Style Tips for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is just around the corner so I have taken some time to create a couple of looks which I like for this occassion:

Hepburn Dress in Black from www.laceandbuttons.com

Coral Rose Earrings from www.okajewelry.com

Red Mid Pollyanna Patent Leather Bag from www.sole2sole.sg

Concealed Platform Pump from www.fantasiawear.com

As black may be perceived as a taboo color during the Chinese New Year, this look is more suitable for women who are not too particular about customs . I have chosen red accessories to match the black dress as I believe it will "neutralize" the effect of any bad luck (although I am not too superstitious and don't really have any qualms wearing black). The red accessories complement the black dress pretty well and this combination is classy and somewhat sexily sophisticated at the same time. Not to mention that red is definitely perceived to be an auspicious color during this festive season.

Star Gaze Mirror Dress in White from www.laceandbuttons.com

Betsey Johnson Earrings, Crystal Star Stud from www1.macys.com

Tiffany & Co. Star Link Bracelet from www.9jewelry.com

Star Shaped Clutch, Therapy, from www.houseoffraser.co.uk

I thought the second look is really interesting and creative as the theme revolves around one of the most beautiful natural phenomenon, stars. I really love the unique symmetrical prints and acrylic crystal embellishments on the Star Gaze Mirror dress, which makes it so pretty! Also really adore the Therapy Star Shaped Clutch as it is really special and eye-catching. I would have gotten one if it was not already sold out! 

Chinese New Year is a really great time to dress up and play mix and match, so do have fun doing so. Hope you can draw some inspiration from the above!

The Sights And Tastes Of Malacca

As mentioned in my previous article, I was at Malacca to attend a wedding and finally got an excuse to visit this charming little historical landmark in Malaysia. Time was really short so we wasted no time in exploring the place, especially the local cuisine!

Malacca is kind of famous for its chicken rice balls so the very first place we visited for lunch is the Hainamko Chicken Rice Restaurant located within a 10mins walk from the Bayview Hotel Malacca, where we stayed.

Lunch at Hainamko Chicken Rice Restaurant

It was the first time I tried the rice balls so I was pretty excited. However, my companions and I find that the taste of the rice and chicken in general is a little bland and not as fragrant as what we can find in some chicken rice stalls in Singapore (e.g. Wee Nam Kee at Novena). We also tried the chicken rice at one of the branches of the well-known Famosa Chicken Rice Ball restaurant, but reach the same conclusion. I think the taste of the chicken rice in Malacca may be more suitable for people who do not like very strong flavors and prefer something lighter.

For dinner that night, we visited the Nancy's Kitchen Restaurant recommended by my friend's roommate who happens to be from Malacca. This restaurant has a very modest appearance, unlike some of the restaurants in the same area which look more high-end. However, it is a very well-known restaurant as it serves authentic Peranakan food.

Authentic home-cooked style food at Nancy's Restaurant, stategically located at Jonker Street Area

If you love nyonya spices and flavors, you will love the food serve at this restaurant! My personal favorite is the popiah, which is very rich in tasty filling with a hint of mint leaves. A unique and tangy dish is the tamarind chicken, which is perfect for people who like sweet and sour dishes. I did not try the spicy Chicken Candlenut (Nyonya Curry Chicken) as I was having a bad cough but heard from my companions that the dish was excellent.

After attending my friend's church wedding the next day, we decided to do some sight-seeing in Malacca.

Heavy traffic at Jonker Street Area. Chinese lanterns as decorations to welcome the approaching Chinese New Year

Another unique boutique hotel in Malacca

A picture with my girlfriends, Masako and Kai, outside an alfresco restaurant

The shopping area at Jonker Street is make up of streets of traditional looking shophouses, selling all sort of  items, including but not limited to accessories, Chinese New Year snacks and decorations, toys, clothes and peranankan shoes.

Some interesting street style snacks not seen in Singapore:

Ice-cream in the shape of an egg

Stone grilled egg and ham

Apart from the streets of shop-houses, Malacca housed quite a number of well preserved building and monument architecture. Some examples:

 

 A rustic watermill

A brick fortress with cannons 

A building with beautiful poetic phrases written in chinese calligraphy style

The next restaurant that I am going to recommend is a MUST visit place for anyone with a sweet tooth:

 

A lot of people queuing up to purchase the signature mille crepe at the restaurant

The cheese cake is good but the mille crepes are to die for!

Tiramisu Mille Crepe. Just one of the flavors out of many others.  Photo taken at the display counter.

The Nadeje Patisserie (at Mahkota Parade) specializes in mille (i.e. a French word which means "a thousand") crepes, a French cake made of many crepe layers. It comes in a variety of flavors such as tiramisu, green tea, strawberry, double chocolate, original, banana chocolate and berries etc.. We were really spoilt for choices and if each of us have two mouths and two stomachs, we would probably order all the flavors! In the end, we ordered a total of four different flavored mille crepes and a cheesecake to share. And I have to say that the taste is super fantastic! The crepes are creamy in texture and melt smoothly in the mouth, with just the right level of sweetness. In fact, the crepes are so good that when they were served, we were all so excited that we forgot to took pictures of our orders and just went ahead to savor the cakes! We only remembered that we haven't taken any pictures after we have finished eating (oomps!). Definitely recommended for all who visit Malacca!

