14 posts tagged “shopping”
It used to be that when you walked behind a woman and you caught a flash of vivid, sultry and unabashed crimson from the soles of her shoes, you knew for a fact that she was moneyed. Whether her own or someone else's money isn't the point. The lady has Loubies on her feet.
Loubies, or the sex-in-a-shoe creations by Monsieur Christian Louboutin (and please, don't shame yourself, it's loo-boo-tahn), are the only luxury brand shoes that I lust after and hope to own a pair of someday. All because of the red sole.
There's just something so unbelievably sexy about them. That glimpse of this amazing scarlet sends a jolt through your groin like you came across some porn while in public. It's the shoe that femme fatales wear with their tight tight pencil skirts and their buttoned-up-to-the-chin but sheer chiffon blouses and their impeccable makeup. And when they turn away after bantering with some Bond-level man, with an arched brow, a quirk to their lips and a glint in their eye, that man will stare after their sashaying hips, their long sleek legs, and spring an instant hard-on when he spots the fuck-me red soles of her shoes.
Hey, don't take my word for it. Go watch Rocknrolla and see Gerard Butler check out Thandie Newton's Loubies.
Why on earth are the red soles so alluring? Because they're so unexpected. It's reminiscent of those sexy librarians, where they suddenly unleash their chignons and morph from stuffy to slutty. You could be dressed like a nun, but that red on your feet says with the right person, you can get down and dirty.
The best of Louboutin's creations are stilettos, vertigo high stilettos, though he does make flats, platforms and other not so sexy chaussures. But seriously, Loubies are the ultimate in fuck-me shoes. If I ever get to own a pair, I'd break them in by having wild sex in them first, complete with photography and film just to commemorate the fact that I just spent at least $1,000 on a pair of shoes. Should this interest you so much you'd buy them for me just to watch me go wild, please note that I like the Piaf in black patent leather and I wear a size 39 or 40, depending on how large the cut of the shoe is.
(And yes, it's really a simple pointy toed pump, I know. I even own a pair that looks something like that. That's not the point.)
Which is why I nearly blacked out from losing my balance and swishing my head waaaay too close to a shelf a few days back. I picked up a pair of heels at Pazzion and flipped it over to check the price tag. And came close to a spontaneous orgasm when I caught sight of the oh-so-slutty shade of red on the sole.
At $60+, that shoe was only six percent the cost of a Loubie. I had to have it.
I also had to have much smaller feet.
For some reason, the folks at Pazzion feel the need to assuage the insecurities of the tiny-footed by making their sizes smaller. Their 40 is about a 37 for most normal shoe companies. I should know. I barely managed to squeeze it on. I managed to stand up for about two seconds before I had to sit down or break a few bones in my feet.
Disappointed, I walked away and into another shoe shop, Gripz. And saw that familiar red again.
Heart pounding, I made the sales staff get my size.
Again, too small. Not for the first time did I curse my giant feet. Some say it's necessary to have big feet since I'm tall. But I'm not that tall. I've been around models a foot taller than I, and they have the same size feet as me. So fuck you and your balance theory.
So despite the very many knockoffs out there, I'm still bereft of my red soled shoes. But perhaps that's for the best.
The whole point of Loubies is that they are exclusive and distinctive. It used to be that no other shoe maker had that very obvious red sole. It used to be that red meant you spent a good part of your pay on that pair of shoes, so much so you have to live off fresh air for the next month.
Loubies are the shoes for a very special group of women; pampered mistresses of powerful men, and their only job is to be creatures of pleasure in every sense of the word. They'd wear those killer stilettos and their silk negligees and recline on their silk sheets in their opulent rooms, waiting for their man to come home, take one look at them, and rip off their tuxedos and consummate their lust in an earth-shaking rush that would leave any mere mortal in awe and cure impotence even in the wimpiest man. Then after that, sauntering to the kitchen with the delicate click-click of those heels on their marble floor, they'd magically whip up something that'll make Nigella look like an amateur and proceed to shame 9 1/2 Weeks with the most unbelievable combination of food and sex that will also involve lots of flexibility and endurance.
But now, any auntie with feet smaller than mine can just fork out $60 and pretend to be wearing Loubies. What the fuck. They're like push-up bras. An evil fucking lie, as any disappointed man will tell you.
Some things just shouldn't be made available to too many people. It loses its specialness. Like international school girls.
(If you're a particularly prudish girl who happens to attend international school, blame your classmates. Before you even dare say that it's an unfair generalization, how many of your classmates are still virgins? And yes, blowjobs count.)
Despite the fetishistic tendencies I display on this subject, I never really got the whole foot fetish thing. Legs, yes, I can sort of understand. But feet...weird. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that I don't like mine. This girl once told me about this guy she slept with who absolutely loved feet. He'd massage them, suck her toes, make her keep her shoes on while they did it, and went wild when she ran her cold feet over his legs, and, uh, other parts. I blame it on the late night flight and the lack of supervision. I couldn't look at her for the rest of the flight without my eyeballs wanting to roll downwards.
I wonder if he bought her a pair of Loubies.
I just bought over $300 worth of clothes. Even before I go on holiday my wallet starts bleeding. But it was for a good cause.
Since I'm starting work in two weeks' time and there's no uniform provided, I actually have to get clothes for work. I have some remnants from my days as a young foolish intern. But since they were bought in my young and foolish days, they sort of reflected the mentality of those days. So no, looking like I just hit G2000 when it was on sale is not quite the look I'm going for.
First off, I'd like to say that G2000 is a very Asian friendly brand. Why? Because it assumes that its customers are short. I have not managed to find a single pair of pants or shirt from that place that fits me properly. I keep looking like either some retard executive farmhand who kept wearing clothes from prepubescent days or as though I'm a satisfied customer of Marie France Bodyline. Or I'm auditioning for the role as the central mast of a yacht. Their stuff isn't bad. But they just don't fit me, which is why I refuse to buy their things.
That, and you might end up wearing the exact same thing as the new intern.
Which is why I headed straight for Bugis Village for my insta-work wardrobe. Now, if you've been to Bugis Village, you might be completely baffled, because it's just this labyrinth of cute little clothes for teeny-boppers. Ah, young padawan, you need to ascend.
No, literally.
On the second floor (yes, there is a second floor, look harder), there are a few shops that stock more sophisticated clothes. Emphasis on the "few". They're usually run by middle-aged women rather than teenaged girls, and get their stock from Korea and Hong Kong. These aren't as dirt cheap as the stuff you can get on the first floor, but they don't charge you that much either. For a price comparison, Mom and I saw the exact same top there and at Bugis Junction across the street. The Village charged $36, the Junction $49.50. EXACT SAME TOP.
Granted, the shopping experience isn't as comfortable; there's usually only one dressing room, if any, and the air conditioning isn't that fantastic. The quarters are cramped, which means if there are a number of people in the store, it's pretty hellish. But hey, until the day I can shop without looking at price tags, I can put up with a bit of inconvenience.
Then again, I did shop without looking at price tags today. But that's because we knew the shop owner.
One of my mom's ex-colleagues, Jennifer, opened her own little shop, Zenn Collection, there and her taste is excellent. It's feminine but edgy at the same time, so it puts across the exact right message, "Yes, I'm a woman, but I can still hit that quota and look good doing it." The last time we went, Mom bought $300 worth of clothes. I still hadn't quit my old job yet, so I just picked out a pencil skirt and this coat.
So now that there is a need, it was natural that I dragged Mom down there to help me vet.
