Uncategorized – Page 37

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The Rocks Markets

September 5, 2012 by Regina Chow 1 Comment

If you ever stop by Sydney, you have to go to The Rocks, a historical Australian quarter located right beside the CBD area. I don’t know why I’ve never shared this on my blog since I came over to Sydney, but it’s better late than never right?

The Rocks was where Australia’s first European settlers lived, which is why you’ll find some of the oldest architecture in Sydney, juxtaposed against new cafes and the very popular The Rocks Markets, which takes place every Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm.

I’m not exactly a morning person, so you’ll hardly ever see me bright and early during the weekend, except when friends come over to visit.

Thankfully, Alvin and Elisa arrived last Sunday morning. That gave JW and I the perfect excuse to visit The Rocks Market, not without first having his favourite ricotta hotcakes from Bills.
Click here if you wish to read my earlier review on Bills.

The Rocks Markets is a great place for souvenior shopping as it offers a wide variety of products ranging from apparel, handmade jewellery, aromatic soaps and candles. This is a pretty touristy haunt though, as you’ll see throngs of tourists armed with DSLR cameras, which are almost always accompanied by humungous camera lenses. I guess the stall owners must have had enough of tourists taking photos of their products (oops, I’m guilty of that too!), because “No Photography” signs are prominently displayed everywhere!

I didn’t buy anything from the markets but I enjoyed walking around and taking in the beautiful sights. It’s interesting how The Rocks looks so different from the rest of Sydney. Five minutes from the CBD area is all it takes to feel like you’ve teleported to Europe.

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Spring in my step

September 4, 2012 by Regina Chow 3 Comments

Maybe it’s the cascading layers of frills, the flouncy sleeves, or even the colour, but the first thought that came to mind when I saw this dress was Marie Antoinette, the iconic Queen of France and also the last Queen before the French Revolution took place.

If this dress was longer, it could probably pass off as one of the blue cupcakes gowns that she often wore in Versailles, but that would also make me look like a clown. Haha.

I love Japanese fashion labels and it’s interesting how Japanese fashion seems to draw more attention here as well as in other western countries because the female population tends to favour styles that are chic and edgy or casual and laid-back, rather than sweet and feminine.

Anyway, I’m in better spirits now because September spells the start of Spring! It’s getting much warmer in the day, which means these pretty Japanese dresses can finally see the light of day without having to hide under my thick jackets and coats. September is also a great month because I’ll be off to Melbourne and Hunter Valley! We haven’t got that much time left in Australia, so I hope we’ll be able to cover as many attractions as we possibly can before we return to our crazy lives in Singapore. 😉

Dress from Snidel
Hair accessory from Alannah Hill
Lace leggings from Rubi

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Homesick

September 3, 2012 by Regina Chow No Comments

I might be overseas now and truth be told, yes I am having the time of my life.
I do like Sydney. After all, I have family here and they’re absolutely amazing.
Through them, I’ve gleaned valuable lessons about life, marriage and parenthood. Lessons which will stick with me forever and I’m eternally grateful for that.

Taking a year off work to live in another city has always been my dream, and I’m glad I can finally tick this item off my wish list. However, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would miss Singapore this much. I miss my family, friends, the efficiency, the hawker food, attending events etc. I even miss working and the crazy traffic! I must be out of my mind.

We always complain that there’s nothing to do in Singapore, but when you’re blessed with good company, even a supposedly mundane activity can morph into something exciting.

Singapore will always hold a special place in my heart because everyone else who is dear to me is there and sometimes, all I want is hang around loved ones whom I’ve known since forever.

After all, home is where my heart is. 🙂

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Shopping in Sydney

August 30, 2012 by Regina Chow 1 Comment

The amazing thing about shopping in Sydney is the incredible mark-downs by departmental stores after every season. The recent sale, aptly named the Stocktake sale, took place between June-July as this marks the end of the financial year for most stores. This is perhaps the best time to comb through departmental stores such as David Jones and Myers.

