Bangkok Diaries - Part 1

Let's start at the beginning...

Checked in at Hotel Grand Millennium Sukhumvit 

And this ^ is how far it was from the nearest shopping mall - Terminal 21. Photo taken from footbridge linking to T21.

Rooms were great!

See-through windows to the bathroom, which make the room look spacious (but don't worry, you can shut the blinds if you want to ;)). Can you spot my reflection, taking photos? 

Spent the afternoon strolling through T21 which is a mall that kind of has an airport-like theme to it and every floor is named after a different city like Paris, London, Istanbul etc.

Strawberry Daiquiri

Had lunch there which was pretty mediocre - but this gorgeous drink I had tasted just as good as it looks whilst enjoying city views!

Got straight down to business the first evening and headed to Siam - the shopping district with all the best malls!

I really enjoyed walking around bricks & mortar versions of brands that I normally only get to experience online. Central World Plaza has the biggest, effin' Forever 21! Even I got lost in that store, and that's saying something (I'm usually great at finding my way around malls, even ones I've never been to before - its a gift). I did most of my shopping at Forever 21 - 2 tops, 2 skirts and 1 necklace (which is not a lot by my standards). All this for a total of around $100. Not bad, eh?

Amphawa Floating Market

The next day, we combined shopping and sight-seeing and drove 1.5 hours out of Bangkok to visit this amazing place called the Amphawa Floating Market. Open daily from about 9am - 4am (more than enough time for even someone like me)! Its accessible by boat and is a truly unique experience!

This lady made us THE BEST PAD THAI I'VE EVER HAD!!

Served with a piece of lime, chilli powder, crushed peanuts and a pinch of sugar, all to be mixed while eating. Made on a boat! Served and eaten on a boat! All for less than $1!!

We then stepped off the boat to stroll around the market. You'll find all kinds of stalls and shops selling everything from cheap fresh food to jewellery, clothes, toys etc. Everything a good market has to offer.

But I also ran into the occasional quirky, fashion boutiques which I absolutely didn't expect to see but was pleasantly surprised by. There is something for everyone at the Floating Market!

And amidst all the street-food stalls, there was this swish cafe+bar+restaurant which looked very inviting.

So I sat and enjoyed a "Mai Thai" as I watched the boats float by (whilst Mr_Pre continued shopping - funny things happen in Thailand!)

Tourist Outfit - 1

And here's what I wore to the Floating Market (and then some mall-shopping afterwards), this is what I like to call a "Tourist Outfit"; comfy+functional and still fashionable:

Top: *$10 (Gripp Jeans Liquidation Sale)

Coral & White Striped Skirt: $10 (Forever 21)

Crossbody Bag: *$15 (Glassons)

Colour Block Ballet Flats: *$25 (Forever New)

Necklace: $19.95 (Stellar)

Assorted Bangles: Gift (part of a larger set from Lovisa)

Outfit Total: $79.95

 * = sale prices 

Ok, this post is getting realllllly long! So, I'll have to stop now. I'll add more outfit photos and sight-seeing details to a new post tomorrow. See you then. Off to bed now. Ciao! xx

Landings...

Hello All!

Sorry I've been MIA for sometime. I got back from my holiday on Thursday but I had so much to catch up on with work, friends, household chores etc. etc. because I hadn't really planned to go away, it just happened. I haven't even unpacked properly yet and I'm still sorting out photos from various sources so till I get everything together here's a little sneak peak of my trip...

Check back for more soon...

In the mean time, I dropped by to say that it looks like I landed back in Melbourne just in time - Zara opens at Chadstone tomorrow, 8th Aug! Is anyone going to the opening? I am. (Yes, yes, I  know you are keeping tab. My "Self-imposed Shopping Ban" is back on now that I'm back in Australia, but you've forgotten - I still have a Zara Gift Card! Win!)

Click here if you want more details about the opening of the Zara Chadstone store and to RSVP for tomorrow's event.

And come back again soon to see more photos of Thailand :)...

xoxox

My week in pictures

My excessive shopping was making my room overwhelmingly messy

And yet I would wake up every morning feeling like I have nothing to wear to work 

So I did a wardrobe tidy and a mini-cull to make my closet look more like this^(I wish!)

Worked hard...

Got inspired by this and so I did...

 ...yes, I booked a ticket last week...

To Bangkok!

...for some much needed R&R&R (Rest & Relaxation & Retail Therapy!). Because that "Serious Shopping Ban" that I mentioned 2 posts ago, only applies in Australia :P.

And they say, "One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble", so imagine what 2 nights will do to a woman ;)!