It was insane. We spent about two hours in that shop, at least. I started picking out things I wanted to try, and that was a huge pile by itself. Jennifer also recommended me a number of pieces, which meant I was going through clothes like Imeda goes through shoes. And mind you, that shop was tiny enough that if two people lay down on the floor, there would be no more space to walk.
Because she was old friends with my mom and because I was pretty much buying up her whole shop (ok, fine, I bought ten pieces), she did give me a discount. Overall, I paid about $30 on average for each item. That was pretty much why I was shopping like my dad owns an oil rig.
But to be honest, even if she charged me more, I'd still have gone to her. Her stuff are sometimes pieces inspired by other brands (like Zara), but they're not exact copies, which means it's unlikely I'll see someone wearing the exact same piece. The cuts are usually flattering, and she allows me to try every single piece, taking great joy in making me try more rather than grouching that I'm taking up her fitting room and time. The materials are good too, no cheapass cotton or polyester that breaks down after a few washes. And the best part, she makes you feel so welcome and so good about yourself, but she doesn't push you to buy. She even advises you on how to wear the pieces, whether you should add accessories or tuck in the tops and even how to wear the accessories. She was teaching this other lady how to twine two different coloured woven belts together while we were there.
Of course, I know that after this post, I might have problems getting that undivided attention like I did today, but hey, I'm not one of them selfish people who hoard knowledge like this.
Oh ya, and she stocks her clothes in a number of sizes, so even the larger women can find something. If not, she'll order them in for you.
After shopping at her place, it's hard to consider buying things from other shops. There isn't that sort of attention and warmth for those prices outside of the Village. These people who own these shops are usually so sweet. They bring in each and every piece, tending that few square metres like some sartorial bonsai plant, presenting only what they feel is good.
So I sometimes get pissed on their behalf at those girls who come marching in, ignoring the shop keeper, flip through then leave, occasionally making a face or some passing remark to their friend about how sucky the collection is. Would you like it if people went through your wardrobe and dismissed it as crap? You don't have to gush over how great everything is, but it wouldn't kill you to at least smile at the shop keeper. I always make it a point to say thank you before I leave a store, if the shop assistants say goodbye.
Someone once told me I should start my own little business. It's not that I'm not tempted to. I would love to do what Jennifer is doing, but it's sort of the labour of love kind of thing. If I had a business, I want to keep it to a small scale, because I want to be involved. I don't want to be the paper pushing CEO of some big company, not knowing what goes on, er, down there.
That is, if I can avoid buying up all my merchandize myself.
Although I've been favouring false eyelashes and darker eyeshadow lately, I protest against the accusation that I put on a lot of makeup. Seriously. Because to me, a lot of makeup means foundation so heavy it literally cracks when you smile. Or eyeshadow so thick, one cake lasts you for all of two applications. I've seen women with makeup like that and it's fucking scary. Like you wonder if they go home and chisel it off because normal makeup remover just doesn't do the trick.
So while I may wear more makeup than say, your average shu nu type from Science Fac who doesn't know where her vagina is, my application is no more heavy handed than any normal person who does make an effort to look good. The key to this lies in two things; 1) the quality of your makeup and 2) blending.
Naturally, more expensive makeup brands have better quality makeup. It's smoother, more pigmented, which means all you need is a small dab for a lot of colour, and it blends easily so the illusion that your eyelids came in that colour is easier to believe. But I absolutely disagree that you have to max out your credit card just to look good. Which is why there's this post.
Now, I use everything below, and it's the product of a lot of trial and error. You don't want to know how many cosmetics I've junked after a couple of uses just because it just wasn't good enough. To save my friends (and random strangers) the pain and agony, here's what goes into making Nanashee's face.
Skin
1) ZA Concealor Perfection (in 1)
It is what it claims to be. The perfect concealor. And it costs about $20 (all prices in Singapore dollars), which makes it ridiculously cheap. I love it because the texture is very light, but it still covers very well. I use it for under-eye circles, where it doesn't sink into the wrinkles and make you look old, and around the nose, the corners of the lips (very important, because those dark areas around your lips can make you look sulky) and on humongous zits.
Some magazines will tell you to use more cakey concealors for zits. They LIE, the muthafuckers! Use this one, put on a thin layer, let it dry a bit, blend the sides out, then put on another layer if the redness is still there. With big zits, the best you can hope for is to make the redness go away, because it's still going to be there in three dimensional glory.
2) The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Cover Stick (also in 1)
This is the more cakey concealor. Use this for flat zits because they tend to be this dark colour that the more liquidy concealors can't quite cover. To be honest, I don't really like this one, but it's got tea tree oil and helps to get rid of the little buggers, so I stick with it just cause. At least, until I find something better. Also about $20
3) Maybelline Angelfit Two Way Cake (in Light Ochre OC1)
Actually, I should have gotten OC0 instead, the lighter shade, but they were having a promotion where you get this limited edition case with an additional refill for only $24 or something, and I figured one shade darker was acceptable.
I wrote about this one a while back. I realized my mistake was getting the pink toned shade. Very salah. Because despite the hair and the eyes, I'm Chinese, with yellow based skin.
What I like about it is it's very light, it doesn't sink into the wrinkles. Even after you've been smiling like a moron for a day, you don't get a line of concentrated makeup in the naso-labial fold (that's the line between your cheeks and nose formed when you smile. Or snarl, for that matter). The coverage is light, so you need to put concealor on before this, but the good thing is, it looks like real skin and not makeup. And it's easy to apply, no muss, no fuss, no new fangled mineral powders dirtying your countertop.
4) ZA Blush Vibrante (in B2)
Whatever you do, don't use the brush that comes with it. It's too small to give you a natural blush with no lines. In fact, never use the brush that comes with your blushes, unless they're the flat wide type, like the L'Oreal or the Bourjois ones. Even then, I'd prefer to use a proper brush.
Application is key. You can get $2 blushes from Daiso and make it look as good, but I like this one because it comes with a section of shimmer on the side you can use to highlight the tops of your cheekbones with. To apply, pick up colour with your brush, all over the tip. Blow off the excess. Smile and dab it on the chubby part of your cheeks and diagonally upwards to your temples (area between your eye and your hairline). Go over with the brush again, swirling it in a circular motion over your skin to blend it in.
As for the brush, you don't have to get a $60 one. Not even a $6 one. You just need to test the bristles to make sure they are soft to the touch and don't shed all over the place. I got mine from a face and eye brush set from Sephora (love the eyeshadow brushes too) that was about $30 for five brushes.
Eyes
1) Brow Lash EX Waterproof Eyebrow Coating
I used to use ZA Everbrows exclusively because they were ridiculously easy to use. Then, I used Benefit Brow Zings because the salesgirl convinced me that the wax part of it would help it stay on for longer (bad idea; it's bloody tricky to get on, and sometimes it gets clumpy). Now, I'm using some unknown eyebrow pencil from Daiso that cost me $2. The reason why I'm walking on the cheap side is because of this product. It is your best friend if you, like me, have very fine brows that can't be seen from two feet away. Just draw your brows on, then slick it over, and it will last until you accidentally fall face first into a pool of makeup remover. Supposedly you can even go swimming with it. It lasted through oil massages and yoga sessions and being rubbed into a pillow for me. Not in the same day lah, but pretty heavy duty stuff.
2) Kate by Kanebo Eyeshadow (in BK-1)
I bought one of these eyeshadows in blue a couple of months after I started flying. The colour is so intense that that tiny box lasted me the remaining one year and seven months and I still hadn't hit bottom yet by the time I quit. (Not that I kept it; bad memories.)
