candy magazine: style crush!

If you were able to pick up the April issue of the Philippines' Candy Magazine, you might have spotted my little feature as their Style Crush of the month! It's a little hard to read the actual interview in this picture so I've typed it up below for those of you who are interested in what I have to say about Singapore Style and everything Summer-related (I might have gushed a bit too much about Tory Burch too). 

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Part-time model, part-time student, and full-time fashion obsessive, this Singaporean blogger gives us the scoop on her summer style.

What's the best place to hit up in Singapore during the summer?

Sentosa has a handful of great beaches and lovely seaside dining spots, and the best thing about the island is that everything is in such close proximity to one another. You can ride the Luge, visit Universal Studios, surf at the Wavehouse, or even try the skydive simulator iFly.

How would you describe Singaporean style?

Black is a particularly significant staple in a Singaporean's wardrobe. It's needed to pull off both the rocker-chick look and the classic, understated look - two of the most popular options for Singaporeans.

If you could pick one designer collection to outfit your entire summer wardrobe, which would it be and why?

Tory Burch's Spring/Summer 2013 collection! It's an unexpected mix of the classic American flaxen-haired prairie girl fused with this great global flavor, all swathed in crisp, light colors and masterful tailoring.

What summer trend are you most excited to try?

Due to baggage weight allowances, quickly changing plans and sheer laziness, I'm embarrassed to say that I'm guilty of being a sloppy dresser during the summer! However cliched this may sound, florals are still an absolute staple for me. They're so easy to dress up or down and can be modified to suit any occasion instantly.

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Thanks a bunch to Sam, Candy Magazine's lovely Associate Fashion Editor, for working with me!

empire state of mind.

Scarf: Zara

V-neck tee: Urban Outfitters

Bag: H&M

Jeans: Uniqlo

Coat: Topshop

Boots: Dr. Martens

    
Second NYC post! I don't know if you guys get sick of reading me rant endlessly about my ineffable adoration for this city, but I certainly don't ever get sick of writing about it. I seriously feel like the artistic potential of everything on this planet increases exponentially when it's found in New York, or it's from New York, or it's to do with New York. Call me biased, but because I am. Here's a more extensive photo diary of the trip, although considering the rate that I instagrammed during that week, I might do a third (no shame) NYC post of just Instagram pictures... (Why I haven't created a fan blog for all things NYC is beyond me).

We stayed at a beautiful hotel called Andaz on 5th, which was gorgeously modern and planted conveniently on 5th Avenue. Mom and I spent extensive amounts of time wandering the blustery streets and popping into stores of every kind, and thanks to what might be the best scarf ever, I stayed warm the whole time. This military Topshop coat was my best friend during my trip to Sevenoaks last October, and came to my rescue on this trip too! Watching figure skaters in the rink outside the Rockefeller Centre, perusing vintage/secondhand treasures at Buffalo Exchange, dinner at trendy destinations such as Balthazar and Les Halles, long days in SoHo, watching Wicked! on Broadway and visiting every single Lululemon store (thanks Mom...) in Manhattan hardly covers the extent of what we managed to accomplish in our few days in the city. Life in NYC, even as a tourist, is the most exhausting thing - the crazy amount of walking you have to do means there's no room for prancing around in silly platforms, and it means you're dead tired by lunchtime (we may or may not have crashed at 6pm every night...) everyday!
  

It's a crazy city, a beautiful concrete jungle and the place I seriously hope to call home one day. Fingers crossed this is the second NYC post of many more to come!
xo

(Btw, it was none other than my lovely father who chose the title for this post: the only post-Eighties song he approves of/actually enjoys. Props to Pops!)

+ I'll be vacationing in Malaysia for the next week, possibly without internet so apologies in advance for being MIA! Details on the giveaway I promised you guys (thanks for 700+ on Instagram!) will be up when I get back.

ladakh 2012 - eighteen days at altitude.

I still can't believe that less than a week ago I was at an altitude of 6000m in the Himalayan Mountain region, taking ice cold river showers and sleeping in tents and wearing the most unfashionable hiking gear you will ever see. Now I'm back, safe and sound in the comfort of my own home (back at sea level - no more altitude sickness!), with hot running water on demand, lovely home cooked food and all the luxury of high speed internet. From the 17th of June till the 7th of July, I was lucky enough to travel all the way to the sprawling mountains of India along with 50-60 other people in my grade. We did a huge variety of things and it was one of the best trips I've ever taken. Here's a little bit about what we did:
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1. Lamdon School Homestay

pictures of lamdon school by isabel

Our school has a very close relationship with Lamdon School, the best school in all of Ladakh. With the financial help of our school, Lamdon School has grown from a tiny establishment with a few hundred students to a multi-building campus with an impressive student body of 1800, not to mention the 9 additional satellite campuses of Lamdon School that have been opened around the Ladakh region. Our relationship with Lamdon has always proved to be mutually beneficial in the form of an age-old tradition: the 2 night Homestay. 

My best friend Isabel and I partnered up for this leg of the journey, and we packed our bags  for an experience we'd never forget - yet we knew nothing about. We were posted off to go live with a local Ladakhi family; the family of a Lamdon student! It was such an exciting opportunity and I don't think I've ever been fed so much in my life. We lived in their small but absolutely beautiful house, and our Lamdon buddy Sonam was the loveliest girl ever (see a picture of her AMAZING room below!).

(from left to right): Sonam's mom, Isabel, Sonam, Stanzin (Sonam's sister), and Sonam's cousin

9 Day Markha Valley Trek

At the top of Ganda La Pass (5800m in altitude!), marveling at the priceless view (and taking our shirts off....?!)

view from the trek on day 1 - we had NO idea what we were in for.

on one of the practice hikes around leh, ladakh's capital

one of the beautiful inland lakes, up about 4000m in altitude!

isabel and i having hot chocolate in our tent on day 2 - a freezing morning!

 one of the many stunning views we had - check out those snowcapped peaks!

 kim and i lookin' fly!

 the view that i woke up to (literally; this picture was taken from inside my tent!) on the morning of day 5.

ganda la pass

isabel and i before the trek on day 2!

The 9-day trek through various parts of the Indus Valley and the Markha Valley was one of the most challenging things I have ever done. It required not only a huge amount of physical agility and fitness, but a phenomenal amount of psychological strength. Believe me when I say this: Life during those 9 days became so much easier when I realised that putting a smile on my face and having a positive attitude was half the battle won. We walked for up to 12 hours each day, completely unaware of the weather circumstances we'd have to face on any given day. Ladakhi weather is truly bipolar; it could hail for an hour, stay sunny for lunchtime and then rain until dusk (which it did), and we'd have to be prepared to deal with such huge weather extremes. We walked up mountains and then down again, rolled up our pants to cross rivers (I'm guilty of taking the easy way out and piggybacking some of my larger guy friends!), and in a certain extreme circumstance, we even got down on our asses and slid down a fatal vertical slope. At the end of it, we were all in serious need of a good scrub in a hot shower, a huge meal and a proper bed - and thankfully, that's exactly what we got. 


Being away from the city and all it's superficial distractions for 18 days was more cleansing and refreshing than I ever imagined. To strip our lives down to the bare minimum and only use/take what we really need left all of us a great deal more humble, more content, and more appreciative of the immense luxuries that are readily available to us at home. I never thought I'd say that not showering for 9 days straight would be beneficial in any way, but I learned so much during our time in Ladakh and the memories I made there will stay with me for the rest of my life.
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Hope everyone's having a beautiful summer!

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