And 3 nights in Phuket!

Yes only 5 nights - short (and sweet hopefully!) - because that's all I could get and its higher than 0! I leave tonight! See you when I'm back (and depressed beyond words because my impromptu holiday is over).

Keeping warm

This one is going to be short. I've got the sniffles :(. Its not fun. So, all I can think of is staying warm and cosy. That's why I'm sharing these hot, winter inspirations...

Hopefully this cold will end soon - I'm talking about both the weather and my illness - although it was a lovely day in Melbourne today, the sun was shining all day and it was actually giving out some warmth and wasn't just a light-bulb in the sky ;). I NEED more sunshine and warmth!!

A girl can never have too many shoes (or jackets, or necklaces)

On Friday night I was planning to go out with some friends and wanted a pair of shoes to go with my outfit. So I set off to Chadstone to buy a pair of shoes...but came home with three...and a jacket...and a necklace (although I had planned to buy the necklace, but the 2 shoes and jacket were unplanned purchases).

Lipstik New York Black Wedges - $40 down from $79.95

Lipstik Racey Black/Cobalt - $38 down from $89.95

Santini Glitz Black Bling Ballet Flats - $60 down from $120

Dotti Suede Waterfall Jacket - $139.95

Dotti Necklace in Gunmetal - $25

The Dotti Jacket is officially the most expensive thing I own and I normally wouldn't pay that much for a jacket but even a budget fashionista breaks her budget once in a while. Plus it was a Friday night, I had had a long, hard week at work, I was too tired to argue and reason with myself and decided I deserved a treat! Also, its so versatile and actually looks more expensive than it is and is quite warm, so I'm quite happy with it and know that I will get a lot of use out of it. And the Santini ballet flats as well, weren't something I needed either but they're super comfy and add instant glam to any outfit!

All in all I'm quite happy with my purchases. :) (But I will have to go on a serious shopping-ban for a while now. SERIOUS!)

Latest Obsessions

I've recently come across photos of the Elie Saab Fall 2012 Couture Collection and I am IN LOVE! Its ALL I can think about, so I just had to share it.... 

  

"Dreamy", "Ethereal", "Elegant" were just some of the words used to describe this Collection inspired by the Byzantine Empire. I'll definitely keep these red-carpet-ready dresses in mind the next time I'm going to the Oscars ;).

In the meantime, the things I'm taking away from this collection for my day-job are the soft fabrics, the colours and the detailing alongwith the hair and makeup-styles.

Speaking of obsessions, another one of my latest has been a fluoro necklace I bought from Forever New but when I got home found it was broken, when I went to exchange it it was sold out. On my hunt for a fluoro necklace, that lasted for weeks, I came across this Zara necklace on eBay (which was almost exactly what I was looking for). After 3 weeks of waiting, it finally arrived on Friday so I'm a happy-little-vegemite :D.

Not the best price I've paid for a necklace, but for something I've wanted so much and have had such trouble finding, I was happy to spend around $38 all up since its such a versatile, on-trend piece.

I wore it today to work with this Zara Printed Crossover Dress...

Photo courtesy:  Fashion Cap City

...because I couldn't wait ANY LONGER! ;) xx

Brunch and the Born this way Ball

(Concert video uploaded, please scroll down to the bottom of the post. :))


Weekend was spent:

1. Brunch-ing with Mr_Pre (see his finger in the pic below?)

My Eggs Florentine and Cappuccino

Even though this photo is quite messy and amateurish, what with fingers on the lense and all, its still kinda nice :)

His Eggs Benedict 

2. Watching Lady Gaga live in concert at "The Born This Way Ball"!

It was C-R-A-Z-Y! In true Lady Gaga Fashion! Wish I could've taken lots of photos and videos but my phone had 20% battery when the concert hadn't even started and soon died - which, in a way, was good cause I could forget about everything else and truly ENJOY the gig, but here's a few photos I took of myself: makeup and what I wore:

My eye makeup (looked a lot more dramatic IRL) and Sparkley Top (from Valleygirl - $29.95; but its from a while ago) seemed demure compared to what some other "Little Monsters" had worn. There was sparkles galore, meat-dress-bodysuits aplenty, bow-hair, skeleton makeup, it was...like I said...C-R-A-Z-Y!
I have a video to show from the concert, but it won't upload. But I won't quit and will keep trying so keep checking back...


ETA: Here's a video as promised. It's not the best quality but it'll also link to other videos at the end, those that were taken by people who remembered to charge their phones and cameras. ;) Enjoy!

Lady Gaga's entrance on a Black Unicorn