I love this brand of eyeshadows because they're shimmery without being too getai, the colour on your lids is just like what it is in the box, and it's so fine you don't have to work too hard to blend it. Best part of all is they come in these palettes with instructions so it's literally paint by numbers. It's about $24, you can get it from BHG or Metro (Metro got rebate for UOB cardholders).
Mind you, I've tried the rest. Maybelline's eyeshadows are a joke; you torture your eyelids trying to get them on and blended. Fasio's aren't pigmented enough, so you have to cake on quite a lot to get the right intensity. Trust me, once you try Kate, you'll never use anything else.
3) Kate Gel Eye Liner (in BR-1)
It comes with it's own brush! That's a good enough reason for me. I fucking hate cosmetic companies that sell you a product then expect you to fork out extra to get the tools to put it on with. To be honest, gel eye liners are not the easiest thing to put on; you need to pay attention to what you're doing. Beginners, please get yourself a regular pencil and be done with it. But once you can line your eyes in seconds on the first try, you're ready to graduate to this.
I use this because it gives you a lot of control. I like to extend the liner at the corners for a cat's eye effect, and this one lets you draw as fine a line as you want. It also stays on quite vehemently, so if you don't have a steady hand, keep a makeup remover and cotton swabs handy (I like Fasio's Point Makeup Remover; not oily, no residue, very powerful).
4) Missha's Dolly Eyelash (in XL)
What's the point of fake eyelashes if they aren't dramatic? This one is so long I have problems wearing my sunnies. And the curve is really nice and high. The texture seems to be more like real hair, and the base of the lashes is flexible, which makes it very comfortable to wear despite the thickness. They go for $5.90.
5) Darkness Premium Eyelash Glue
To be honest, I felt cheated when I got this. I was thinking of getting falsies and wandered into a shop on the second floor of Bugis Village where a tiny Malaysian sales girl with ridiculous lashes spieled me into getting it.
To give her credit, it's a good glue; it stays on for the whole day, comes off relatively easily, and you only need a dab of it. But $23 for a tube of eyelash glue? I guess it works out in the long run.
Since I started using falsies, I don't put mascara anymore. So much easier to create the big lash effect with these. It takes practice though.
Lips
1) Maybelline Shine Seduction Glossy Lipcolour (in 404 Magic Pink)
It's not too sticky, the shine's quite good, the colour is there enough and it's less than $20. I don't believe in paying ridiculous amounts for lipgloss, but I do believe in getting one that doesn't make your hair stick to your face in weird fashion.
2) ZA Lip Vibrante (in L13)
This is a very violent pink. But I love it. It's moisturizing and light, so your lips don't feel like they're going to suffocate. Only one thing though, you have to get rid of the dead skin on your lips first because lipstick and chapped skin just don't go.
So there you have it. Go out there and make yourself pretty! Or nag at your girlfriend until she puts some effort into it.
So. Here we go. This doesn't include most of my tech toys, which aren't so much new exciting finds as necessities I should have emerged from the womb with.
1. iTech Clip II Mini bluetooth headset
Yes, yes, I know I said I'd keep the tech stuff out...but this is sort of different. I must propagate the coolness of iTech's bluetooth headsets so people will stop looking like cyborg retards with flashing hardware attached to their ears.
The one I own is picked solely because it is chio. It is small, white, with pink buttons. Very visible, very girly. Their actual pink one is metallic and looks like silver with a slight tinge, which was why I went for this one instead. Specs wise, this one can be paired with two handsets simultaneously, making it very useful for people who drive a lot and have two phones. Like very successful real estate agents.
They have other models, like ones that vibrate when your phone rings, or ones that can be used as a FM radio receiver, so you can listen to the radio on your phone without being attached to it.
But the reason why I love iTech is because of their design. The main body is a small piece that clips onto your collar (well, technically you could clip it anywhere on you, but just make sure you can project your voice to your navel, because that's where the mic is), and there's a ear piece attached to it by a short wire. The beauty of this is that you don't have to have your ear piece in all the time even when you're not making a call. What's the big deal, you ask? Have you walked around with one ear piece in for an extended period of time? Your hearing goes a little wonky. And if you've got sensitive skin, like me, your ear canal starts to itch. And because the dongle is clipped onto your collar, all you need to do is just pick up the ear piece and stuff it in your ear when you get a call, rather then fumble for a dongle that's in your pocket or on the dashboard.
But if you love Seven Of Nine and want to be her boy toy, iTech makes the usual sort of bluetooth dongle too.
Sadly, they're not paying me for this. But that's ok. They rock.
2. Project Smitten
This is a godsend for women everywhere who don't know how to dress. It's local, so if you have no imagination or time to search for clothes on your own, you can literally trail the steps of their intrepid journalists to buy the exact same pieces. I love how they break down the trends, so that you know the details of exactly how the latest maxi dresses should be worn, for example, and accessorized.
Granted, they aren't as thorough in this aspect as the next thing on the list, but it's a pretty good effort for an English magazine.
3. Vivi
If you read Mandarin and you are a complete fashion idiot looking for very specific advice, head straight to Kinokuniya's Mandarin section and pick up a copy of Vivi. This magazine is a Mandarin version of the Japanese fashion bible of the same name, and it will make you look chio, with detailed instructions.
Vivi picks trends apart with the meticulousness and care of a bomb expert working in a locked nursery full of babies. Last month's issue, for example, had an article on the latest Roman gladiator style sandals. Not only did it espouse the in-ness of those damned sandals, it also went on to showcase the different types of legs and which varieties looked better on which legs. I never even knew there were that many different kinds of calves before.
And it's not just clothes; they also teach you how to apply makeup, how to do your hair, your nails, your stuff. As Helena Rubenstein once said, "There are no ugly women, only lazy ones." Take some pride and zhng yourself. Now "your mudder neber teach" is no longer a valid reason.
4. Rhinestone stickers from Daiso
It's $2 a pack, and they make you instant zhng queen. Or king, if you have inclinations of the decorative kind. They're basically rhinestones on clear double sided tape that come in strips, which makes it easy as pie for you to bling up something. Like the USB cap on my MP3 player, which got massively pimped out within minutes (Elton can testify). No need to fiddle with loose crystals, no need to use tweezers, no need to look for super glue. And it's just two bucks, so if you lose a bling, you're not going to freak out.
5. Tampons
There is a reason why babies always freak out when they fill their diapers. It is not comfortable. At all. Now, pads are really just the adult version of diapers. Replace the smiley teenage girls from a sanitary napkin ad with a baby and you won't be able to tell the difference. Absorption lah, soft cover lah, poo poo pocket or curved fit lah, it's all the same.
Which is why I can't understand why women still use them. They're so...medieval. Ever since the first time I used a tampon, I have never gone back. No mess, not much fuss, no...bulk. There's always this big fuss about Toxic Shock Syndrome (Google it, I can't be arsed to explain), but hey, you can get it too from pads. I've been a loyal tampon user since I was 18 and I've never had issues.
Well, except from the beginning, when I didn't really know how things worked below. It's one of the many instances when the porn industry can be credited for being educational. And motivational. "If he can fit that thing into her, I can surely fit this tiny thing in me! And she's having that much fun too!"
6. Dr. Scholl's For Her Rub Relief Strips
In case you didn't know, Dr. Scholl makes stuff for your feet and shoes. That's where the rubbing is occurring.
I got this from the States, so I'm not really sure if we can get it here. It's a roll of spongy foam with double sided tape on it in a dispenser. Basically you go out in your new shoes, things start to get uncomfortable, and you pull out some, cut it off with the inbuilt cutter, and stick it to your shoe. Ta dah, no more pain. And the best part is, you can customize how long you want the tape to be. Superior!
