Situated along Jalan Bingka, the quaint little restaurant has long received accolades for its delectable Italian fare. We may live just a stone’s throw away, but securing a reservation is no mean feat.

I love the decor of the restaurant. The classic European decor and warm, friendly service put us at ease immediately and made us feel right at home. It reminded me of our Europe trips over the past 3 years where we’ll just chill out at cozy cafes and indulge in a cup of hot chocolate.

The squid ink pasta is infused with a creamy tomato sauce that binds all the different ingredients together to create a gastronomic explosion of flavours in your mouth. I can’t wait to devour it again!

The subtler Puce and Slate Blue hues (shown below) are incredibly versatile without compromising on elegance. Not only are they suitable for the festive season, they can easily transform into work wear with a change of accessories and hairdo.

I am personally drawn to the Yellow Mustard and Nude Beige shades because they exude an inexplicable air of quiet confidence.

However, if you’re looking to add a dash of colour to your wardrobe and join in the festive cheer, the Red and Blue shades are splendid choices!

Crochet lace shorts from Bangkok

Clutch from Pleats Please by Issey Miyake

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!