Greatest Gift

 Alicia Lim

Very inspired by her imaginations of the mystical mermaids in the deep seas, she has a lacey mermaid skirt with a bralet and a light piece of sheer top. As she strolls along the beach and rest upon the big stones close to the shore, her light clothing not only keeps her warm from the sea breeze. It also allows her to take everything else real in this world out of her mind and dwell into the mystical realm of mermaids, unicorns and horsemen.

“Dressing up is a form of expression”

 Soh Li

In our Garden city, we have a youthful and adorable looking woman that is in her early 40s in a layered style that gives off the vibes of Japanese. Especially at a proudly and wonderfully man-made garden, how could one simply believe that this was not taken in any rural district with the most natural greens, with the different shades of reds and almost washed out looking denim that fits in comfortably with the breezy blues in the environment.

“让我回想年少时的天真可爱”

“Reminds me the innocence of my childhood”

 Dara Lim

Bright and Beautiful, all she wanted was to play. With her grandmother’s old dress from the art deco period and a vintage floral head piece. To her most comfortable converse high cuts to skate around in her yellow penny.

With anything, to everywhere.

“I don’t care, I just want to play with fashion”

This family-my greatest blessing from above.

CHEESE(;

Urban

This is another day in Opotiki while i reminisce my days in the urban district.

Along the street of Karangahape is where this vintage store lies. Most people know how bright i light up when i come across a vintage store, especially in a foreign place. These stores gives me a sense of familiarity and i just love the smell of the aging clothing, shoes and bags. It's a little strange but it's so comforting.

Vintage, craft and tea isn't exactly like those sort of stores that collects everything vintage, or thrifted, but the owner picks out just a few of a different kind of vintage clothing that she likes. It's mostly like her collection of clothing that she wants to share with people who has the same liking as her. I'm sure she gets customers that recognizes her store for her range of interesting and precious vintage collections. It feels as though she's living a girl's dream to set up a store that has her favorite clothing, pretty-artsy notebooks and a cup of tea for people who knows how to live life. 

The day continues on as a tourist, everything a little bit more fascinating than the ones at home, we stop for a picture. 

When we finally made our way through the park, supposedly the shorter way to the central district, we found our oyster bar. Depot eatery serves fresh-salty-ocean oyster ever. I mean, it's not like i'm even a food critic but i'm confident of making a distinction of the "ah, this is fresh and okay" ones from the "oh man, this is FRESH AND REAL". It was awakening and the best starter for the rest of the meal. The fish for the main course tasted like an indian cuisine which i absolutely enjoyed but i didn't expect such flavors in an oyster bar in new zealand. Everything at depot was fresh and exciting. 

The day ended well with all the amazing finds and it rounded off even better after getting a taste of the nightlife at the social bar along Ponsonby. The local beer was enough to keep us warm while we journey back to Freeman's, down the slopes only. That's a picture that we took with a warm and friendly kiwi that we chatted a bit with on the streets. 

CHEESE(;

Back from the Mess.

Hola, my friends! 

Last few weeks has been insanely busy for me and i apologize for me absence on this space.

Here i am, with some free time, all thanks to the Chinese New Year public holiday next week. It's finally time for some rest before i watch the next few months fly pass, when i get back to school on wednesday again.

Let's begin with the move to the new place. This is the fifth time i'm moving since the day of my birth but the last four times have been in the same district-South. This time round, my family have decided to be adventurous and we're all the way to the North West of Singapore. It is a pretty lovely place because  of the obscurity but one thing that's really strange is that the house gets extremely dark by 5pm. It's quite funny that the sunny island isn't that sunny in some areas. O well, as long as it's still windy, we're all good.

Took a picture from the favorite spot in the house.

 Next, the end of all the workshops that are compulsory for me to take in school. Google Sketch Up, Photography, Photoshop, Illustrator and Clay Modeling. We were given 5 weeks to learn each programs and present our final project on the fifth week. Honestly, they weren't too bad after looking back at the progress i have made but the process during the five weeks weren't that fun too. To know when is your deadline before getting to know anything but the name of the software doesn't make learning that enjoyable.

This week, i had two submissions on consecutive days and before each submissions i don't normally get any sleep. By the end of the third day of the week, i was almost a zombie already. Below is what i did for illustrator after five weeks. With zero knowledge and understanding of the program and for being a complete loser with softwares, may i present to you a portrait of myself(or at least the mole above my lips if you violently disagree that it's a portrait of myself) in a vintage poster.

Lastly, it's the outfit to represent the end of a stressful week in school! The favourite hand woven silk scarf from India, blue stripes dress from Malaysia and the velvet red flats from Charlotte Russe. An interesting fact about these three is that they for kept warm in the wardrobe for about half a year before i wore them out yesterday. I wonder what took me such a long time before taking them out to the streets…

Ah, this a vintage bracelet that i brought back from new jersey. It has the name of the aunty that loved me best between my sisters, she says that's because i was the first to be given birth to and so i'm her favorite. Neither of my sisters understood that but they just lived with the fact that i was favored by her, while i enjoy being pampered. The last time we met was 4 years back or so, i missed her but i would not call her. I can't wait for house warming, maybe she would come.

I hope this long post made it up for the weeks i disappeared from this space.

Have a good weekend ahead and happy Chinese New Year to fellow chinese people!

CHEESE(;

Marching On

SoldiersNecklace: Grammah

Marching into twenty thirteen like a warrior and flying the badass to uranus because i'm two months away to the nineteenth year on planet earth. New challenges accepted and another step closer towards the goal is what i will pursue. We'll see about the rest when it comes along but i mustn't waver. My lovely friends, pray for me when you think about me that i will be strengthened every morning. The one above will hear and i will receive your blessings. Thank you in advance for everything that's coming.