7. Cyber Colours Eyeshadow in Opal
Why get shimmer when you can get BOTH eyeshadow and shimmer in one? This is sheer enough that a light dusting makes you look as though little fairies just danced over your skin, but you can build it up to get a white shimmery eyeshadow. Very very nice.
8. Brow Lash EX Waterproof Eyebrow Coating
I got this from Sasa, this Japanese eyebrow...er...fixer. It's a small rectangular glass bottle, kinda like a nail polish bottle, and I can't live without it.
I inherited both my parents' innate hairlessness, which is good, because I can go without shaving my legs, but bad, because my eyebrows are so fine, they look nonexistent. Which means I have to draw them on every day. I guess I could bite the bullet and get them tattooed on, but I'm chicken shit when it comes to pain. (By the way, there's a new version called "embroidery", which is not as permanent, and less likely to turn green, and looks natural. Pain factor is a little less, but still exists. Unfortunately, also only practiced at affordable prices by dodgy beauty salons.)
So when I found this little bottle claiming in bad English that it would make your drawn eyebrows stay on until you remove them with cleanser (even in the pool!) I passed about $16 to the cashier immediately.
It bloody works.
Best proof was today. Elton treated us to a nice relaxing massage. Unfortunately it involved body oil. And my masseuse was too lazy to get to the sink to wash her hands clean before touching my face. Perhaps she thought getting my hair and face oily would be somehow beneficial to them. Riiiight. So despite her best efforts at rubbing my eyebrows off with her oily hands, they stayed on. Ha HAH! Don't ask me why she sought to shame me; perhaps there are meridien points conveniently located under my brows. Riiiight.
And it's so easy too. You just draw on your eyebrows, then slick a little of this over once you're satisfied. I've been using it for weeks now and the level hasn't gone down yet. It dries clear, and it helps to keep the hairs of your brows neat as well. Gotta love the Japanese.
9. Aveeno Calamine & Pradunnowhat Anti-Itch Cream
Again, got it in the States. But I think Australia should have it too, since they stock Aveeno.
When you break out in a rash from holding a plastic bag on your arm for too long, you learn to appreciate the finer points of rash medicine. This one doesn't leave a sticky shiny finish on your rash (because you really need to further accentuate the raised red bumpy bits with a lovely sheen that attracts all the dust in the world), and gets absorbed quite quickly. Supposedly you can use in on chicken pox as well, and it helps to dry up the pus inside, not that I'm looking forward to using it for that purpose.
Best part is, no steroids. Most rash medicine contain steroids, which sometimes can actually worsen the problem. The doctors always say apply sparingly, and this is the one time you should listen to them, even though you're about to flay yourself to get rid of the agony.
10. ZA Everbrows Eyebrow Pencil in GY99
No matter what else I try, this is an old favourite that I've been using since the day I realized my lack of eyebrows made me look like an alien. You don't have to sharpen it because it twists out and is quite fine, which makes if easy for you to control the shape of your brow. The colour is natural (speaking as a Chinese with hair that is not bleached to death), and you can decide how light or dark it gets. It comes with a brush on the other end to smoothen the lines out so you don't look like you just drew your brows. I look human with this in about ten seconds.
11. Random mesh zipper bag from Daiso.
Ah, Daiso, love of my life. So many goodies to be had for $2.
If you own a laptop, you'll understand the pain of having to carry around more wires than backstage at Zoukout. And unless you're obsessive about wire ties, they'll all bundle together eventually and become a impenetrable snarl.
So, although a little slow in timing, I found a B5 sized mesh zipper bag at Daiso that has compartments. Three, to be exact. A big one and two smaller ones on the front, so I can put my charger, my mouse and my webcam in separate compartments. The utter coolness of this becomes clear when you learn how I used to store it all; I had one pouch, containing three separate pouches, containing the various wires. Which means if Elton messages me that he's on Skype and my laptop isn't already up and running, it's quite a production to make sure I get online before he goes to sleep.
But how, ha HAH! Iz cool with me $2 mesh bag.
Except that I don't travel much anymore. Boo.
12. Aircraft earphone adaptor
This you can get from any random electronics store. Heck, I found it at Best Denki for $5.
Sick of watching inflight movies at the whims of the stewardess? Want to continue watching without pretending you're so bloody absorbed in your show you can't see her waving her arms at you to return your headsets? Buy your dignity back and use the earphones that have conformed to your ear canals with an aircraft earphone adaptor. Just plug your earphones into it, then plug it into your seat's headset jack. No need to shell out ridiculous prices for those earphones they sell on board in the duty free cart.
And it's soooo much more hygenic.
13. Toothpick holder cum mirror compact
I bought mine from Naraya in Bangkok (I hear rumours of Naraya being available in Singapore, though I'm not sure where). It's probably available at Chinatown, in those stores that sell chinois tissue box covers.
I strongly believe people should have this with them until the day they lose all their teeth. How many times has some unsuspecting person talked to you at great length and all you could think about was the chunk of lunch lodged in their teeth? You start imagining whether it started off as meat, or starch or veggie, and you wonder if they know about it, and whether you should do something about it, and this could all have been avoided if that person had one of these things.
It's small, so you could palm it and do a quick looksee with no one else realizing. It comes with a compartment for toothpicks so you can actually do something about it. Because sometimes, rinsing your mouth out with Coke (then swallowing it) just isn't enough.
14. Naraya makeup pouch
I guess there probably are other makeup pouches out there of the same design, but this is the Original Source. Basically it's a pouch with a zipper and a flap that goes over that with a mirror built in. When you've had to reapply lipstick as often as I've had to with on shaky ground at great speed, you'll realize that juggling a handbag, a makeup pouch, a mirror, your lipstick and your lipstick's cover often leaves you with too few hands and too many things.
This one streamlines the process greatly. And also gives you space for other stuff without being too bulky (I use the smallest one and I can fit facial blotters in, a comb, a lip balm, two lipsticks and some plasters in). Just hold it in one hand, open, take out lipstick, open, apply while looking in mirror. If you're lazy, you can put the cap of your lipstick back in the pouch while you do all that.
Best part it, it comes in more colours and designs than you can shake a stick at. Mine's white with red trim with a pattern of four leaf clovers and random lady bugs on it. Damn cute.
15. Edifier MP220 Portable Speakers
I found these in Funan. They made my laptop a multimedia god. The sound is clear, loud, and quite stereo for something so compact. They look very Apple, so the worst thing aesthetically that could happen is they'll make your laptop look old.
You can power them via your laptop (USB connection) or with two AAA batteries. Idiot proof, just plug and play. (In the earphone jack, not the mic jack. *Smacks forehead*)
Selling point? The thing is about 7 x2.5 x 20cm. Also known as very compact. And it comes with a perspex stand that doubles as a protector for the speakers when not in use (just snap off, snap on) and a neoprene-y case to protect it some more.
16. Elle Bag hanger
It is beyond tragic that I could find it on eBay. But I guess it comes in useful for you people who don't look at periodicals. It came as a free gift with Elle last month, and it's the best freebie I've gotten in a while.
If you carry handbags that you care about, you'll realize there are times when it just gets in the way. This thing unfurls like some ninja weapon, snaps onto the table, and gives you an instant hook for your bag. And when you're ready to go, it transformers itself back into a small round disc, very portable. No more complaints from people who want to plant their butt down in a chair you reserved for your bag, no more hunching over with it in your lap.
