Canada: Banff
People who say that there is nothing to do in Canada have never been to Canada’s pride national park.
Next stop in project touring Canada: Banff.
Famous for its snow-capped mountains and lush green, Banff is one of the top destination for locals and tourists alike.
This place is heaven. Although, my Finnish friends were quick to add that this does look like their yearly Christmas season back home. But till I knock on the doors of Santa Claus and ask for a spin in his sleigh, let’s just stick to the itinerary.
Tunnel Mountain.
One can easily figure out why Banff is one of the 1001 places to see before you die.
Banff is gorgeous. It’s hard to contain one’s excitement in this white wonderland.
The air is fresh. So fresh, I truly believed that my lungs were renewed.
Country music - checked. Sports wheels - checked. Here goes the road trip!
The first stop. Lake Minnewanka. It is called the “Lake of the Spirits”.
Nothing truly spooky about this place. Just a sense of calmness.
Along the road, we encountered many animals. This truly is a national park. Big-horned sheep ahead!
Gorgeous coat.
I had hoped that we would have seen more than these sheep - like elks or deers - but no such luck as the weather turned for the worse the following day.
Banff is pretty in all directions. This random shot taken from inside the moving car is proof.
Banff is overgrowing with pine trees. The smell is so refreshing.
The climb is steep and long, but we definitely need to reach the peak of Sulfur Mountain.
See that? Yes, that is where we will be heading towards.
Victory picture with my Finnish friends.
On the way down, we spotted the Brewstar.
How I wished I had the time to visit the polar bears!
And as night falls, what a lovely little castle to live in for the night… Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.
There are of course other places that are worthy of a visit in Banff.
On the top of the list is Lake Louise.
A pity it was really snowy. So we couldn’t take a good snap shot of the vast lake.
The town is charming though…
What better way to end the trip then to tuck in to a Wendy’s meal.
Vancouver: Whistler.
With only four days in Vancouver, I managed to squeeze in a day at Whistler. After all, I do need to satisfy my craving for snowboarding.
A pity I had only enough time to shop, but not enough time to try the slopes!
Just look at those people go. Utterly jealous.
But hey, there is shopping ain’t there?
Of all the cities I have travelled, it is just ironic that the place that has the most christmas-spirited lighting is in Singapore.
As it turns out, the weather got worse as the day went by.
I had to try something. So… What is left but…
Tubing!
It was totally hilarious. All we wanted to do was to sit in the tubes to take picture. But we got really really stuck…
Or at least I was.
That’s my JC friend who has since gotten hitched.
Love the snow, hate the frozen butt.
Did I mention that my favourite winter sports to watch is Curling?
Reebonz goes global on wheels!
The night was young and bustling with excitement at Chjimes.
Fans of reebonz gathered at Chjimes to snag their favourite bags and to take a sneak peak of Reebonz’s latest business platform - the truck!
Photo credits: Channel Newsasia
While I did not manage to snap a picture of the truck myself - I did busy myself and snuck in before the 7pm start time!
The dress code was elegant causal. So I paired my fushia maxi with an asos pleated bag - I won’t risk my Chanel in a mad crowd! And my new found love - black Fendi cuff.
Of course I brought my best pal - my sister to the event. Or as my sister will claim, it was the other way around. She was the shopper, I was the accessory.
As my sister shopped the shelves - note the absolutely neat display behind her - I was happy to whirl around with my glass of sparkling wine.
I just love the mosaic tiles on the church floor.
Not before long, the clock struck 7pm and the crowd came flowing in.
Note the messy shelf.
Note the long long long queue to browse the truck!
But of course, we had snagged a lovely Miu Miu flat clutch way before the crowd made its way in and weren’t too bothered to queue to go up the truck.
To inject a little humour, Reebonz had to give us this as a parting gift.
But honey, if you were really that kind, I won’t have mind to have this as a parting gift.
But the best surprise of the evening is to run into your long-lost primary school friend! The last time I bumped into her was on a train many years back. Talk about Singapore being awfully small.
What a great evening.
Vancouver: Victoria Island
One of my favourite places in Vancouver is Victoria Island. An unassuming little town with an old charm that lingers in your heart three years on.
I’m a city girl, and to wake up in one of these must be a total enjoyment.
And as usual, I’m decked in my all time odd attire. Love the shoes though.
Lunch was this mouth-watering plate of beer-battered fish-and-chips. Nothing beats eating seafood along the docks. For that matter, nothing beats eating seafood along the coasts!
If you have just about 1 hour extra, you should take time to visit their Miniature World. This place is a toy haven for children and adults.
It’s quirky, whimsical… and fun!
I was genuinely impressed with the detailing.
Everything is clock work. Right to the carriages.
A lot of people stopped to take pictures at this huge display depicting fairy land.
