lately..

I've been spending lots of time with my kitchenaid, getting my hands deep in frosting, and perfecting the cupcake swirl.

Thank goodness for hungry friends who've helped share the burden of quite possibly hundreds of calories. 

My slowly growing repertoire of (amazing) recipes have made me quite the happy camper, so here's to hoping this streak continues!

so go grab a cupcake or two, they're an instant cure for the mid-week blues.

xo

breakfast..

is the most important meal of the day.

But what they fail to mention is that it is also the most romantic. Well, in my opinion at least.

So eat breakfast with your loved ones, and even better, share a blueberry pancake or two while you're at it!

xo

Color-less Beijing

My recent (company) trip to Beijing, China (and by recent I mean a couple of months ago) was interesting to say the least. It was nice to feel the cold air once again with it being close to winter and all, and with it came the comforting illusion of being back in chilly england. So yes, the weather was glorious. It's also funny how despite knowing the language and being (relatively) proficient in it, i barely uttered a chinese word. I was starkly aware of being in a foreign land, even with my (obvious) asian roots.

Nonetheless, it was a nice few days of soaking in both the old and new world that seemed to so distinctively divide Beijing. So here are some photos! I almost think that Beijing becomes so much more beautiful in black and white. 

[The great wall]

[The forbidden city, invaded by hoards of tourists]

[pretty windows]

[touristy tin mugs]

[fake posters]

[a choo-choo train]

[giant Chinese art sculptures at art district 798]

[propaganda posters]

[GIANT tin mug installation]

[my colleague and friend, cheryl with her stick of sugar coated hawthorne berries]

[piping hot sweet potatoes being sold by the roadside]

I'm pretty sure that Shanghai is next on my to-visit (China) list.

The final week of 2011 was pretty much a blur. Between Christmas, a week off work, one too many golf practices and festive dinners and the new year...i must admit that it was quite the treat to be in Singapore this year surrounded by family and friends.

So here are a slew of photos from that one week alone.

[Cheesy Christmas gift exchange with my best girlfriends. Moustache mug? Why thank you!]

[Family Christmas brunch- couples from left to right, sister+husband, mom+dad, Ian+me]

[DIY Christmas lights nails]

[Ian's new golf buddy]

[Hand-made photobooth props, being a bunny and my very spiffy old man]

[Hand-made hot air balloon ornament to kick off a new Christmas tradition with my girls]

[kate spade gift ball]

[blue lamps]

Here's hoping that 2012 goes even better than the year before, that wedding planning can finally commence, and that the Mayans got it wrong! Have a good 2012, friends (:

Much love,

xo

Favourite things- Instagram edition

So i've fallen into wonderful trap of technology. It might be super old news, but Instagram is wonderful (and convenient), and so is taking (relatively) decent photos with an iphone. And with life being as busy as it is, i'm thinking this might become a staple around here. So here's a mish-mash of random photos from my life of late. 

[christmas tree shopping]

[home-made gingerbread cookies: hand-stamped for good measure]

[bow + horsies]

[pink dinos]

[a little accessories corner i made in my room]

[confetti nails]

[baking- ninja style!]

[vintage books]

[pancakes]

[a little affirmation (that) goes a long way]

[and a random photo of my fiance and i!]

Happy almost Christmas! The countdown begins.

xo

autumn leaves in Beijing

Even though I'm back to living in a perpetually temperate country, it's comforting to know that autumn is pretty much just a couple of hours away. 

I'm alive, i am (:

Because i've been totally neglecting this space, i present to you a photo that hopefully makes up for it.

[Photo taken with retro partner Cheryl before Retrolicious!, where we watched Belinda Carlisle, The Human League and Bananarama LIVE]

Who knew i could rock an afro.

You learn something new everyday!

I'll be back. pinky promise.

remember the time..

i talked about baking my friend's wedding cake, but never got round to blogging about it?

so yea, here it is in its full glory.

 (although i wish i had photos of the inside, which had layers of cake in colours of the wedding)

And since it was a garden/park wedding, i thought how great it would be to have that translate onto the cake. My favourite part? The giant bush to the left (:

It might not have been perfect, but that's okay because now i get to perfect my cake baking and decorating techniques. Momma would be so proud.

xo