At David Jones, you can get designer shoes and bags – think Celine, Christian Louboutins, Charlotte Olympia etc. at up to 50%-70% off. Myers stocks Aussie brands such as Basque, Cue, Review, Wayne Cooper and Alannah Hill.

Now, on top of the original mark-down, it is common for retailers to slash a further say 30% or 40% off reduced items, so if you’re lucky, you could get that dress you’ve been eyeing for a long time at just 10% or 20% of the original retail price.

Take me for example. I have been eyeing these delectable platform heels from Basque at Myers for some time. Originally priced at A$169, it dropped to just A$17 during the sale. See what I mean when I say you can actually find items at 10-20% of the original retail price?

The kind sales assistant brought out the same design in another colour for me to try on. Needless to say, I bought both pairs! These are quality shoes (leather-upper too) with great workmanship after all!

Besides the departmental stores,I can’t do without Forever New (you can find this in Singapore at Wisma Atria and Raffles City) and Alannah Hill, two of my favourite Aussie brands. If you love frills, flowers, lace, and basically just all things girly, you’ll love these brands.

What I also love about these brands here is that you can find off-season items at discounted prices at Birkenhead Point, an outlet mall in Sydney.

Karen and I had a field day at Birkenhead Point when she came over recently. 🙂 Here are some of my buys:

Forever New Dress – Marked down from A$130 to A$47.

Alannah Hill camisoles – Marked down from A$129 to A$29!

Alannah Hill hairclips – Marked down from A$49 to A$10!

Hope you enjoyed this shopping post! Now, who said cheap stuff have to look cheap? 😉

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Bohemian White

August 27, 2012 by Regina Chow 3 Comments

I know this space of mine has been rather quiet recently and I am so sorry for the lack of updates. Karen came over to Sydney during the recent Hari Raya weekend and we were too busy having a ball of a time. She came all the way to lend me support in some family matters.

Sushi was supposed to come over too but she eventually couldn’t as there was no one around to look after precious Leo. Nonetheless, she was always around to provide a listening ear. Both of them have made a significant difference to almost every aspect of my life (including my wardrobe) and I am truly blessed to have them in my life!

My sweetest friends know that vanity is perhaps my greatest downfall, hence they brought over some clothes and shoes to tide me through the seasons.

In this post, I wore a Liz Lisa dress given to me by Karen. It’s thick and warm, perfect for the current weather. The best part is, I can wear this out on its own without having to put on a coat or add on layers.

I had some time before leaving my apartment that day, so I decided on a fancier hairdo in an attempt to achieve the boho chic look. I did a hair twist with my fringe, pinned it to the side and added a thin french braid on each side to complete the look.

The floral headband from ClubCouture was the icing on the cake. It is so delicate and feminine, I absolutely couldn’t resist putting it on.

I like the recent batch of accessories brought in by ClubCouture. One of them is the flutter ring in pink, which goes really well with this ensemble.

The dress also comes with a detachable bow that can be either pinned to the front or the back. I chose the back this time as I wanted to keep the look simple.

I met my aunt for dinner at Marigold that day and she commented that I looked like Pocahontas. LOL.

Hm..I guess there is some resemblance after all, especially the hair.

I’ll be back with more updates soon, but meanwhile, have a great week ahead!!

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Ryo’s Noodles

August 24, 2012 by Regina Chow No Comments

Ramen and sashimi are some of my favourite Japanese food of all time. It’s hard to go wrong with sashimi, unless the ingredients aren’t fresh, but when it comes to ramen, perfecting the art of cooking it does take some skill.

The only ramen joint that I enjoy going to in Singapore is Santouka, but even that pales in comparison to Ryo’s Noodles in Sydney.

Operated by Japanese, Ryo’s Noodles is perpetually crowded throughout the day and patrons do make a beeline for it. We usually have to wait between 15-30mins for a seat, but trust me, good things are worth waiting for.

