If you’re on the lookout for modern cheongsums this Chinese New Year, look no further with the Poppy Orient Cheongsum from Closet Matterz!

The best part is, it comes in a multitude of colours, including White/Mint, White/Orange, Pink/Sand and Yellow/Navy. Bright colours are known to bring good fortune, so there’s every reason to get yourself a Poppy Orient Cheongsum in one of these cheery hues. It is so versatile and stylish, you can wear it to work or functions too!

My favourite part of the dress is the embossed floral bodice which is made of quality Hampton fabric. It adds structure as well as a touch of femininity and elegance to the dress without veering away from the key characteristics that every cheongsum should possess.

Here’s a close-up of the top. Gorgeous, isn’t it?

Since I wasn’t working then, I helped to source for bridal hairstyles and tutu skirts for the dance performance that the ravishing bride put up as a surprise for her hubby! Davina’s ever so thoughtful and sweet to everyone around her, even more so to her loved ones. Dalen is one lucky man!

Edmund’s one of the smartest kids I know. Which kid at the tender age of 2 (this happened 2 years back maybe?) is able to tell you that the automatic doors open and close because of a sensor? He can,and it’s all thanks to his mummy’s efforts! And wait for this…during the dinner, the well-mannered boy went around distributing sweets to all the guests on the table, just because he wanted to share the love. How is it possible not to love him?

As you can see from the pictures, there was hardly anyone on the streets besides us. Everyone was hiding indoors. The winds were so strong, I had to put on my trench and wool scarf in the month of September!! In the end, we gave up our fight against the forces of nature and retreated into our favourite cafe for chocolate crepes with whipped cream.

On hindsight, 2011 was a terrible year laden with mishaps (if you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you would know) but on the brighter side, that has made me appreciate and treasure the little things in life even more, especially family and friends. I’m also very thankful for all the opportunities that came knocking on my door. This year, 2012, there are plans to head back to school and work. If everything works out well, I may be shuttling between 2 countries, but we’ll see how it goes. 😉

Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with a back to school outfit. I don’t know why but there’s a schoolgirl vibe about it and I thought it would be pretty apt for the content of this post.

It was supposed to be a potluck party, but the hostess prepared a feast single-handedly, with some assistance from two men who shall remain anonymous and mysterious in this post. There were two appetizers – a unique sour plum concoction as well as an exquisite smoked salmon and watermelon with balsamic vinegar appetizer. Everything including the sauces were made from scratch! The grilled chicken and grilled ham were so yummy! The guests also brought log cakes, shepherd’s pie, curry, bacon streaks, kueh pie tee among other mouthwatering dishes.

Unlike some of my friends who enjoy tearing up the wrapper, I like to make sure that the whole wrapper is intact. I personally think it’s a form of respect to the person who took pains to wrap up the present beautifully. My heart actually aches when I unwittingly tear a wrapper! Oh well, but that’s just one of my idiosyncrasies. Haha. What about you? Are you like me too? 😛

pink floral lace dress from Clubcouture

Being the impulsive, erm..I mean efficient shopper that I am, we managed to squeeze in time for a movie (Mission Impossible 4, which was excellent by the way) and dinner thereafter at Xin Wang Cafe. I’m usually not a fan of HK cafes, but I love the spicy minced pork porridge and the iced peach tea at Xin Wang. There’re real peaches in the iced peach tea, which adds punch to the drink, but I don’t eat peaches so JW and Jun always end up stealing them.

Silly me decided to try the grass jelly drink instead that day. Huge mistake. I’m staying loyal to my iced peach tea from now on.

For those of you who are still on leave, enjoy the rest of the week!

If you noticed, there are green sparkles all over my photos. The amazing thing is, they were not edited at all. I believe they’re reflections of the christmas lights on my tree. Kinda magical isn’t it?

I really loveee the pop colours like persimmon, grass and red, but unfortunately, they do not go with our home decor at all! And so, we settled for the charcoal (above: 3rd from left). I think those gorgeous colours I mentioned earlier would go really well with retro, pop art styles.

Erm..I still can’t get these lovely colours out of my mind. They kinda put me in a Christmas mood too. Haha.

We popped by for chocolate pancakes (called “The Druggie”) at Strictly Pancakes today and it was most gratifying! I didn’t really think the pancakes here were any good previously, but this somewhat changed my opinion.

Although the pancakes are not fluffy, every bite fills your mouth with divine chocolatey goodness. The chocolate ice-cream and strawberries complement the dish perfectly too. It can be too much for one person though, so it’s best to share it with a friend. 😉

Crochet shorts from Hong Kong

Furry alphabet bag from Dip Drops

Transparent heels from Korea

Hair accessory and necklace from Korea
Rings from London

Do you see those rings too? I got them from Ms Selfridge in London last year, but they’ve not really seen the light of day till now. 🙂