Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Vintage clothing

So... I've stupidly purchased alot of vintage clothing that doesn't even fit me. Don't you hate it when you find something you really like but its so massive and there's always nowhere you can go try it on? So even though the clothes I bought were 5X bigger than my actual size, I buy it anyway, because I like it, and I'll figure how I'm going to wear an XXL shirt later on. 


I'm starting to clean out my closet now as I'm moving back to Sydney in less than 2 months.. *sob* So the first load of vintage clothing is now on ebay... 

These are my favourites that I'm secretly hoping no one will bid for because I want to keep them for myself... even if they are extremely large on me. 





 I love this pastel blue sweater so so much! I studded it on the shoulders (the studs cost so much!) and it looks so good! Sadly, its so freaking big on me! I wish I could just shrink it cause then it'll be perfect. 

I'm also wearing American Apparel Easy Jean. I bought the disco pants but returned them because the material was too shiny so then I bought the jean version on ASOS a few weeks ago. I love how they suck in all my fat around my tummy area.. seriously... I have a flat stomach when I wear these jeans.

They're so expensive though!! Like when they arrived, I immediately planned to return them because I couldn't justify paying so much for a pair of jeans, but I secretly hid it and 2 weeks later ripped off the tag so I couldn't return it. :(



Don't you just love the studded detailing on it? I seriously think that studs are being overdone at the moment, but I think these studs are quite subtle..





  Arghh and I LOVE this blouse... it feels soo silky and luxurious. I bought it at a vintage fair and as soon as I saw it I knew I was getting it no matter the price or fit. Sadly its a size 18 and the sleeves are just way too long!


Anyways, in other news I recently purchased Nighthawk boots by Office. Yes, they are the Chloe dupes... I love them! They're so comfy and I needed them in my life because I don't have many flat boots. Inserting an Iphone pic because I just cant be bothered.


The wedged sneaker has been a total craze lately and I said to myself I'd never get them because 1) I don't wear sneakers and 2) I just couldn't accept that a sneaker & wedge could ever be combined.

But.... I went on my weekly trip to Primark (seriously, I just can't get enough of this shop) and I saw these white and gold wedged sneakers and really liked them.. they weren't that comfy, but at £15, what do you expect?



Later on I went to Office shoes to return some shoes and saw the Jeffrey Campbell black version and knew I had to try them on. When I tried them on, they fit like a glove and I seriously felt I was walking on air.. they were so comfortable! but at £60... I didn't want to spend so much on a pair of sneakers and I needed to rethink my spending habits... I decided not to get them, but am slightly regretting it. I can't even find the exact ones online anymore!

Still deciding whether to keep the Primark ones though. Should I...? Shouldn't I?


Saturday, November 24, 2012

Istanbul, Turkey!


I just came back from a trip to Istanbul.. so sad to be back.. it was so awesome there! The baklava there is sooo yummy! Regretting that I didn't bring back more.. 


Half of Istanbul is in Asia and the other part is in Europe. It's so cool! However, most of the touristy sites are on the European side. 

 We took a ferry one day to the Asian side to Kadikoy to go to a market and it was so cheap! There are virtually no tourists around, all locals. There are hundreds of stalls! Alot of stalls were selling Topshop, Zara, H&M, Mango clothes on big tables for pretty cheap! Only problem is making your way through the crowd to the tables!

  A visit to Istanbul is not complete without visiting one of the Bazaars, either the Spice one or the famous Grand Bazaar. The salesmen are much more friendlier and less in your face than Marrakech. But.. I'll never be able to avoid the "Konnichiwa, Japan! Korea! Singapore! etc. etc." The stalls are much cleaner but only problem is that everyone sells the same things! It's hard to find unique things that are cheap here.. :(

At the end of the trip I came home with nearly a kilo of Turkish Delight, a bag of Apple tea, bag of Turkish coffee, rugs, cushion covers, a tray of Baklava, Turkish fairyfloss, a lot of clothes and other misc. souvenirs! My backpack was so heavy on the flight home! 







 The Blue Mosque & Hagia Sofia are massive, beautifully designed structures and are a must visit when in Istanbul!







 What I found was amazing is that there are cats everywhere! I don't know where all the cats come from but they are seriously everywhere you go.. and suprisingly well fed.





 We also went down to Eminönü which is where all the ferries are and tried a fish sandwich from one of the boats there. 



 Even though its cheap, sadly I didn't really like it. There was fried fish, a bit of lettuce and heaps of raw onion.