Seating capacity is rather limited but service is quick and efficient, not unlike most Japanese restaurants. 😉 On the wall, you’ll find special items that can’t be found on the menu, and there is also a blackboard that ranks the top 5 most popular items. You’re guaranteed to be spoilt for choice.

Thus far, I’ve tried the Ramen in Tokyo style soy sauce soup with roast pork and egg.

But my favourite has to be the Ramen in pork and fish soup with roast pork and egg (it’s not on the menu, but it’s displayed prominently on the wall). What I especially like about the ramen here is the springy noodles and rich, flavourful soup base. The burst of flavours erupting in your mouth leaves you wanting more every time.

And if that’s not enough for you, you can try the cod roe rice ball. It is huge and full of cod roe goodness.

If you’re craving for ramen in Sydney, I would definitely recommend you try Ryo’s Noodles. In my opinion, this is where you’ll find the best ramen in Sydney!

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ClubCouture: Philippa Dress

August 22, 2012 by Regina Chow No Comments

I received the Philippa Dress in pink from ClubCouture recently. Spring is just around the corner in Sydney and temperatures have been on the rise recently, so this pretty little number came just in time!

It was still slightly chilly when I wore this tube dress out (thanks to the strong winds) so I decided to pair it with my trusty Zara blazer. The look that I came up with is more formal and work appropriate, but if you’re going for a more casual, weekend look, just wear the dress on its own or match it with a cute little cardigan and you’ll be all ready for tea with the girls.

To complete the look, I added on floral accessories in similar shades. The ring is from Forever21 and the necklace is from Accessorize.

I especially adore how the dress eventually graduates into a charming floral skirt. The contrast between the pink cotton bodice and chiffon floral material further enhances the femininity of the design.

The Philippa dress comes in white too!

Check out the new arrivals at ClubCouture now. 🙂

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Fouratefive

August 16, 2012 by Regina Chow No Comments

Having heard so many rave reviews about fouratefive at Surry Hills, I had sky-high expectations of the cafe before I even made my way there. Honestly, the name alone is so apt (it’s located at 485 Crown Street), in a cheeky way no less, it totally cracks me up.

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Cafe Guide 2012 rated the coffee here a grand total of 3 cups. That was the main reason why we dropped by, although we were told that the food is great too.

I love that cafes here usually offer organic juice or soda drinks. It’s probably psychological, but such drinks make me feel that I’m actually drinking something that’s healthy and good for me. Besides organic drinks, I have also taken a liking to free-range eggs. Free range eggs are produced by chickens that are allowed to roam freely beyond the confines of their cages and are thus deemed to be the healthier alternative to caged eggs.

Anyway, back to the coffee. The latte definitely met our expectations in terms of coffee art. Did you know that the leaf design is the most difficult pattern to perfect? I personally prefer the heart shape design though. It is so much cuter. 😛

I believe the general consensus was that the taste was up to mark too, but perhaps not as good as that of Campos Cafe.

That’s the barista at work.

Sadly, we didn’t think very much of the food. We ordered the highly recommended pork sandwich but it turned out to be pretty average. The only saving grace this time was the broccoli soup with goat cheese, which was absolutely superb.

Although I much prefer the food at Reuben Hills, I am still somewhat reluctant to write off fouratefive completely until I’ve tried a few more items on their menu, especially given the number of hits and misses. You’ll be the first to know when I next head there. 😉

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Jeans Chilli Chicken Eastwood

August 15, 2012 by Regina Chow No Comments

I love Korean food and the abundance of Korean eateries here mean that we usually end up at a Korean joint for lunch/dinner at least once a week.

We’ve heard so much about the chilli chicken at Jeans from Felicia and we were really excited to try it out. I’ve been hanging out with Felicia practically everyday and she always has new places to recommend. 🙂

The menacing plate of chicken coated in spicy chilli sauce initially proved a little too much for me to stomach as I was nursing a bad sore throat then, but I couldn’t care less!