Last but not least, here is another famous Peranankan restaurant I will like to recommend:

We were lucky to reach Donald & Lily early because a long queue was formed 10 minutes after we were seated. This eatery has been serving authentic Nyonya food since 1980, meaning that it has a history of more than 30 years!

From top: Mouth-watering Laksa, Mee Siam, Rojak and Ayam Pong Teh (Nyonya-Style Braised Chicken)

I tried the Ayam Pong Teh and really like the sweet and savory dish, especially since it has all my favorite ingredients including potatoes and mushrooms. The sauce tastes quite unique and upon some research, I found out that it is made from taucheo (fermented soy bean sauce) and gula Melaka (palm sugar). This should not be too complicated a dish, so I may look for the recipe and try to cook it one of these days..Ha!

Group photo after a hearty meal

We really have a great time in Malacca but due to the time constraint, there are still a lots of places we have yet to explore. Till next time!

A Beautiful Wedding At Malacca

I was invited to attend a wedding of one of my favorite girlfriends at Malacca a couple of weeks ago. As I have never been to Malacca before, I was quite excited about this trip and was really glad to have visited despite having a very serious cough at the time of my visit.

Upon arrival and after a short break, we went straight to the hotel which my girlfriend, Penny, was residing at before the wedding. Penny had to stay at a hotel as she is from Kuala Lumpur, but holding her wedding at Malacca since her husband is a native there.

Courtyard @ Heeren Hotel in Malacca

Courtyard @ Heeren is a quaint boutique hotel that is delightful beyond words. The intricate and beautiful architecture is infused with a strong cultural touch, combining Peranakan style with a modern twist. There are only fifteen rooms in this hotel and we are told to book one month in advance if we want to stay there for our next visit to avoid disappointment! All the rooms come with different designs so we are really interested to explore each and every room if we have a chance to do so in future.

As Penny's "sisters" (also know as Tze Mui's) for her wedding, two of my girlfriends and I arrived at the hotel early the next morning to join in the fun of the pre-arranged Chinese Wedding Door Games.

The groom at the farthest left

One of the games required the grooms' "brothers" or Hing Dai's to wear adult diapers with a character on each diaper. The characters joined together to make up a love expression in words

After a series of fun and hilarious games, the wedding ensemble finally make it to the bride's room. The groom professed his love for his bride outside the room

A kiss to seal the love between the couple

The lovely couple posing for the camera on the enchanting spiral staircase in the hotel room

Group photos with the "sisters" and "brothers" respectively

After a heart-warming, fun and joyous morning, we proceeded to St Peter's Church where the couple held their church wedding. This Church is worth mentioning as it is a historical building and the oldest church in Malaysia. It is built by the descendents of the Portuguese after religious freedom was proclaimed by the Dutch over Malacca in 1702.
 

A picture that reminds me of the time we spent in New Zealand, where the four of us took our undergraduate course. Taken inside St Peter's Church

The wedding march

One of the super cute flower boys

Group picture outside the Church

We really had a great time at the wedding and I wish with all my heart that all my girlfriends will find happiness in their marriage and relationships, as Penny has found after many years of courtship with her now, husband. Though there can be many ups and downs along the way, I have found from my own experience that marriage is a rewarding journey and at the end of the day, I believe that true bliss is when you can grow old together with your significant other and continue to love and hold each other till the very end.

More about my Malacca trip in the next article!

Just My Thoughts On Friendship

There is nothing better than catching up with close friends and otherwise, your loved ones.

Having stepped on the path of entrepreneurship some eleven months ago, my days have often been filled with a great deal of stress, disappointment that things are not moving as fast as expected and even anger with how my working partners are making matters more difficult than should be (more about this is another post).

Time to catch up with close friends and family then become a buffer against all these negativity, as I shared with them my life and poured out whatever stress I was going through. We are living in an age where it seems that work and money is all that matters, without which we fear that our standard of living will drop drastically, that we won't be able to have our own family, or provide the best for our children. It really does help to have a support group of some sort, so that we can keep in perspective that life is worth living and remind us to smell the roses in the air.

Just before Christmas, my husband and I catch up with a group of closed friends at Wan Chai Hong Kong cafe at Bugis. We do not meet each other often as we are all so busy and to arrange a time which fits in everybody's schedule can be quite challenging. As such, I really appreciate the time when we can get together and that is usually a few days before some significant holiday, like Christmas or Chinese New Year.

Great Catch-Up Session

Really glad to see that everybody is doing well, although we all have our fair share of problems. Thank you for being my friends and if you are reading this, please know that I really appreciate all of you!

Lace And Buttons New Year Charm Collection Part I and II

Lace And Buttons New Year Charm Collection Part I and II is out now.

Among the collection are these beautiful red-themed dresses suitable for the upcoming Lunar New Year.

Other colours are available too for your choosing.

Check out our new designs here.