17. Ikea Trollfjorden Toiletries Bag
To be honest, it's a bit big. But it stores all the toiletries you could ever need to bring on a trip. It has two zipper compartments, then many many open compartments for you to slot your various potions in. The kicker is the hook that comes on the top, which you can use to hook the bag on any random protrusion in the toilet. Once you're done, you just zip the whole package up and throw it in your luggage.
18. Ikea InsertWeirdName Storage Boxes
They're these beige canvas boxes of assorted sizes that unzip at the bottom to fold flat. I use them to organize my drawers so I can differentiate my socks from my undies from my bras (I have a shortage of drawer space). Very nifty, because if you need to move everything out for some reason, you just grab the boxes, as opposed to handfuls and handfuls of undies, which you then have to refold. and if you feel like it, you can arrange them around, like a jigsaw for your drawer.
19. Daiso drawer organizer
But if you're really into specific size organization, Daiso has these plastic dividers that you can cut to the lengths that please you best. (Long isn't always a good thing here.) And the uses are more varied; you can use them, and a bunch of shoe boxes, to organize your CCG collection. Or create pieces of el cheapo sculptural artwork.
20. Travel Smart travel adaptor
This is not a power converter, as it constantly warns me, but it is a heck of an adaptor. One little rectangular thingy with more patterns than badminton makes sure I stay plugged in everywhere except for Johannesburg (they use these weird ass giant plugs). I love it because it's quite small, and it's quite cool to use. Just click the switch at the side to the corresponding area (USA/Aust/NZ, Europe or UK), extend the prongs, and plug it in.
Now, the whole power converter thing puzzles me still, but apparently the world is divided into the 50Hz and the 60Hz camps. In each camp, their power supply can vary by 10V or so. I have no idea what the Hz and the V and the numbers mean, except maybe that you'll fry faster with the bigger numbers. It's supposed to affect the things you plug into the sockets, like maybe a hairdryer for use in the violent 50Hz/230V Singapore will suddenly lose, er, air in Japan, which runs on 60Hz/110V. It's not an issue, really. Most things meant to be taken everywhere, like laptops or hairdryers, usually come with built in power conversion nowadays. Which is a good thing, because a power converter tends to be ginormous.
With that, I leave you to sleep before the sun comes up. Happy shopping!
If you figured out the title, I know which social circle of mine you came from.
It's oddly fitting though, and you shall find out why. This is my cunning plan to make gamers read about shopping.
So Mom and I went out after I was done with Clearance, an activity that comes at the end of your career with a big company that strangely resembles a scavenger hunt for human moles, since there's a stage where you have to hunt down the right office drones in the cubicle maze. You need to collect all these signatures that basically say you don't owe us nothing more and then you're free to go. It was pretty fun; my timing was about an hour, including drive time. I drive fast.
By out, we went to Bugis, where we went to the temple to pray. To be honest, I'm not entirely certain what my beliefs are. I'd like to be Taoist, since my parents are, but I'm just not comfortable with a whole month of having ghosts wandering around. That is just not cool. But I've always accompanied my mom to the temple, and I always will, since the Goddess of Mercy always has this patient forgiving look on Her face. Like, yes my sweet, I know you're a total fuck up, but I will still bless you. There's no Old Testament to Her; She really is the all-loving deity. I love Her for that alone. And because She has an odd sense of humour when it comes to chiam see, that thingy where you shake the wooden sticks in a cylinder to ask for answers. So far, they usually work out to be true, but the metaphors used in them always make me laugh.
After which, we went shopping at Bugis Village. Now, shopping at Bugis Village is for the young and penniless. It's the one location in Singapore where you can get stuff for cheap. All along the ground floor, where there is a warren of minuscule aircon-less shops, much like a ant's nest populated by particularly industrious yet directionally confused ants, they're selling clothing for $10 a piece. And we're not talking fake Billabong T-shirts that got sewn by people who can't draw a straight line, a la Phuket. We're talking pretty cool stuff, like this shirt I bought with tiny red and white checks that's sort of like a waiter's uniform. Granted, the quality isn't fantastic, and you have to be careful with the workmanship (i.e. examine the piece you'll be bringing home), but it's $10.
Unbeknownst to the people who quickly whiz through the warren, there's a second floor to Bugis Village, that is actually air conditioned. The shops up here are not as tightly packed together, there's fewer people, and prices are a little higher, but not by much, and you can always bargain. What's interesting is that there are beauty supply shops up here of the wholesaler kind, so you can find entire professional manicure sets, complete with that little shell shaped bowl that you soak your fingers in, for cheap.
Unbeknownst to me, one of my mom's friend has a stall there, and we spent almost one and a half hours there while said friend piled her with clothes and Mom did the SatC: the Movie costume change. I don't think she hit 82, but it seemed close.
At the end of it, she bought seven tops, two pair of pants, and that, together with one pencil skirt and a short sleeved princess coat for me, worked out to be over $300.
When Mom and I go shopping, it's an activity that I usually tire of first. That woman has the endurance of a bear. I hated shopping with her when I was a kid because my little legs would start aching long before she called it quits. Not to mention I had very little interest in fashion then. Even now, while she's still raring to go, I'm ready to throw in the towel.
But despite her great tenacity, she actually doesn't really like shopping. It's something she does once in a blue moon, because she hates having to try on clothes. Whereas I insist on trying it on if I can, because I like to show off how cute I look, and because I hate paying for stuff that doesn't fit right. It's all about the fit, people. How come Charlize Theron can look hot in jeans and a white tank top? Because the tank top clings to all the right parts and is of a lighter and looser fabric than normal and so has a slightly baggy, translucent look to it, and the jeans are skinny jeans that hug her long legs, with the pockets placed just right on her bum so it doesn't look saggy.
I should know this, because unlike some lucky girls who just have that savoir faire to throw clothes together and look like they stepped off the set of a magazine shoot, I had to work at it. My knowledge of how to put my clothes together was gleaned from hundreds of dollars worth of magazines and scrutinizing people.
Which is why Mom trusts me when it comes to clothes. When we go out shopping together, she trusts me to tell her if something doesn't go. It's one of the few things she has such complete faith in me about, which is why when we go out, we usually go shopping.
So the mountain of clothes she came home with today was actually culled from a bigger mountain, and all of them with my stamp of approval.
Contrary to popular belief, my mom actually has a more, er, havoc wardrobe than mine. Her sense of drama is greater. She has clothes in every colour family, while you can't find yellow, green (except turquoise) or orange in mine. She owns cargo pants. She has a near obscene number of sleeveless tops. She'll try almost anything, whereas I scrutinize things and dismiss them without even looking at it in front of a mirror with the hanger squashing my face. I go for clean lines, simplicity with interesting details, while she has no qualms wearing clothes with giant rosettes pinned all over. There's one top she owns that looked like someone's macramé project gone wild. Thank god she doesn't really wear it anymore.
Despite that (the difference in our aesthetics, not the FUBAR top), we shop well together. We're governed by the same el cheapo-ness and can recognize when something is just...not working for each other. I mince no words when she picks up high necked or spaghetti strap tops that do nothing for her top heavy figure, and she usually picks the better of two options when I can't make up my mind.
It's one of the things I missed doing with Mom the most. And I'd better do more of it before I start work again.
I've been spending a little bit too much time watching women with impossible figures in skimpy swimsuits bouncing in an unbelievably buoyant manner on my TV these past three days. And I'd like to thank my boyfriend for that.
