Longchamp

 Confession time! I bought two more La pliages in Singapore. Not intentionally. The shoe shop where I originally planned to spend my money had nothing to offer. So as I walked about Paragon...I just popped into Longchamp for a quick browse only to find it slightly cheaper than KL prices.

And I just HAD to buy two in a color I've wanted for some time now.

The leather La cuir is cheaper in KL. ( Odd but true)

Lush Wisma Atria, SIngapore

I must stay away from repetto posts. To avoid buying another pair in the SAME month. That would be extravagant. And bad! So here is a post on LUSH. ( Second obsession for this month...a poor second after shoe ...ballerina flats in particular)

First used this soap in Vienna. And only because the shop had good Feng-shui and I entered it because it was colorful and it had started to rain outside. And I refused ( initially) to buy an umbrella. I did buy one eventually. And of course, it never rained again during my trip. (Aargh). I used karma and something else and the lingering smell was gorgeous. So I returned to buy some.

When I got home, I stuffed the soap in the cupboard and that's really when the obsession started. The smell people....was divine. I would be happy the whole day if I caught a niff of it on my clothes. Then the sad fact that Lush isn't available in Malaysia. Bleah! ( These pictures were taken during my most recent trip to Singapore...where I stocked up shamelessly for self and friends)

The soaps are gorgeous. They look weird and smell funny ( some of them) but I suspect once you try it, the smell will knock you out. Almost!

The limiting factor: the price. ( Although compared to repetto this isn't much. Heck anything compared to repetto seems cheap!! A dangerous and unfair comparison. Stop stop stop!)

And so, if any of you have used LUSH, please drop me a line and share you experience. I love the bath bombs. And I can't wait to use my super duper bath bomb next.

Karma soap from Lush

Karma soap from Lush, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

NO visit to Singapore would be complete without a trip to Lush! ( Yes I love that place) And I especially love their Karma Soap. the smell is really nice. Here it is....in all its glory.

I wonder what other people like. The ones in the shop just bought one or two stuff. But for us with no local LUSH....we stock up:)

Pizza from Marche

Pizza from Marche, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

The brother decided to give us all a nice feast two Saturdays back at Marche at Vivocity, If you've been to Vivocity, you'd know there's a water theme area the same level as Marche which kids love. The niece was not exception. BUT, she was wearing a Baju Kurung which ( yes yes) got wet. The bottom was soaked and the top almost so.

She was made to strip and sit in a cubicle while the mum and I dried them off at the dryer.

Oh yes, the Marche meal was lovely. My first visit here. I know they have the same one at the Curve but for some reason, I have never eaten there. I had pizza...and some Bruschetta and that was it:) Stuffed!

Waterworld!!

Waterworld USS, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

We watched "Waterworld" this is seen on the way there. I love the colours....the weird shades of green come together quiet well and we had the scorching sun that Saturday which made the green POP:) Good backdrop for some pictures don't you think? Here's a interesting tip, the MRT ride from Universal Studio Singapore Sentosa to Vivocity is free:)

SPlash

SPlash, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

We also managed to squeeze a quick trip to Universal Studios Singapore. And we watched "Water World'. It was good. The seating arrangement was like so. ( See picture above) And there is a reason why the blue seats were empty when we entered.

Just before the show began, there was a mini sideshow and if you're seated on them blue seats....you'ld be drenched. We hooped and lah-ed our lungs out.

Laduree ,

Laduree , the boutique, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

And YES!!! Finally, I get the chance to enter a Laduree shop and buy some Macarons and EAT them. I raved about them so much, the brother ( who was meant to meet up with me before we head home to get the car ) decided that he too wanted to see the shop himself.

Sadly he wasn't overly impressed with the macarons. But just for contrast, we bought a macarons for a fraction of the price en route home and sampled that. A world apart. Laduree ones are crunchy outside and soft on the inside. The salted caramel ( apparently the favorite choice) wasn't as good as Natalie's Gourmet at Publika.

But the Marie Antoinette Macaron which is coloured electric blue was NICE. Even the brother liked it. ( And that's saying A LOT)

Max Brenner

Max Brenner, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Here's a picture of the niece, as she walks towards the chocolate cafe at Vivocity. Thanks to my friend A who happened to mention in passing that Max Brenner does some uber nice hot chocolate....we found ourselves there for tea.

Nice nice nice nice!

