Category: female vanities

I broke another shoe today. I give up. I guess I’m not fated to wear strappy shoes. They all die under my touch. I was walking on my way to work when the strap of my left shoe decided to break off. And I limped my way through the office. I had to use about ten rubber bands to fasten the bottom part to my feet.

Good grief!

I wondered how I would survive the day with such a fashionable footware. So during lunch break, I rushed off to the nearest shoe shop as fast as I could. Which wasn’t very fast since I could only limp with my rubber band shoes.

Then the strap of my right shoe decided to break off too. I must say, that, that was the first time I ever encountered rubber band shoes in my quarter of a century (plus one) years of existence.

Anyway, I got me a pair of flatties. I hope it’ll last me longer than any of my heels couldn’t.

Doesn’t this look interesting? I love the packaging of this. There is a man with a huge mouth. The mouth acts like a window to see the contents of the packaging. Bro loves poking the packet to make the content move around.

We went to Jurong East library since I saw a flyer that showcased digital designs by the Yusuf Ishak Secondary School students. I hoped that there were some workshops on the techniques. But upon reaching there, there was only a display. I was a little disappointed, but admired the wonderful work done by these talented teenagers.

I saw teenagers studying and I was amazed by the amount of graffiti on the chairs. It used to be pure beige the first time I saw it in mid 2004 and now it was covered with scribblings. Bro thinks that it was intentional.

We did a spot of reading and decided to have dinner at IMM and we walked past a carnival called “Generation Day” where the entire family, including the grandparents and grandchildren spent time together. The whole stretch along Jurong East Interchange was extremely crowded.

We then took the shuttle bus to IMM – the hypermart

I was amazed by the sheer amount of people there. Granted that I haven’t been there for a long while, but the place was bustling! I never imagined that the quiet shopping centre in the 90’s would turn out to be so active now.

After dinner, we walked around and chanced upon these many Osim Isqueeze about. I gave it a try and I quite like it.

There was a gathering over my aunt’s place on Sunday afternoon. Food galore! I love tapioca leaves with peanut sauce. Yum … I felt full and contented till dinner.

It seems that family gatherings are the time when it is obligatory to show off the babies,

Cute 🙂

Cute 🙂

Well, that’s all for the moment, I had better get to bed now for some snoozin .. Good night 🙂

I am a shoe murderer.

This week alone I have killed two shoes accidentally. Its either that my shoes are too fragile or that I am too rough. Or maybe I’m just both.

The problem lies in the fact that I love strappy shoes.

Love them love them love them. However, I walk alot and practically everywhere. Thus making it worn out as fast as 2 months.

I broke one of my favourite work shoes on monday when the heel broke off. What a pity, it was pretty, comfortable and matched with alot of outfits.

Just today, I was walking to my way to work in my beige strappy heels and walking up the staircase and suddenly the strap just snapped! I wasnt even running or walking roughly and it snapped … making the shoe useless for walking in.

Thus I walked barefooted all the way. Lo and behold, the first thing I saw was a student.

Random student : Good Afternoon Ms Marina
Me : Hello (desperately trying to cover my feet)
Random student : What are you doing Ms Marina?
Me : Uh nothing. I’m just uh … Enjoying the scenery here. Its quite beautiful
Random student : Well I’m going home, take care Ms Marina. There’s a shop selling slippers over there by the way
Me : (turns red) Okay thanks bye.

And I walked in the squishy muddy grass, the rough concrete floor, crossed the asphalt road warmed in the noonday sun and the tiles covered with many many footprints of all the people from all walks of lives …

I hurriedly grabbed a pair of flip flops and slipped a five dollar note to the lady selling and went on my way to school. It wasnt something that I would normally buy, but it all that there was and beggars cant be choosers after all …

I could hear sniggers and laughing students pointing…

I was wearing a baju kurung … with a BRIGHT YELLOW flip flops.

It was so embarassing … The baju kurung is a traditional formal malay outfit that I’d usually don on fridays being a holy day. Wearing a flip flop would equivalate it to wearing tuxedoes with flip flops. It didnt match at all!

Cousins and me (second from left) in baju kurung during hari raya

The first thing I saw when I stepped in the office was Raj, a fellow physical ed teacher who dragged me to the pantry as one of our colleagues had a promotion and we were treated to a North Indian lunch buffet.

It was full of teachers.

I have never felt so flabbergasted ever. It was as if there a spotlight on my feet and 40 different pair of eyes were looking at my feet.

Oh dear.

I’m always getting into these types of predicament. Singapore’s very own Bridget Jones. Fortunately, for me, it was a non teaching day and lasted me till about 5pm or so, and I managed to zoom home as soon as I was done with the technology club.

Very surreal day indeed. Oh well, worse things can happen.

What a nice day today was. Spent the day with my good friend Juli and we spent the day practically doing vain and girly things.

Juli took me to a make up shop in Plaza Singapura called “The Face Shop“. I think I almost went crazy with the things there. The moment you step in the shop, you’ll be greeted by all these lovely smells. I felt like I was stepping in a garden, barefooted, prancing in the fields with the sunshine streaming on my face.

