Good Wood Park Hotel Durian Mooncake

Picture Source: www.sparklette.net

For the love of Goodwood Park snowskin mooncakes, my sister and I went on a crazy drive around Singapore - Goodwood Park hotel, Takashimaya, Plaza Singapura, Jurong Point, Lot 1 and Junction 8 - it was a little thrilling, but extremely fulfilling.

Goodwood Park is famous for it’s durian puffs (which is a seasonal item), and is also famous for its durian snowskin mooncakes. They are generous with their durian filling, and it is always supple and creamy. You can never stop at eating just one durian mooncake.

With only a few days to go to mid-autumn festival, my sister and I decided to try our luck at getting our hands on another box of the ever so popular snowskin mooncakes. We were not exactly surprised that the durian mooncakes were not easily available in the stores, but we were hoping real hard. We heard that the snow skin mooncakes were available but limited in stock.

So there we were, going from shop to shop, and always seeing the “sold out” sign. Finally at about 5pm, we decided to make one final stop at Junction 8. Since it’s 5 pm, the chances of buying the mooncakes seem minute. But when we arrived, we noticed a queue had formed outside the Goodwood Park stall.

“There is hope!” “When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

So grinning from ear to ear, we purchased our fair share of the mooncake. And within a short span of 20 minutes, all 10 boxes of durian and 3 boxes of combination snow skin mooncakes were sold out.

Ahhh…. For the love of durian mooncakes.

Magazine: Mina

In the latest issue of Mina, readers will receive a tissue case and a hair scrunch. I’m loving the tissue case, but not so much of the hair scrunch. Although, the hair scrunch does make quite a good tool for bath times.

Magazine: Pinky

Poppy Coach strikes back in the latest issue of Pinky. Packed with not one, not two, but three hair ties; the magazine is set to be a hot seller. It also comes with a Coach catalog of sorts.

Really cute don’t you think? I wonder what Coach Poppy will come up next…

PS: I really need to get myself a better camera soon.

PPS: I really need to fix the header!

So many things to do, so little time….

Chanel Surprises

Lo and behold. People breathe!!!

I have no idea whether to count myself lucky or what, but I actually… got it!

The jade is a little lighter than I had expected, but it’s okay because if it were any greener, it might be harder to match clothes. I have another pair of mini jades and when paired with certain clothes I look like a tai-tai when I wear them, so I need to be very careful.

Anyway… on the long story of how I clinched this beauty.

I walked into Chanel with my sister, and as a usual practice, we asked to look at the costume jewellery. So the SA took out two trays full of earrings, and as we were scanning, I IMMEDIATELY spotted this pair of earrings, grabbed it, and asked for a new pair. The SA told me that it was a new pair because they had only put it in the tray for 30 minutes. (It was so new, they hadn’t even had the time to key it into the system).

I was so excited, I asked the SA why did they have this piece once more - because another SA had told me no new shipments will come in for this pair of earrings. Apparently, this was sourced from overseas, and they just had one pair to spare.

As I was trying on the earrings, I was partially afraid that someone will come and say they want to try the earrings too. But thankfully, they were interested in the interlocking CCs only.

My sister on the other hand, was pretty happy with her purchase. I like her purchase too! I’m so lucky to have a sister who loves Chanel - wait, she was the one who exposed me to Chanel. ;P

Here’s what she got (PS: I don’t really drink, they are just presents from my friends):

CC earrings with crochet rabbit that I bought from Teddy Thotz.

It is a spring summer collection, and we have seen it sitting in the tray since the beginning of the year. Never realised that it was this pretty till now. So what we have learnt from this episode is: 1) if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. 2) always try the accessories no matter how big they look, because they just might look fantastic on you.

Bliss…

Hey Mister!

Some random photo that I shot sometime back when I went to catch a movie at Sinema Old School.

When my hair was long and straight. =)

With me: Chanel 2.55, Chiffon Top from Far East, Zara Jeans, Guess Shoes, Diamante Earrings.

Traffic Safety

For the past few weeks, I have been pretty thankful that I do get a ride to school. And sometimes, I’m lucky enough to be able to drive myself back.

What struck me is that, there are a lot of traffic accidents on the road. Everyday. Every morning. Every evening. It’s like there is not a single day that I hear that there ain’t no traffic accident.

The other day, I was stuck in a jam on the PIE for one full hour. There was an accident involving multiple vehicles near Bukit Timah.

It was just two seconds, a glimpse, but the image stays etched in my mind.

It was a white cloth, a body losing its warmth; a face that will remain faceless to me; someone whom I’ll have never seen nor will ever known.

But it remains in my mind till today.

Drivers, riders and pedestrians - please for your sake, drive, ride and walk responsibly.

Drivers, please signal before you change lane. Other motorists can’t read your mind.