Elton bought me an Xbox 360 for my birthday. Even got me an extra controller so he could play with me. He got Yvonne and Rash, our couple friends, to get me Dead Or Alive Xtreme 2, the most gratuitous video game there is, because he knew I loved the first one. It isn't so much the DD cups with size 21 inch waists that made it so fun for me; it was that the game really wasn't that tough to play, and a large part of it was shopping.
Yeah, you heard me right, shopping. You play the games such as volleyball, jet ski racing, pool hopping, tug-of-war, water sliding and butt battle (yep, butt battle) to earn money to buy swim suits, accessories and presents so you can give the other girls your swimsuits and not have them give them back to you or throw them away. And for those who like their chips, there's even a casino you can play blackjack, roulette, poker and slots at. The whole point of the game is to relax. It's really just a beach holiday you go home to after a long day at work to watch beautiful girls bounce obscenely. Of course, if you're a true gamer, you'll most likely decide to complete the girls' collections, so that every girl has every swimsuit in the game. You can always cheat using the log-out-log-in method (i.e. reload when the result isn't what you want), but I think it sort of defeats the point of the game. Unless your point is to take pictures of the girls relaxing around in the different swimsuits (oh yeah, you can take screen shots of the girls).
But for me, it's just fun for the shopping. And it's one of the few games that, ironically, doesn't give me vertigo. You don't want to be around me without a rain coat when I play FPS games.
Speaking of shopping, I did a great deal of that on my recent Frisco trip. So much so that I had to throw out the old stuff in my wardrobe to make space. I am my mother's daughter after all, so some of that neat-freakiness passed on. Not only did I prune it down to the nice stuff, I folded the unwanted stuff nicely and packed it away for unsuspecting younger cousins or the Salvation Army. Or maybe a flea market sale, if I ever get my ass down for one.
Mom naturally complained about the ditching of old clothes. They're still in good condition, she said, why buy so many clothes when you don't wear them?
Well, I've only really started buying clothes I liked these past two years. Prior to that, it was a matter of what I could afford on my allowance. Not much, I can tell you. This Fashion was my good friend. As was Giordano. Since price was a greater priority than anything else, I took what I could and tried to rock it.
Now, it's more a matter of what looks good. And I've been doing research. I hit Kinokuniya once a month to grab all the magazines I like, such as Cleo, Project Smitten, Lucky, Simply Her, and I no longer just breeze through the fashion sections. I won't go out and buy an exact outfit, but I'll study the pieces needed to pull a look off and see if I can find something similar in colours and cuts that I like.
But I realize that it isn't so much that I have more money to spend that has resulted in me looking better. The clothes I buy cost from $8 to $50, and rarely more than that. It's really just making an effort to figure out what goes well together. And I discovered it all boils down to fit.
Things have to fit you like they were made for you. Not skin tight, but they should skim your body if they were meant to fit closely, and really be bouffant if they were meant to be poufy. Shirts, for example, should follow the line of your back, because if it doesn't, you look like a box. A hunchbacked box. Lengths matter. Too short pants just make you look like the Incredible Hulk. I have pants from Australia that only cost me A$19.90 and they look like something from Mango or Zara (which, in Singapore, charge $80 for a pair of pants).
So the conclusion I have come to is that shops in Singapore just don't have clothes for me. I've not bothered shopping much in Singapore because I always feel like a giant. And I'm really not that big. I'm 1.68m, 55kg (yes, I've gained weight), and my shoe size is 39. Or rather, 40, because shoe shops have started to stock smaller and smaller cuts. I'm an American size 2, an European size 8 or 10 (my shoulders are quite broad), and I never have trouble finding clothes that are big enough for me in Australia, the States or Europe. I have more problems with the sizes being too big over there.
But I can't blame the shops here. There are too many midgets running around. The Five Foot No Inches gang who all weigh 40kgs and have to be weighted down in monsoon season. They're just catering to the market demands.
Still, is there an excellent reason why shoes have to be so small? Why is 40 the largest size? I'm sure my feet aren't the biggest around. How do they expect tall women to walk around and not fall over?
One of my resolutions before I quit is to buy lots of clothes and shoes. Because I really can't imagine having to squeeze into baby clothes for the rest of my life.
Like all US stations, Houston is turning out to be a blast. I loooooove it. Of course, I also have to endure the pain of Dubai and Moscow to get here, but it's almost worth it.
Unlike New York, we touch down in Houston at night, which means we get to sleep and wake up refreshed and ready to shop the next day. And yes, that's exactly what we did. In terms of sightseeing, Houston isn't really the place to go. There's the NASA Space Center if you're into that kind of thing, and that's about it, really. Some of the crew went to some animal safari thingy in San Antonio, but that's outside of Houston, so it doesn't quite count.
For my group though, we knew what we wanted, which was to shop. So we rented a car, a Ford Explorer from Hertz (which has a worldwide discount for cabin crew, 10 percent here), and packed all seven butts in. Then we took a crazy almost three hour drive all the way to The Prime Outlets At San Marcos, this major outlet mall in San Marcos, which is separated from Houston by a whole freaking city. We had a small detour at the Katy Mills Malls, which wasn't worth the stop, honestly, and after that sort of a preview, we were questioning our sanity for driving so very very far away, until we got there.
We stopped whining and regretting the second we saw The Prime Outlets properly. It was a sprawling thing about the size of Vivocity. It's built flat, so there aren't as many shops as Vivo, but it was astounding enough. All the major American brands are there, including Coach, of course. They even had Kate Spade. Even some foreign labels like Salvatore Ferragamo and Gucci.
Because of the lengthy drive, we had to limit ourselves to three hours of shopping. It was like a tactical operation. We targeted brands we knew we wanted, skipped those we couldn't be bothered to look at, and walked out with more bags than Santa. Was it worth it? Hell yeah. The prices were generally a lot cheaper than retail, though not all were good buys; you just have to watch yourself and not go too wild.
It was fun though. I've never bought so many items at a go at Coach before. And walked out spending less than US$200 for it all, and that's including a small handbag.
But this trip really has been a learning experience. And the things I've learned are:
1) Do your research. We heard from the Hertz lady that there was a new outlet mall nearby at 290 and Mason (that's how they talk here, not knowing we can't make sense of it at all), and if we bothered to go online to search for it, we would have found Houston Premium Outlets, which would have been a whole lot closer. It seems to be just as massive, though it doesn't have Bath & Body Works.
2) Don't trust the GPS. We found it unable to make small corrections. After we made a pit stop off the freeway to get more gas (heh, talking Americanise), it calculated a loooooong roundabout route that involved driving on the wrong side of the freeway for almost three miles to get us back to square one when all it took was a small U-turn. Otherwise, it was ok.
3) Range. The GPS kept asking for it, after we keyed in the address. Well, this refers to the four numbers that we take for building/unit numbers, like 3939 South Kensington.
4) Get a noisy driver. Ours was quite a quiet guy, so we had a major fear he was dozing off silently and we wouldn't know better.
5) Don't take more people than seats in the car. In fact, best to have space for more so you can stretch out.
6) Driving in the States means everything is reversed. Keep right for slow cars, right turns are closer, and left turns always seem like you're turning into the wrong road.
7) Don't forget you have shopping. It's just tragic to drive so long to get there and have no way to bring it all back.
8) Keep morale high. If you have to sit on the naysayer and put him a choke hold, do so. Nothing is more depressing than some idiot who keeps saying we're going the wrong way but doesn't do crap shit to put us on the right track. Especially when you've been driving for hours.
