - Santa Maria
Emotional These songs are sweetly, understatedly sexy. More for love than for lust.
U2 - Bad
U2 - Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Creed - Higher
Dave Matthews Band - Crash Into Me
Damien Rice - Blower's Daughter
Fiona Apple - Please Send Me Someone To Love
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
Norah Jones - Turn Me On
Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved
Goo Goo Dolls - Iris
Coldplay - God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
John Mayer - Your Body Is A Wonderland
Sophie B Hawkins - Damn, I Wish I Were Your Lover
Dave Matthews Band - Crush
Gigolo Aunts - My Favourite Regret
After The Fact Or should that be after the deed? Perfect for cuddling and other stuff.
Faithless - Don't Leave
Evanescence - My Immortal
Sneaker Pimps - Spin Spin Sugar
Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
Sade - By Your Side
Fiona Apple - Criminal
Bush - Letting the Cables Sleep
DJ Tiesto - Close To You
Coldplay - In My Place
Coldplay - The Scientist
Depeche Mode - Somebody
Chicane - No Ordinary Morning
Thankstothesehelpfulsites / threads and some other sites I read a long time ago while still in London, but which no longer exist.
Saturday, May 08, 2004
Reading Wish List Non-Fiction: Reading Lolita in Tehran
Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women by Elizabeth Wurtzel
The Bitch in the House: 26 Women Tell the Truth About Sex, Solitude, Work, Motherhood, and Marriage by Cathi Hanauer
Beware the Club Girls by Todd Allen
Fiction: Fashionistas by Lynn Messina
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Tempting Faith DiNapoli by Lisa Gabriele
The Gospel According To The Son by Norman Mailer
Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
Health, Beauty & Fashion: Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me by Paula Begoun
The Power of Makeup by Trish McEvoy
Secrets of Style: InStyle's Complete Guide to Dressing Your Best Every Day by Lisa Arbetter
The Lucky Shopping Manual: Building and Improving Your Wardrode Piece by Piece by Kim France and Andrea Linett
The Art of Makeup by Kevyn Aucoin
The S Factor: Strip Workouts For Every Women by by Sheila Kelley
1. List five things you'd like to accomplish by the end of the year.
Be a happy smiley person again, as I was last summer.
Lose two kgs.... actually, no. To just have a better looking bottom. I hate my thighs and butt.
Be a productive, capable individual at work.
To be recognised by others as the above.
To maintain a clean-ish room for a period longer than two days.
2. List five people you've lost contact with that you'd like to hear from again.
My Chilean American flatmate in final year.
My Nigerian flatmate in first year.
A coursemate of mine who I got to know better only in my final year.
A good friend in my class back in secondary school.
That's all I can think of right now. For the first two, I didn't really speak to them all that much, but they were really cool and interesting people. I wish I had gotten their contact details!
3. List five things you'd like to learn how to do.
Ice-skate.
Drive.
Present (as in PowerPoint, speaking, etc.).
Salsa.
Think before I speak.
4. List five things you'd do if you won the lottery (no limit).
Hire my friend as my personal masseuse.
Take up dance classes seven days a week.
Travel all over the world in comfort - no more rickety night trains!
Purchase overseas properties - an apartment in London overlooking Tower Bridge, a villa in Barcelona, apartments in Venice, New York and California - so that I can stay there when I'm in the area.
Pay my parents back for sending me to university... and give them more money to ensure that they'll be comfortable for the rest of their lives.
5. List five things you do that help you relax.
Watch TV, especially 24, Alias, CSI and Friends.
Listen to music. The genre differs depending on my mood.
Read magazines. My favourites are Shape, Self and The Economist.
Dance.
Chat with friends.
1. What drinking water do you prefer -- tap, bottle, purifier, etc.?
Volvic still mineral water. Acquired a taste for it in London, but as tap water's fine to drink here, I haven't had Volvic in a while.
2. What are your favourite flavor of chips?
Sour Cream 'n' Onion. Or Nacho Cheese.
3. Of all the things you can cook, what dish do you like the most?
I'm the kind of person who considers everything possible so I wouldn't say that there are dishes that I can't cook. But of the dishes that I have cooked so far, I have to say that I like my Carbonara the best.
4. How do you have your eggs?
Half-boiled with a lot of dark sauce.
