{bubble tea love}

You may have seen from some of my previous posts that Singapore is benefiting from the opening of a load of 'third wave' cafes which very much pleases this coffee loving girl.   However I was surprised to see that 150 new cafes have opened in the last year.  I know Singapore is foodie central but that is pretty insane! Check out the full listing on Daniel Food Diary .  So many places to try and not enough days! :) My coffee at an old fave,  CSHH 

You may have already seen this (as it is has garnered lots of media/social media attention) but I encourage you to watch it if you haven't already. Emma Watson delivered a brilliant speech a few days ago on feminism and a new UN campaign that has been launched to promote gender equality.  She asks both men and women to take action. “The more I have spoken about feminism, the more I have realised that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating…. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop. For the record, feminism, by definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes. Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong. It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals. We should stop defining each other by what w...

I am loving belting a scarf over my dresses at the moment after seeing some recent outfit inspiration from the Burberry Fall 2014 collection.   For me it also hides the areas I am particularly self conscious about (my tum tum) and gives me a way to wear pretty scarves in sunny Singapore!

It's fashion week season and my Instagram feed has been full of gorgeous models, beautiful clothes and stylish fashion bloggers who are traipsing across New York, London and Milan. What caught my eye the other day were the shots from Giamba, a diffusion label by Giambattista Valli which made its debut in Milan. Feminine and girly with lace, florals, polka dots and ruffles - I thought it was a beautiful launch collection. See the full collection on style.com

Yesterday I took advantage of my child free time off and spent a lazy day exploring Tiong Bahru - one of the oldest housing estates in Singapore.   The area is a mix of the old and new and is full of character.  It is has been undergoing a bit of a renewal over the past few years with cafes, bakeries and small and eclectic boutiques moving in.  A great area to explore and spend some time. I started my morning at Forty Hands and caught up on my news and social media over a piccolo latte and eggs benedict.  I then crossed the road to check out a new little urban grocer pop up ( Crateful) , walked through the various criss cross streets past Flock and One Olive down to Tiong Bahru Market where I eyed off lots of fresh flowers, housewares and the hawker stalls.  Next stop was over to Eng Hoon Street by Tiong Bahru Bakery , Orange Thimble and the gorgeous Bloesom.   I headed back to Yong Siak Street as Books Actually, Woods in the Books a...

One of my frequent blog reads, A Cup of Jo  is featuring career themed posts this week. Her first post from earlier this week set out some quotes and tips from some inspiring women... below are some of my favourites (mostly from the hilarious and cool Tina Fey !).  Although a career driven post, I think a lot of the below applies to life generally.  On being confident:   I love women who are bosses and who don't constantly worry about what their employees think of them. I love women who don't ask, "Is that OK?" after everything they say. I love when women are courageous in the face of unthinkable circumstances, like my mother when she was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. Or like Gabrielle Giffords writing editorials for the New York Times about the cowardice of Congress regarding gun laws and using phrases like "mark my words" like she is Clint Eastwood. How many women say stuff like that? — Mindy Kaling Speak in statements instead of ...

I have a few weeks off before I start the new job so we decided to take advantage of the time and sneak in a week to Hong Kong.  The Mr could work from his office there and it left me, my mama and the little lady to enjoy the city. I lived in HK for two years between 2008-2010 and definitely have a love affair with the city.  I have been back and forth for work since then but this was the first time in a long time that I have spent some 'off' time there.   It was so different seeing it and experiencing it with a kid in tow and I didn't get to do a lot of what we used to do.  But we did have a great week (despite the toddler sleep regression  which is still ongoing..sigh) revisiting our old haunts, catch ups and playdates with friends and discovering some cool new places.   Here are a few of my tips from our week: The Peak  - We were spoiled with beautiful, clear (but hot!) summery weather all week so we took advantage and went for...

The latest Target collaboration comes from Joseph Altuzarra, the 2014 CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year.   The collaboration comprises of a 50 piece capsule collection all priced under $100 and features some gorgeous pieces.   Good news for non-US residents is that an edited selection is available on net-a-porter . Below are my picks from the collection:

For those who know me well, you will know that I love fashion and being inspired by designers.  I follow certain brands and designers on instagram and regularly read high end fashion magazines and about the luxury brand industry.  There are some amazing and talented people out there creating beautiful things. However those that know me also know that I can be pretty tight with my money.  I think it stems from being so poor when I was growing up.  Weirdly though I can justify splurging on a holiday or a really awesome restaurant but in most cases I can't bring myself to spend more than $100 on a single item of clothing.  Maybe it's because it is money spent on an experience rather than a material item... In any case it does mean I love bargain fashion and since moving to Singapore I have discovered a bunch of local online stores that sell fast and cool (and cheap) fashion.   You will have to spend some time trawling through the sites so you really...