A tribute to London.
I could go on and on rambling about the museum.
But with one hour to go and a ferry to catch back to mainland, it’s shopping time!
After all, I really truly am a city girl at heart.
Paradise at ASOS
ASOS is fast becoming my new BFF.
A wide range of fashionable clothes at an affordable price plus superb shipping makes for a very lucrative business model indeed.
If I can’t afford the time to go shopping at the brick-and-mortar shops, hello online paradise.
I was pretty glad that I jumped onto the band wagon when they were having winter sales.
I have a strange fascination with clutches. Especially beaded ones. I got this for £12!
Recently, I also managed to secure a hot shoe item. It took me two weeks of persistent load-and-reload to get the size and colour that I want.
My second booties! It’s really really tall.
I love the lace details and the side zip.
But I just swoon at the ribbon at the back.
Asos is having a 20% off selected brands.
Byzantine Times
I have been for the past year, inspired by Chanel’s Byzantine collection.
Humungously sized, overpowering with gold and blatant faux gem set jewellery is totally the It jewellery of the season.
Unfortunately, I have been too mortified to purchase Chanel’s Byzantine cross necklaces. Honey, for that price, I think I rather splurge it on Louboutins.
Anyway, as I was browsing through Kenneth Jay Lane’s jewellery on net-a-porter’s site, behold!
Gorgeous don’t you think?
Rose Tourbillion
Hey ladies, it has been a while.
I finally had the time to pop by Chanel to get my eye candy fix. A pity I did not like any of the new colours on the bags. Fall colours ain’t my cup of tea. But, I did hear that the pre-fall collection jewellery will be in store sometime mid June! So I’m definitely getting my eyes on that collectio.
Anyway, after 2 months worth of combing all the Chanel beauty outlets in Singapore…
My luck has turned for the better!
Do you see what I see? It’s rose tourbillion! The sold out blush colour in Singapore!
An asia limited edition fit to flatter any lady.
Check out the vibrant colour. Falling in love with Chanel’s blushers is just an understatement.
I also snag the pearl highlighter at 20% off!
I haven’t gotten around to using any of them, because they are just too precious.
The smell of rose for spring is just too good to be true.
Lumières Byzantines de Chanel
So I was looking for a lost password in my old mail accounts. And hey ho what did I see?
*Slaps myself on the head for having missed out on all of the flyers from Chanel.sg!*
I totally missed out on the Spring collection with a tearful wave to the covetable Rose Tourbillon. On the bright side, I fell totally in love with their now-in-classic-collection Espiegle.
So what is this latest collection about?
Inspired by the Byzantine period - a period where women could participate in public life and had a voice - this collection bears resemblance to Co Co Chanel’s unorthodox life in a time where women wore dresses. Not a bad continuation to Chanel’s Spring collection where it is all about Co Co Chanel’s love for pearls.
Make up: Regard Signé de Chanel in Topkapi and Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Or.
The make-up is a little bronze with a tinge of gold. Befitting since Byzantine women loved to be adorned with gold jewellery.
Oh the glamour.
#17
So I’ve been knocked out cold.
Recall #32?
It was #17’s turn.
To cheer myself up, I bought a Barbie kid’s toothbrush a day before the surgery.
Not that I really needed it much since I could barely eat after the op.
The moment of regret came when my dentist started to saw a part of my jaw just to pry #17. The sound of the saw in thy jaw was so sick, I probably said 20 prayers. My dentist made it worse by playing classical music - seriously, it reminded me of a horror movie.
My dentist sure knows how to make an impression.
The next time round I’ll opt for a GA.
Fred Perry Summer Mook 2011
After 3 busy weeks, I finally got out of the house and got around to do my long overdue shopping spree.
Retail therapy works wonders.
I was pleasantly happy to see that Kino had stocked up on the latest Fred Perry Mook. I did hear that it was already in stores 2 weeks ago and I am gleefully happy that the locals must have been too busy with the GE and the april work fever and had bypassed this mook.
It’s one of the best quality gwp bags I have seen thus far. Even better than the Paul & Joe mook that I purchased.
Funny how I really pondered for a long time before I decided to purchase the mook. On the magazine cover, the bag did not seem too enticing. It looked like yet another one of those flimsy ‘recyclable bags’.
However, I’m was completely sold the moment I tore the mook open.
The seems are stitched really nicely.
The logo is super big as well - for those logo fanatics.
The bag is roomy and soft. Awesome bag for my lug-and-go days or for that matter my stand-by computer bag.
Definitely worth my $29.60.
Well in the mean time, as I was browsing through Kino’s magazines selection, I also picked up this month’s issue of Bazaar.
It comes with a 11ml Dr Brandt’s pores no more anti-aging mattifying lotion and 7.5ml pores no more refiner. Whilst stocks last!