Riders, please don’t swerve in and out of the lanes. An inch of difference could cost you your life.

Pedestrians. Never trust motorists. Stop. Look. Walk. Please.

Co Co Cocoon and Lily Allen

Lily Allen is the latest muse of Chanel. And the first Chanel collection that she is featured with is the Co Co Cocoon bag.

Soft, slouchy, quilted, and space-age looking; the Cocoon bag is a tad like the Chanel shoppers’ bag from the Cruise collection that was sold in stores early this year. I am not exactly a big fan of the shoppers’ bag, since it is a  bit soft and seems too delicate for me to throw my 101 shopping things in - I rather lug my hardy Neverfull around for such occasion.

I have to admit though, the Cocoon bag is a way much better spin off - or improvement would you say - from that of its predecessors. In particular, I quite like the quilted ones. It seems appropriate for a leisure lunch out with girlfriends and comfy enough to go travel shopping with.

Nonetheless, I”m an all-time big fan of the 2.55 and the East-West bag regardless, and my loyalty stays sealed.

Colbie Caillat - Breakthrough

It’s OUT!!!!!!! Her newest album is out! Colbie’s second album breakthrough was released on August 25th.

I saw it, grabbed it, bought it.

Distinctively sung in Colbie’s style, breakthrough features 18 songs (or 19 depending on your region). Even the album cover spots a distinct resemblance to that of the first album.

The album is written such that you can listen to it for hours on a road trip, have it repeated, and not be bored of it. Most of the songs are sung with an upbeat tune (even if it’s about breaking up), so you’ll be nodding your head to the tune.

Breakthrough is unlike her first album, breakthrough sounds is starting to sound more main stream.

Honestly, I’m still a fan of her first album.

2 weeks into listening to the album, I still haven’t memorised the lyrics, because the songs are pretty similar in tune, and the lyrics aren’t as catchy as those in CoCo.

In any case, my dear Colbie, I still heart your songs very much. And I will pop the CD when I’m on a long ride home. =)

Cages

Cages is a remarkable film. And Singapore has a lot to be proud of this film.

Shot solely in Singapore, Cages presents our beautiful island in a different light. Think bunk boats, Nonya outfits, kok kok bowls (porcelain bowls with rooster motifs), and colourful mosaic tiles. Even being a born and bred Singaporean, I have never seen my city island viewed in that light before.

As for castings, Cages is acted by late Makoto Iwamatsu, Zelda Rubinstein, Asrani, Bobby Tonelli, and our very own Tan Kheng Hua and Dickson Tan.

Iwamatsu made such a convincing role out of Tan’s father that it was pretty teary at some point. Whilst Tan, immersed herself in the role so much, I could sense her protectiveness as a mother and defensiveness as a daughter. Above all, I thought Dickson deserved praise for his role in the movie. Cages shines brightly as its star studded cast.

Vibrant staging and good casting aside, the movie follows a dramatic plot, embedded with a  lot of hidden meaning that viewers need to decipher before fully understanding the story line - like why was Iwamatsu avoiding Dickson at one point and embracing him at another. And that was what I loved about the movie. It wasn’t a in-your-face story.

With exception of the first 5 minutes of the show - which I thought was irrelevant - I thought that this show is fantastic. I would show this film to my kids when they are a bit older, to allow them to appreciate the artsy side of it.

Visit Cages official site here: http://www.cagesmovie.com/

Reebonz… Be Invited!

Hello ladies! It’s Friday morning and boy do I have a special surprise for you!

Ever craved to own a Coach bag at a 70% discount? Wished you could have bagged that Miu Miu at 50% off? Or how about revamping your wardrobe with luxurious clothes from Lanvin, All Dressed Up, or DKNY for 50% lesser?

Well, I’m certain that I like the idea of getting Gucci, Prada, Kate Spade, or Marc Jacobs merchandise at half its retail price. Plus, I’m even happier that I get to purchase them online without needing to squeeze or queue for hours in line just to bag that great buy. Read about my Reebonz purchase here.

I present to you Reebonz, Asia Pacific’s first exclusive online shopping destination that retails merchandise from top designers or services from premier brands. Their private sales promise to wow you over with their substantial discounts that sometimes can be a whopping 80%! Past events include:

Coach is always sold out within the first two hours!

and even for the men out there…

Upcoming events include (Today to be exact! I’m so excited!):

To ensure exclusivity, shopping on this site is only opened to members. To be a member, you’ll need to be invited by existing members. Now, that is exclusivity for you.

For my lovely readers, fret not, because Reebonz has created an invitation code for you! For valerietan.com readers, simply 1) head to http://www.reebonz.com/invite_code/valerie and proceed to sign up as a member, or 2) head to www.reebonz.com, and enter “valerie” under the invitation code.

Do share your joy with me when you snagged something pretty. =)

Happy shopping and happy weekend!