5. Who was the last person who cooked you a meal? How did it turn out?
My mother, who cooks me a meal every evening for dinner. They always turn out great, especially the Italian dishes. Bless you, Mum. If you mean a non-family member, then the last person to have cooked me a dish would be the ex. Nowadays, with food so cheap over here, my friends and I would rather eat out than cook. It's the cleaning up that really gets us.
Hmm. Just checked out the rest of the Friday Five archives. Turns out I missed this gem two weeks ago. I'll have a go at it despite my lateness.
1. Name one song you hate to admit you like.
Erm. There are plenty, quite frankly, but I'd have to go with either My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion or The Thong Song by Sisqo.
2. Name two songs that always make you cry.
Full of Grace - Sarah McLachlan
Crash and Burn - Savage Garden
3. Name three songs that turn you on.
All I Want Is You - U2
Here With You - Dido
Where's Your Head At - Basement Jaxx
4. Name four songs that always make you feel good.
That Thing You Do! - That Thing You Do!
Let Me Clear My Throat - DJ Kool
Just Can't Wait to be King - The Lion King
There She Goes - The Las
5. Name five songs you couldn't ever do without.
Yellow - Coldplay
Regret - New Order
Sabotage - Beastie Boys
Satisfaction Skank - Fatboy Slim
Thank You - Dido
Saturday, January 11, 2003
I realised that my favourite songs are very specifically tailored to a certain mood.
Like how when I'm very stressed, I listen to Underworld's Born Slippy, U2's With or Without You and Radiohead's Street Spirit.
When I'm angry and need to work off a lot of emotion, then it's Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, Linkin Park's In the End and Crawlin', Smashing Pumpkin's Bullet with Butterfly Wings and most definitely, Godsmack's Whatever.
When I'm lonely, it's Expose's I'll Never Get Over You (Getting Over Me), Sarah McLachlan's Angel, Savage Garden's Crash and Burn and the two break-up classics, Everything but the Girl's I Don't Want To Talk About It and Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares to You.
The songs I'd choose for my significant other would be:
Selena - Dreaming of You
Vonda Sheperd - I Only Want To Be With You
Dan Fogelberg - Longer
Extreme - More than Words
The Bangles - Eternal Flame
Roxette - Almost Unreal
Shawn Colvin - Never Saw Blue Like That
- Gentle, sweet melody. Simple piano playing and fantastic lyrics that capture how the feeling of being in love is like. It also helps that my favourite colour is blue.
Aerosmith - I Don't Want To Miss A Thing
Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight
They may be the same songs that I've chosen for all of the special people in my life, but the emotion and intent is still there.
And the list of songs which I'm a little hesitant to put online would be my... mood music. I've never had a chance to use it but if you must know, the songs which I would most like to hear when setting the atmosphere would be...
Matchbox 20 - 3 a.m.
U2 - With or Without You - A powerfully emotive song; it just really gets me.
Paula Cole - Feelin' Love - A very sensual and erotic song. Just take a look at the lyrics.
Meredith Brooks - What Would Happen... - Very sexy. "What would happen if we kissed? Would your tongue slip past my lips? Would you run away?" 'Nuff said.
Santana feat. Rob Thomas - Smooth - Rob Thomas has an amazingly sexy voice, and Santana has the most incredibly sexy guitar style.
Chicane feat. Marie Brennan - Saltwater - Very atmospheric. Starts off soft, then builds up to be very sensual and atmospheric.
Delerium feat. Sarah McLachlan - Silence - A tune in the same vein as the above-listed one.
Godsmack - Voodoo (a definite!) - This is a very primal song. With the tribal drum beat and hypnotic bassline, it stirs the primitive instincts in me. Rrrrrowl.
Basement Jaxx - Get Me Off - Well duh. Basement Jaxx come up with really good songs that just call out to the primal savage in you.
These next songs are more for after the deed's been done and you're relaxing:
Sneaker Pimps - Six Underground - Very smooth and subtle.
Mazzy Star - Fade Into You - As mentioned in an earlier post, good for easing into gentle intimacy, or for after the fact.
Faithless - Don't Leave - A sweet, gentle song.
*Giggles* It's such a silly list. I'll never get the chance to use this, and it's not as if I'll just whip out these songs when it looks like something is going to happen and put them on... I wonder why I ever have such a list? *sighs* Wish I could use this though... it would be awesome, to say the least. But, unfortunately, these would probably only work on someone with the same tastes as I have, and my tastes are pretty eclectic.