As for the (almost) psychedelic printed tube dress from Billabong and the blue basics that my mother passed down to me, that may also seem familiar to the eyes of some, is a mix that i reused since the last time in the states. Except for the soldiers necklace that has just joined the family, everything else are familiar on the blog. Those soldiers from Grammah definitely made lazy days so much easier for me because all eyes are fixed on them, everywhere. You may not be able to find the same group of loyal soldiers in the shop anymore but good things never stop appearing in there anyway, so be hopeful! May you get a pleasant surprise from Grammah when you do visit her the next time, she always have something ready for the grandchildren.

Just do everything you wanted to do in twenty thirteen. 

Don't let the thinking kill your energy.

PhotoCredits:John

PsychedelicPrintedDress:Billabong, RedHighCut:Converse, BlueSocks:Daiso, Clutch:Shien

CHEESE(;

The Crowded Mind of Mine.

The Christmas season is over, church camp has ended, did a photoshoot for NYP's fashion spread, caught up with a few close friends, knitting has begun and holiday is coming to an end. These were the happenings for the past week and i've been trying to do more but tiredness keeps getting to me. My apologies for neglecting the blog for a week and a half but i will always come back because i miss it everyday. In addition, i have to confess that i did not transfer my images before my sissy brings the camera with her to the UK for holiday. Please forgive me for my carelessness, i hope that the fruityappleiphone5 will help!

Truthfully, it doesn't seem like i have done a lot of things which produced tangible results but i am very pleased with the intangibles that has happened. I had time to develop myself in many aspects in life during this holiday, including physical horizontal growth due to the intake of turkeys for two consecutive days. Seems like i never really need to learn how to cook well since i am so blessed with excellent cooks in my life! Reflecting on the past week, while i may seem to be missing in action, actually makes me feel less lost in the maze in my head. The year is coming to an end, there are many things i tell myself i have to complete before the new year approaches yet fighting with time becomes a waste of everything from energy to time itself, so i just go with the flow. We just gotta keep swimming.

Below's outfit is what i call the mix. Shien's own DIY clutch, vintage bow tie and floral dress shirt, blazer from H&M, a casual jeans from japan, men socks from Brooke Brothers and desert boots from Clarks. These is exactly what i love to do most, mixing the new with the old and the own. It's exciting when you have the outfit conversation because there is always so much to tell. From vintage in LA, to Clarks in Hong Kong, to DIY at home. Everything counts. 

I'm eager to talk to you patient and lovely readers soon. But it's time i end off here and start on my research for school before i end my day. Have a productive and peaceful week ahead as we courageously welcome the new year with open arms! 

Photo credit: John

CHEESE(;

Dearest Grandchildren,

The long awaited Grammah post that i've been wanting to share is finally up. I apologize for the times i referred to Grammah like as if everybody should have known about it. There is really no reason why i took such a long time to get this up but i hope the introductory of Grammah will help. Fingers crossed.

 Best Introductory:

Grammah is the finer and lovelier version of the typical vintage shops that i've been to in the states, like American Vintage in LA and a couple others that i mentioned before. I was born in the 90s, never belonged to the vintage era but the atmosphere(design of the shop and the music played that were popular during the era) led me to imagine myself living in the 60s. Grammah actually gives me an impression of how shops in singapore looked like back then, which most vintage shops around don't.(Notice the keyword: singapore)

The pleasant, rustic and surreal feeling that i get every time i enter the shop allows me to have the best shopping and playing experience. Despite the fact that i enjoy shopping for vintage things very much, situations in vintage shops can be quite daunting, the eeriness that gets to me helps with the curiosity and appreciative or sensitivity to things because of the tensed up nerves. Curiosity now aroused, things were to get even stranger, you know.

Anyway, Grammah is having a twenty-five percent discount off apparels and homewares because it's the year end- the love of a grandparent to the little grandchildren. Isn't tis the season to be jolly!

Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Photos by John Tan

Vintage Everything.

 Earrings & dress from LA-Pasadena, Bag from NJ, Shoes from NY

CHEESE(;

Off We Go Into the Wild Blue Yonder

This is a part of brooklyn( somewhere close to Graham Ave to be particular) that i've brought back with me, it's a pair of vintage heels that i adore very much for the different shades of blues and perfect fitting. I don't even know how to begin to express my thoughts and emotions about vintage shoes that fits well and comfortably. The fact that it was also the most favorable pair in the entire store was the greatest thrill. It's times like these when i feel like the most fortunate person and then i stare into the mirror, look at the shoes and think, "have these shoes been waiting for me all these while?" Because the thought of something waiting for you and me makes the whole experience even more magical, for us. (Whether is it that you're in some denial or not, it's not that much of a big deal.)

And this is how i blabber when it comes to talk about the blue cowboy vintage shoe. Pardon me if you can't tolerate the exaggeration but those words are honest.

Follow by the next part of brooklyn, the Williamsburg Flea was where i adopted this floral printed vintage outerwear. I like the femininity of the coat and the rose prints on cotton that looks like painting on a canvas. You know, when your country is going through a wet season, the polyester fibers really makes you not want to take it off at all. With a pair of jeans, basic inner wear and the cutting of the swanky looking vintage coat would be enough to pull the weekends off. It is the alternative of my blanket.

Now it's my time to end this post and get out of my blanket before i waste a precious day of my holiday away. Have a fruitful weekend and be reminded that Christmas is round the corner, get your presents ready for the 25th!

Vintage shoes and coat:Brooklyn, Jeans:Forever21, White dangling earrings:Bebe, Book:Ways of Seeing by John Berger

CHEESE(;