9) Ask about the nitty gritty details. If renting a car, how to return, how to return after hours, how fuel is charged, what the insurance covers (just go for full insurance, unless you're a stunt driver with a bunch of cats as passengers; nine lives and all that), any extra charges they may have, any possible discounts (because of your company, your student status, or your hotness, though the last usually doesn't work). The last thing you want is to miss closing time, be stuck with the car overnight, have to pay a hefty parking charge, and late return charges.
10) Take pictures! The last thing you want is to have no memories of the trip. So take pictures, lots of pictures, or regret having none. Or three, in our case.
Would I do it again? Well, maybe. But I'd definitely want to stay wherever I got to a lot longer than three hours before I came straight back.
Speaking of car rentals in the US, one more tip, I heard from one of the senior crew members that you can get ridiculously good deals from www.dollar.com. They rented one for almost a month and paid about $149 per week. Very worth it, when you consider that our little exploration with the Ford Explorer set us back about $270 for a day (including gas and insurance).
Those be the words of House Stark. If you don't know what I'm talking about, clearly you're either a friend not from my gamer/geek circles or you're not a friend at all. It's from the series A Song Of Ice And Fire by George RR Martin, the best fantasy series I've ever read. In any case, those bleak words are coming true. Winter is coming. In some places, already here.
I'm writing this from Narita, having missed the shuttle bus to the mall, and in need of something to do. I was sleeping off the by-product of winter, a persistent and multi-faceted cold (it has decided to be a cough recently), and managed to sleep half the day away. It's a good thing I'm coming back again on Friday.
After a year of flying and having only gone to the States once, I was starting to feel a little frustrated. So it was welcome news when I found out I'll be going to LA. Honestly, I'd have preferred San Francisco again. Not because the place is more picturesque or more friendly. No. It is strictly because the shopping malls are right outside the hotel. With the dollar at an all time low, what else did you think I'd do there? Go to Disneyland? Actually, yes, I will. But shopping is very high on the agenda. Christmas is coming too.
I´m blogging from Athens, so if any bizarre punctuation marks appear, you know why. They use the Greek alphabet here, so the keyboard has those letters on it, though I´m not entirely certain how to make them appear.
First and foremost, tip for those touring Europe. If you still have your matriculation card and you don´t look too old (although that is debateable), bring it along with you on your daily jaunts in the city. It can get you anywhere from 50 per cent off to free entry to a lot of places, like tourist attractions and such. We went to the Acropolis, five of us, and three of them had their matriculation passes. One got in free, the other two paid half price, and the mother in the group (no, literally, she has a kid) borrowed one of the passes and paid half price as well. I was the only moron who had to pay the full 12 euros, and I wasn´t too pleased about that. Would you? It´s S$24!
The others weren´t entirely too sympathetic, and that sort of soured my view towards them. Bloody NUS students. It didn´t help that they didn´t even tell me about this trick at all. Maybe they assumed I was some O Level grad.
Because we don´t fly here on a daily basis, we get to stay here for quite a long time. Which is good, because I could do with the money. Touring Europe stations is not cheap, and the allowance they pay us usually takes a big hit. I guess you could stay in your hotel room and subsist on bread and butter that you painstakingly brought from home (like a certain person I was condemned to fly with once upon a time), but it´s sort of pointless, because your claim of "I´ve been to Athens!" then rings very hollow.
On day one, the Acropolis was pretty much all we did. We slept for a few hours after landing, then went to the Monastiraki area to have lunch, this kebab thing on pita bread they call souvlaki. Tip to the wise, the souvlaki they serve nowadays come on plate and cost about 4 to 8 euros, depending on what you order. Or, you can ask for a souvlaki burger, which is the same thing but in a wrapped version, which is only 1.50 euro. Of course, they won´t let you sit there, but in the summer time, you can just find yourself a bench in a shady area and watch the people go by. Cheap and very filling.
Going to the Acropolis demands physical endurance and the right equipment. Bring a bottle of water, wear shoes with good traction, sunglasses and light-weight clothing. Of course, don´t forget your camera. And matriculation card. You can get in free altogether. Entrance to the Acropolis also covers entrance to the Theatre of Dionysus, Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Kerameikos and Temple of Olympian Zeus. That last one was quite a waste of time; just pillars on a turf. The Acropolis is mostly marble, even the floor you walk on, so it´s quite incredibly slippery. It´s not exactly a runway either, so mind your step and don´t trip. We had a couple of stumbles (not me, thankfully. Maybe it´s karma), but no falls, thankfully. The cool thing, literally, is that because it´s all marble, you can practically go barefoot if you like because it´s just slightly warm to the touch even after a day of baking in the sun.
One thing about the Greek sky is that clouds are a rarity. The sky is a lovely solid blue, and the sun is merciless. Thankfully, humidity is low, so if you have shade, you´re fine. Wear sunblock, because the last thing you need is a burn. Bring an umbrella if you like, though I didn´t really see any, but if you need it, don´t be a hero. There are some people who walk around the streets selling these Chinese style paper umbrellas (the kind that look like overgrown cocktail decorations), but please, why would you buy a Chinese style thing in Greece? When they sell the same thing in Chinatown at home for a fraction of the cost?
In terms of dressing, may I please offer some suggestions? The tourist look is just so tak glam. For girls, try a camisole or a fitting T-shirt (as opposed to tight, which conjures up the back bulges on 40 year old aunties) with a knee length flowy cotton skirt or shorts (try the tailored looking options; denim ones look a bit too red-neck Texan diner waitress), and nice slippers, not the go market kind. Leave the giant backpack at home and bring a sling or a tote. These are safer options too, because no one can touch your bag without you realizing. For guys, a printed T-shirt (please, leave the lame and offensive wisecracks at home and go for the obscure rock bands instead, way cooler) and berms (the baggy many-pocketed kind, not the chinos cut short kind, which look so uncle) and flip flops or sneakers (with short short socks that can´t be seen, otherwise you look like those loser white men who have to all the way to South East Asia to get laid).
In terms of colours, you honestly do not want to wear black. Not only will it be bloody hot, you´ll also look so very wrong in the photos next to the lovely background. White looks lovely, as do colours. Trust me, I saw a group of rather fat goths in their all black outfits, and it was a toss-up to figure out whether their weight or the heat was causing them to sweat like pigs (although do pigs actually sweat? Has anyone actually touched a pig and came away with a sweaty hand?).
On day two, I decided to go it alone. I went to Syntagma Square, which is one of their main shopping areas. It´s a high street style area, with the Zaras and the Mangos and the other similar shops. There are cheaper shops with stuff going for 10 euros or so, but the materials suck and you can get better stuff at home. Wandering down, I hit the Monastiraki flea market area. Supposedly it´s traditional to go on Sundays, where random people set up stalls there to sell stuff, but they have the shops there everyday anyway. For metal-heads, rockers and collectors of obscure music, this is a great place, because they have a number of shops selling vinyls and CDs. There are also the touristy stuff, which isn´t too half bad. I bought a pair of leather sandals wth champagne gold straps and a white cotton knee-length skirt, which I wore immediately upon purchase, and also a small statue to replace the bizarre stuff Mom has in my room.
There are a lot of cafes and souvlaki joints in the area, where you can sit and people watch. I was a bit too cowardly to brave the crowd (I´m a people, and they´re watching me!), so I hid behind my giant shades and walked briskly by.
It seems rather sad that day two was summed up like so, but most of it was shopping, so unless you want a blow by blow of the four hours I spent trawling the streets, that´s pretty much it. It was fun for me, though not so exciting in the telling.