Thankfully, I didn’t have to eat the chilli chicken on its own. The meal comes with side dishes and a bowl of glutinous rice. For those of you who can’t take spicy food (like me!), all you have to do is cut the chicken up into small pieces and mix it up with the glutinous rice to make spicy chicken rice balls. The level of spiciness dips significantly, which makes it a lot more palatable.

I was fortunate to have Felicia and JW take turns to make rice balls for me! As you can tell from the photos, JW isn’t as adept as Felicia when it comes to domestic chores like this.

He actually looks like a serial killer when he’s cutting up the chicken…

Can you see the look of relief on his face when he was finally done with the cutting??

Here’s the final product. It’s very delicious. JW prefers eating the chicken on its own for that extra kick, but this is just as flavourful and tasty.

I like how considerate and thoughtful this restaurant is. At the end of the meal, just when you’re about to perspire from all that chilli and spices, they present you with complimentary honeydew ice-cream to cool you down!

Truth be told, my sore throat got worse the next day after all the chilli, but I didn’t regret it at all. In fact, it’s probably about time we plan another trip there now that I’m better. 😉

Address:
Jeans Chilli Chicken

115 Rowe St Eastwood NSW 2122

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First Encounter with Affogato at Don Campos

August 14, 2012 by Regina Chow No Comments

I had my first taste of Affogato recently at Don Campos, the best brew bar in Sydney according to the Sydney Morning Herald Good Cafe Guide 2012.

Affogato is an interesting mix of vanilla ice-cream and a shot of espresso. It’s great for non-coffee drinkers like me because you feel like you’re just having coffee flavoured dessert. I can finally order something else besides hot chocolate now! The only flip side is, only a handful of cafes serve affogato. :S

We were there on a terribly windy weekend where strong winds of 100km/hr were wrecking havoc all over Sydney. It was certainly very comforting to sit indoors for a hot drink and ice-cream.

It was quite amazing that we didn’t get lost while searching for Don Campos given that it is located in an obscure industrial estate. If you look out of the window from the cafe, you can even see construction works going on next door!

Despite its relatively inaccessible location, it is surprisingly crowded. I guess the accolades and testimonials from customers were huge draws. It is incredible to know that one would go to such extents just to get the best coffee!

JW took a barista course recently and it’s fascinating to know that so much precision is involved in coffee-making. Did you know that the temperature of the milk affects the flavour of the coffee too?

I am a complete noob when it comes to coffee and needless to say, all these fancy equipment are so alien to me.

The only reason why I visit cafes is for the ambience, which is conducive for cozy gatherings. I also love to browse through the papers or magazines over a cup of anything (even water is fine) as well as catch up on the latest happenings with my other half and friends.

Before we left, we bought a packet of powdered chocolate. Yay, we can now have hot chocolate in the comfort of our home. 😀

Address:
Don Campos
Shop G1, 21 Fountain Street
Alexandria, NSW

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About Me

Hi! My name is Regina and I am a style, beauty and travel enthusiast who enjoys writing, photography and letting my creative juices flow.

My blogging journey has been nothing short of exciting. I was recently named the winner of Her World Magazine’s Estee Lauder Style Superstar Awards 2016. My blog was also awarded Best Fashion Blog (Grand Winner) at the Singapore Blog Awards 2014. The year before that, it won Best Online Shopping Blog at the Singapore Blog Awards 2013.

Additionally, it is listed as one of the 10 interesting blogs on Singapore by AsiaWeb Direct (http://www-singapore.com/blogs.htm). I was also featured on both local and international mainstream media for my views on style, fashion and online shopping:

The Straits Times (14 Oct 2014)

The Business Times (14 Oct 2014)

My Paper (13 Oct 2014)

CNBC ("Pricey Singapore: Savvy shoppers go online" - 28 Dec 2014)

For advertorials/partnerships, feel free to contact me at regina.chow@gmail.com.

Thank you!

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