Memoir of a reflective shopaholic

Off with my white-dress obsession and the impracticalities of a white dress, I discovered the beauty of white tee shirts. I have gone back to Factory Outlet Store (FOS) to buy the same Abercrombie cotton whites. Two weeks later I realised I wanted more than just two identical white tee shirt, I went to the One Utama branch and found only some newer patch of white tees but no more Abercrombie tees.

Abercrombie white tee is very sheer, very soft, very small, in two words - class & sexy.

You can dress up this COMFORTABLE item in one minute, and you can dress it as it is.

Add a dressy item over it and you get cocktail look. Sequin shrug from Zara, line pants from flea market, diamante brooch on used on pants from flea market.

pic from Martell VSOP Rise Up campanign launch at KL Tower, with Nell Ng who is one of the Martell's list of personalities who are on her way up in her career.





I have always wondered what life would be, spiritually and physically, if my wardrobe consists only white tee shirts and blue jeans.

J wears only round neck white Hanes tee shirts with jeans, or shorts for his non working days. For work he wears only white shirts with navy blue or black pants. Packing his travelling is the easiest thing.

While getting to my car in One Utama yesterday from FOS, I couldn't help my steps but stopped at almost every boutique, knowing the clock tick and I would run late for my dinner and rehearsal...yet I couldn't pass out the potential of owning yet another dress on sale.

Just seconds before I was about to pick up the black dress from Selfridge and pay, I stopped in my way, within seconds my brain made a quick decision and I was out of there.

I have become increasingly, a reflective shopaholic.

Or you can say that I'm confused, or disillusioned.

There have been more and more occasions whereby I would stop in my track and wonder the meaning of my beautiful possession of a wardrobe. Lately I find myself preferring to stay in rather than joining the buzz outside. My go out mainly to rehearse in the studio at night, my wardrobe on these evenings are rehearsal pants, tee shirts, the same zip-up sweater and the same slippers. Still without a washing machine under my name, I tend to wear my jeans over and over again...changing only the tee shirts. The wealth of my wardrobe seem to be spending a lot of time hibernating in my flat.

Yet when I go out, I never stop buying clothes. Party clothes, concert dresses, shoes, costume pieces, jeans....

I enjoy exploring zen-like lifestyle and reading Buddhism philosophies....yet I can't let go of my love for fashion.

Though my shopping style has changed in the past two years. I have started to buy selectively, I am more selective give more choices and lower price, I remind myself to buy items that are above average in its design and versatility and uniqueness.

OK, enough with this silly talk of conflicting thoughts and actions. Am getting down to more serious work for my rehearsal tomorrow....and who knows, maybe I might GO OUT tonight.

oh, and to celebrate my passion in fashion and all things vain...here are some potraits of...

Of Singapore things and people...

I have finally, finally, gone digital, digital camera....finally. First patch of digital shoots...for this space. These are the side effects of watching Cabaret in Singapore.

Four Seasons Hotel, window shopping...

Outside Esplanade, dusk

Stole a shoot inside the theatre

Singapore outside Esplanade, night

J told me to look at the light...


Highlight of my trip - the elegant polar bear, Inuka at Singapore Zoo


Halooo

Inuka's mommy, Sheba

Sheba dances

and then the son Inuka took over, he is a tall bugger...

me and my bear

Other occupants in the Singapore Zoo



We soldiered on in the hot weather, to China Town market...
pics by J - China Town market through his eyes

I bought the two pairs on top, unwrapped











A revist to the Sungai Road flea market before we took off, this time more happening than my last visit on Saturday...a common sight at the market, vendor lounging around .

J suspect some of the vendors there are homeless...at every turn of the corner at the market you'd see a face like this. Makes you wonder about the Singapore welfare department...




Wanted to buy the one on the left, it was offered at SD 20, I decided to pass...