Tomorrow, I´m going on a cruise tour of three nearby islands with the rest. It´s 93 euros, but the general argument for it is that since I´m here, I might as well go. When´s the next time I´ll come to Athens? I plan to pay by cash and get a 10 percent discount. Hey, after that 12 euros, I might as well get a good deal somewhere.
EDIT
Day three was the three islands tour. We went to Poros, Hydra (pronounced "ee-dra") and Aegina ("ah-gee-na", like "geese"). The tour started early in the morning and we spent most of the day on board a rather small cruise ship. It's not like your Superstar whatevers with the swimming pools and the movie theatres, although there were a great number of people baring their pale white flesh on the decks. These Caucasians and their lack of fear of skin cancer. Tsk tsk.
On the islands themselves, we only had anywhere from 40 minutes to two hours. And because we were Singaporean and flight crew, that was in turn cut short by 15 minutes so we could get back on board and secure cushy seats. I didn't get the sea breeze through my hair thing since we were seated inside, and exploring outside alone seemed a bit too unsociable.
Frankly, I found the whole thing rather boring. I wish I didn't, but I did. Sightseeing is one of those things you need to do with interesting people with interesting observations and sufficient stamina to do crazy things like exploring out of the way parts and buying a 4 euro cup of coffee just to have the experience of sitting by a waterfront cafe. All we did was walk along the main streets of all three islands. At the last one, we barely even did that. I abandoned them to go dip in the sea, but swimming alone in crowded waters is a sure way to drown without anyone noticing, so I went back shortly.
One thing I was glad though, was that at least I didn't waste Santorini or Mykonos with this bunch.
I just spent $350 on health supplements, which may have caused me to puke my guts out this morning. May being the operative word here, since there were other stressors this lovely Saturday morning, such as my Basic Theory Test, and the fact that I haven't been feeling too good since I came back from London.
Let's start with the not feeling well thing. Now, it's pretty normal for me to concuss for hours on end after a long flight. But that's usually for the first day or so. It's been three days since I came back, and I am still struggling to stay awake. Elton envies me because I can just stay at home and sleep. I keep trying to explain that great as it sounds, it's agonizing because I am not sleeping out of my own volition, and I don't have that much time in Singapore that I can do what I need and want to do and fulfill my sleep quota.
Add to that a sore throat like a line of broken glass down the left side of my throat, an aching wisdom tooth and, gross as it is, painful pimples on my scalp, I'm not a happy camper. Oh, it doesn't help that my contact lenses are giving me problems too.
Which was probably why I bought all those health supplements. I met Michelle on the London flight. She's selling products from Forever Living, this American company that specializes in aloe vera and bee products. And it's scary how many things they can make from those; everything from detergent to makeup. It's a multi-level marketing company, kinda like Avon in the old days, where you get your products from a person, not a store. The idea is that they save on advertising costs and shop rental, which helps bring down the costs of the product, and get people to tell their friends and relatives about the goods instead, since we tend to trust people we know better than advertising.
On the one hand, the reasoning is sound. On the other, it does seem a little dubious, because without splashing out on store fronts and advertising, a brand just doesn't seem as established, and it doesn't help that all you have to go on are the claims of some pamphlets and this random person who has made it their goal to get you to part with your money.
So why? Well, I'm no stranger to this Forever Living thing. Mom bought some stuff from them because one of my aunts joined a while back. I was quite resistant to it all mainly because I didn't like to take that many pills. That, and I couldn't figure out why we couldn't just get our stuff from GNC or somewhere reputable.
It helped when I found out that the prices were cheaper. Quite a lot. That, and I figured, hey, I don't know what goes into the bottles in those health supplement stores anyway, so what the heck. Can't beat them, join them. At least the Forever Living people tell you the step by step process of how their stuff is made (their pills are made with honey instead of gluten, so they tend to be soft and sweet and not as fattening) Although I still wasn't comfortable with eating that many pills.
So when Michelle asked me over to her place for a little chat, I went knowing she'd ask me to join as a member and to buy stuff. Not that I minded. My health is so shit nowadays, any help would be good. After an incredibly long talk and a facial (where she ripped the blackheads off my nose with this mask thing, also by Forever Living), I walked away with a hell of a lot of stuff.
Apparently, the Taiwan branch of the business (the stuff is sold in 105 countries) is quite unbelievably innovative. The products are there, and frankly, not exactly very sexy. The packaging is simple, the product description is vague, and you know it's good for you, but that's about it. So the Taiwanese have come up with new ways of using the products, combining the stuff like some biological Power Rangers. One of their best innovations has to be the 966 Powder. It's nine bottles of supplements of six different sorts (i.e. there are multiples of certain supplements), blended into a powder, which you take two teaspoons of each day. Very helpful, because you don't have to take six individual tablets. And because the blend ends up tasting strangely sweet, it's quite easy to down.
Michelle found out that the pill swallowing was my biggest problem and recommended the powder to me. It's costly, because it's nine freaking bottles. But it lasts you for about three months, which works out to be about $2.70 a day. According to her, combined with the aloe vera juice and omega-3 pill (which is liquid, hence couldn't be blended in), it'll cover the three steps that Forever Living advocates; detox, nourish and immunize. Supposedly, it isn't enough to just detox, because then your body would be weakened and at a blank slate whereby it could get poisoned again if you feed it the wrong things. So once you clean out all the crap, you need to feed it the right things to strengthen it and give it energy. Finally, you immunize it against the bad stuff that you'd inadvertently introduce again. There's a fourth step, something about keeping the system flowing, but she said that part in Chinese and I didn't quite get it.
So I went back with my purchases, dropping off a bottle of the powder at Elton's, and took some of it. Now, please remember, I've already been feeling kind of shit to begin with, and quite tense about the Basic Theory Test. Honestly, I don't know what exactly made me puke. It could've been the health supplements giving my body a hell of a detox, or it could've been something wrong with my dinner the night before, or it could've been nerves from the test, or it could've been my body protesting against waking up at 8am.
As it was, I puked. Fortunately, it was about half an hour before the test, so by the time I cleaned up and found my bearings, I managed to make my way to the right room and plonked myself in front of the right terminal. For those who face the same questions as I towards that test, it's 50 questions, 50 minutes long, multiple choice, and yes, you can leave once you're done. It's done on a touch screen computer, with people seated right next to you, so if you find yourself tempted, it's not that difficult to look. Most of the questions are straightforward and from the book, but there are enough that are vaguely worded or have answers that just don't match that make it quite chancy. For example: An amber light at the traffic lights mean A) Go if the way ahead is clear, B) Come to a stop in front and near the stop line, C) Increase speed. I don't know, man, but I've been raised to think that amber lights mean prepare to stop. Not stop, but prepare to. I poked the first option, since option two is more for the red light. Not that I'll ever know if I'm right because they don't give you a run down at the end.
Long story short, I passed. It was quite traumatizing, because people were failing left, right and center. To their credit, once you get five questions wrong, you fail, so the odds really are against you, especially with dodgy questions like the above.
Oh, word to the private students, once you pass, get a number and apply for your provisional licence right outside the test room. They won't tell you about that, and you'll need it to start your driving lessons, so get it done then, otherwise you'll have to go back to the test center again.
I went home and slept for a very very long time. On the bright side, I feel a lot better now. The nausea is gone, the sore throat is gone, the zits on my scalp are still painful, but greatly diminished. My wisdom tooth is still giving me problems, and I'm contemplating whether I should just be brave and get it plucked. I'm not too sure, but it seems like I'm getting better. I'll check back in a few days time to see if I really am getting better. What better way to figure out if something works than to try it out, eh? Let's just hope there are no more puking incidences.