Camper

Camper, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I found a deliciously soft shoe at Camper and walked out owning it. It's a classic black pair which will go with anything. And it fitted like a glove and felt so snug and comfortable when I walked about the shop.

We do have a Camper shop in The Gardens, but sadly they do not carry small sizes. 37 is the smallest...and if I'm lucky...they have a few 36 but you can be assured those ones I saw were in a very boring color and a tad chunky.

Camper shoes are made in Spain. ( Sadly the twin series was limited)

French Sole

French Sole, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Another gorgeous find in Singapore. French Sole, sold at Takashimaya department store. The lady who served me was lovely. She brought out a pair which wasn't on display and said that would suit me too. There was a mini discount. ( Very important that!) And as I've been dying to buy a pair since reading about it some months back, I said yes YES yes:)

I didn't get the pair shown in my picture,, but a classic version instead. Looks as gorgeous as this. Really!! Ballet flats are gorgeous to wear and so much fun shopping for them. Can't wait to wear my new french sole shoes...tomorrow maybe

Click here  for a very good blog post on french sole shoes and why they're super comfy. ( And why you need to own a pair)

Ballerina Flats!

Gorgeous Shoes, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

If you google ballerina flats and add the word good shoes, you'll be sure to get "repetto" in your find.They specialize in ballerina shoes. They also sell real block toe-ed ballerina shoes tutus and they have a ballet dance bar in their shop.

So many colors to choose from. I had a lovely time trying them on and preening self in the mirror ( Beam)

I googled the place the night before.There's something about preparing for a shopping spree The anticipation builds as you walk around looking for the shop. And when you finally find it....you take a moment outside the shop to savor the adrenaline surge before entering:)

They looked so good with my jeans and top ( attire during shopping spree) Some were too buttery soft for me. But generally it felt like walking right into your perfect shoe shop.

I'm a size 36 in case you're interested in buying me a pair for any occasion.

Apparently they have a shop in Pavillion KL.
But this picture was taken at Takashimaya, Singapore. The sales person was lovely lovely person and she made the experience twice as fun.

Busy Bee

Busy Bee from Lush, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Tomorrow is Monday ( Boo!!) and I predict a long long Monday. So to cheer self up, I've tidied and unpacked and uploaded some pictures ( Yay) which has made me feel rather pleased and happy.

A visit to Lush in Wisma Atria SIngapore on Thursday was good. My bag ( because I packed the soap in between my clothes) smell absolutely delicious. Wish Lush would re-open in KL.

Wishing us ALL a good week ahead. ( Wednesday is the first day of Lent...ie Ash Wednesday!)

Otak-otak

Penang food in KL, originally uploaded by Fred @ SG.

My aunt gave me this from Singapore. Bought from a nyonya restaurant in Katong. We were there for dinner in Feb this year. That visit was different, instead of the usual Orchard Road scene, I stayed in Tiong Bharu and witnessed the older parts untouched by progress. And I saw bits of Katong;the shop houses ( the restaurant was in a shop house) very like ours in Malaysia, and the people were more laid back in dressing.

Back to the otak. It's on the list of food I like to snack on. I realise I like smelly food. On the list, there's keropok lekor, Petai, fried brinjal ,seaweed crackers and moo cow. The last is the only one odorless. Otak-otak is fish paste with spices wrapped in banana leaves and it is either steamed or grilled. I've been microwaving mine and eating it with bread.

Link hotel, Singapore

Link hotel, Singapore, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

This is a boutique hotel. I haven't googled or Wikipedia-Ed the meaning so I cannot tell for sure the actual definition of " boutique " in this context. I did google the amenities before arriving. Was horrified it doesn't have a gym.(no jogging during this trip). The rooms looked small in the pictures . That was another negative bit. When I arrived....the staff were polite and each one greeted me with genuine smiles. Not the over too chirpy greetings with a fake accent. That was nice, the rooms were small but the sheets were at least 400 threads.(smooth) and it had a cosy feeling and because I was on the second floor I saw trees just outside my window and the 24 hour Prata shop across the road.the breakfast was substantial. And the next morning I realized the major plus point of this hotel. It's proximity to tiong baru market and the old Singapore flats and shops selling bak kut teh wanton mee etc. Some if the ground floor shop houses are still houses. When I peeked into one, I saw a flat screen mounted on the wall, mismatched chairs and a piano. Would I consider staying here's again?yes:)