The totally wonderful Samosa with green chili. Other heavenly Indian snacks sold at the market were vadei, fried dahl balls, briayani rice with fish and vegetable...wish I bought more - somehow eating these snacks while you are soaking in your own pespiration and wading through thick crowd and looking out for wonderful buys make every bite into the food taste like magic and the experience is, am sure even now -- totally memorable.

They made the weather looked a lot lovelier...


Will be making my shopping report soon with pictureshere. Check it soon.

I know what I did last two weekends...

I love butter
I don't know if it works but I think it's worth trying at home...make your own Hainan tea. SM and Sim brought Bee and I to the Imbi morning market and we had Hainan tea (which is coffee & tea) and two sets of absolutely heavenly but sinful roti bakar -- think a thick slab of frozen butter AND kaya sandwiched between two crunchy toasts....pure food-gasm.

Posing with SM and Bee outside the market

















Had some yummy tapas at Jenny Daneel's farewell do. Jenny will be managing Kakiseni still from UK. Check out the cronies at the party :) Thanks to Zal for the invite. Zal is an ex-staff of Kakiseni, she is missing the bunch right now...

Groping Zal while Zedeck displayed indifference















Images from Cindy's recital on July 9.

Cindy strutting her stuff in her rendition of The Prima Donna Song



















The Flower Duet from Delibes' Lakme




























The gang (from left) - Fuad (baritone), Kin Meng, Chee Shen (tenor), Cindy, Peter Ong(tenor), Rose Ganendra & Evelyn Hii. Front from left - Trudy Ganendra, moi & Dave














Report of my "footlose" in Singapore. Will be going again this Saturday for Cabaret opening and a trip to the Singapore zoo to check out the condition of the poor polar bear stuck there...probably not much other flea market action but do check here for report when I get back!

the eternal search of the perfect white dress

pic by Sheila Rock



the search within....

i was trying on what i thought was the perfect white dress. i had been searching for a perfect white dress, a classy and yet sexy white sun dress for those occasions when you just need to strike out in a white dress....

anyway, the dress was on sale, the sale price was RM 310, original price over RM 600, it's not even a designer label, it's a street label from abroad, hence the price tag. I put on an XXS size, the straps were still too long so my bras hung outside the dress...I can see how this is a dress where you show off your underwear. The rest of the dress sat perfectly on me, too perfect....the perfect material, the perfect cut, the perfect skirt volume....of silk, cotton and godknowswhat this dress was made off...

I stared at the reflection in the mirror and sighed, nice stuff. For the best thing in any selection in life, you pay the price for it, it's a sacrifice, an opportunity cost.

But another thought came into my head, for the price I will pay for this dress, how many times will I wear this beautiful dress? For over 300 bucks, how many happy moments will it bring me?

The higher the price you pay for a piece of clothing, the more fancy the garment is, the less likely you will be wearing it day on day out....when you do wear it, you will be more self-conscious because you pay a lot to be in it and you expect to have more fun (true or not? you tell me) while you are in it. Now what's the fun of dressed in best when you are aware that it took you that high price to be where you are now -- wearing the very best and expecting to be happy.

pic by Robert Hiendel


So I put the dress back, thinking no perfect dress can buy my peace of mind...the peace of knowing I didn't spend 300 bucks on a sun dress.

But if you are interested, the dress is in MNG, KL Plaza branch. Not many left...size XXs, XS, and maybe one or two in bigger sizes.

For me, always, I shall have to remind myself more now, that my best fashion comes in the cheapest price...

My gorgeous India skirt that cost 0.30 cents and is a gown length....my first Beatrice Looi gown was at RM120, a sale price...my more recent Beatrice Looi gown for concerts is RM 80, a rich deep purple satin...

My latest handbag is Miu Miu, at RM 10, from Amcorp.

But coming back to the fancy dressing....I realised nowadays with my dress-down mode, having not working in an office, the joy of dressing come not from how fancy or expensive I end up looking, but from how much fun I will have wearing what I wear.

I will continue to buy cheap white fitting tees and more flea market dresses….hopefully one day that perfect white dress will be in a pile at jumble sale.

pic by Richard Avedon