Juli and I had a blast trying out the make up, and me, opening the bottles of cream and fragrances and dabbing it around. It’s not for us! Juli insisted. It is the products that we will be using when we start our business in june. I nodded my head vehemently in agreement.

I looked at the eyeshadows there and a nice lady went up to help me with it. She dabbed my eyes with some green and then later, purple colours and then topped it off with some shimmery stick. I was so in love!

I chatted with the lady for a bit and found out that her name was Doreen. She was also the owner of the branch there. Doreen was talking to me about the techniques of the application of eyeshadow. Base all over with light colour, then the crease with a darker colour and then edge of the lids with an even darker colour. One could top it out with an “eye brightener”

It was all very fascinating to me, even if I thought that doing all those steps were a tad troublesome for daily use. Maybe for special occasions instead. Regardless, I didn’t have to fuss about applying eye shadow since Doreen already carefully applied it for me .. hehehe.

Doreen later talked about the importance of a good skin care regimen. I really liked the fact that only flora and natural ingredients were used. It smelled soooo goood .. I could just eat them on the spot.

So I got me some items there. I couldn’t help myself. Such lovely products, and at such a nice price too. Doreen mentioned that the products, although affordable, is comparable to the higher classed brands like Clarins, Bobby Brown, Prescriptives. The reason why it was comparably cheaper is because it was produced by the Koreans. Korean ladies, she explained are very vain people. And they need to have very good quality facial care and cosmetics at a good price. Thus there were many competition in this area, making the price cheaper.

I’m the proud owner of:

1. Lavender Powder Cleanser (smells so heavenly!)

2. Dewy Flower Fresh Toner (With different white flowers and plant extract!)

3. Dewy Flower Moisturizer (Controls your oil sebum! Retains your moisture!)

Anyhow, I left the place with a spring in my step. Clutching my precious new options with me.

Juli and I later walked to Suntec City where there were a health and beauty convention going on. It was exciting to step in the place. We saw many things being displayed there. Hair styling products, Spa accessories, Exercise equipments … basically everything you’ll see in the health and beauty industry.

I was transfixed in the eyebrow tattooing display. It started out with a lady with practically very little eyebrows. She sat on a chair and had her eyebrow being vibrated with a hand held device. Every few seconds, the beautician would have to wipe away the eyebrow. (I assume it was for the ink or the blood … I couldn’t understand the Chinese language that well)

And some while later, presto! The lady has lovely, more defined, natural looking eyebrows. Everybody oooh’ed and ahhh’ed. I could only grimace since it looked really painful.

There was also a display which I found interesting – medicinal leech used for skin care product. Leeches has been recognized in medicine for its healing properties. One of the leech enzymes it seems, has a natural anti-coagulant properties. The brand decided to manufacture this principal to create skin care that stimulates the cell metabolism.

I asked, “so how many leeches go in a bottle of moisturiser?”

The consultant looked at me wide eyed for a full 5 seconds. As interesting as the product was, I didn’t have the desire to have leech juice over my face or body.

Juli pointed out that the wedding fair was just one level up so we decided to stop by there too. I have more ideas now for the different angles and location for the outdoor photography shots. Juli poured over the way the makeup and accessories were used. And we both ooh’ed at the gorgeous dresses.

We got hungry later on but unfortunately couldn’t decide on what to eat. I wasn’t really fussy on what to eat as long as it wasn’t expensive. Hawker center food would do. Juli wanted to eat Thai food. We walked round and round Suntec city basement. And then went to Millenia shopping centre, and then the esplanade. My feet were getting sore by then. Then we hopped on a bus to Orchard road to go to a Thai restaurant in Far East Plaza.

I was grateful for a seat. And all that walking really gave me an appetite! We both had a hearty dinner together.

Yesterday night was such a cool night. There was a chingay parade very near where I lived. At 6.30 pm the place was transformed with lights and full of people. I saw road blocks while I was jogging along the way with policemen at the edge of the road. Must be real important. So I thought I’d drop down and have a look see. I brought my sister Diana along.

It started out a little late. I took my sister to have a drink first in the nearby shops and came back just in time to see the floats and street performances. It was really festive! I really loved the atmosphere. It felt so alive! Some West Spring kids were there too to give support to the marching band. They were really good coincidentally. After the hours and hours of training in school – they gave a wonderful performance 🙂

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the foresight to bring my camera along, since it was dark and I knew my camera cant handle dark very well, even with flash, so I don’t have any pictures to show.

The grand finale was so cool, with 40 dragon dances performing simultaneously. And that made it to the Guinness world record for the most amount of dragon dances performing together. There were gold and silver confetti shooting out and seriously, I felt like I was in New York, during the New year countdown, the night air breeze blowing in making the place look like a snowy wonderland.

It was nice to see the adults and children alike, playing with the confetti. Makes one forget temporarily that these are the same people who keep pushing you to he train station, jostle for seats, trip you at the bus stops … cuts in queues …

It was a lovely night indeed – I really hope for the same thing to happen again next time – Taman Jurong won’t be such a boring town any more 🙂