 Haha I just got back and am already planning my next trip... Budapest maybe..?



Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Happy birthday!!


It was my boyfriend's 21st birthday yesterday and since he loves eating cookies I made a cookie monster cake for him!


Nom nom I love cookies




Europe trip part 2!! *pic heavy!*

Helloo!! I'm finally back from a month long holiday in Paris-Venice-Florence-Pisa-Rome-Barcelona-Madrid-Lisbon-Marrakech. Being back in the UK sucks a little bit cause its freezing cold already! I'm missing blue skies and the warmth from the sun... 

First stop... Paris! Paris is beautiful! Everything about it is classy, chic and so French!



In the department store, Galeries Lafayette

The queue to the Louvre in blistering heat is not funny...!

Managed to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa

A day trip out to Chateau de Versailles is a must! The only downside is the crowd... we waited around nearly 2 hours just to get in but luckily the admission was free for EU students... hehe. Inside, it was hot and stuffy and it was nearly impossible to take good photos becuase of the amount of people in there and tour groups!




 The Chateau gardens were vast in size and very very beautiful. 








 Back to Paris for some more sightseeing...





Another site worthing visiting in Paris is Les Catacombes. Definately a different experience and very eerie and cold inside...




 Macaroons !


 Next stop... Venice.

I love how in Venice instead of roads, they have water and instead of cars they have boats. Pretty cool. 











You can take a boat out to the island of Burano where the houses are all different coloured. So pretty!!



 Next stop Florence. 

If you're ever in Florence, you have to see the David statue. It's amazing and the sheer size of it will take your breath away! 

A replica... you must see the real deal





Want !
We took a train to Pisa to check out the legendary Leaning Tower.

 Next... Rome! 
I studied Ancient Rome last semester so it was pretty interesting seeing what remains from the Ancient world. The Vatican was also a very interesting place to visit and learn about the religious roots of the city.


















So many people at the Spanish Steps!

Trevi Fountain


Heart shaped pasta! So tempted to buy...




After a short flight we reached Barcelona! I looove the atmosphere in Spain and I love the paella, tapas and Sangria! 

A must-see is La Sagrada Familia a breath-taking church designed by Antoni Gaudi. You have not seen anything like this before! After visiting numerous traditional cathedrals during our Europe trip, La Sagrada Familia is very different.










The waterfront area in Barcelona is also very beautiful.
 



We then hopped on a short flight to Madrid, the capital of Spain.


Followed by Lisbon, Portugal.
When I read about all the pickpockets and gypsy gangs in Lisbon who target tourists, it made me quite scared and cautious! Luckily I didn't get robbed or attacked and Lisbon is a very beautiful city.  


When in Lisbon, take a tram out to Belem and try some famous Belem pastries which are delicious Portuguese tarts. 











An elevator!!
 After farewelling Europe, we arrvied in Marrakech.

Marrakech is a bustling city filled with culture. I've never been to a city like it before and it was an eye opening experience. When you first arrive it can be quite daunting trying to dodge the motorbikes and get away from the faux guides. The sales techniques can really be in your face, especially in the souks where nearly everything can be bought. Being an asian tourist in Marrakech can be a funny experience. The first few days I was extremely annoyed with all the salespeople in your face screaming "Japan! Konnichiwa! Arigato!" and when you shake your head, they yell "China! Korea! Vietnam! Malaysia! Singapore" until you have a response to any of the above countries. But nope, no one would ever guess Australia. -.-






We took a 3 day/2 night desert trip to get away from the busy city. Definately the best experience and worth every penny.  You get to see all the little villages outside the city and gain an insight into how Berber people live.















Natural refridgeration



One part of the trip was camel trekking in the Sahara desert and sleeping under the stars. 






We watched the sunset on our camels which was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 



Desert fashion
 The souks are a whole new shopping experience. You can't linger too long on something unless you are really committed to buy because salespeople can be very in-your-face and their actions can be borderline harassment, but I did find some nice shopkeepers. You can find almost everything in the souks! Lights, poufs, leathergoods, shoes, tea sets, spices, EVERYTHING. And theres one catch... there are no prices! You must haggle for everything!! It can be very exhausting because you tell them a price and they laugh and tell you a price and it just goes on forever! You don't even know if you are getting a bargain or being ripped off! They will take 50% off in the first 10 minutes! Crazy.. !During the first few days, my inexperienced bargaining skills meant that shopkeepers took advantage of me and I ended up paying quite a bit for my purchases. By the last day I had improved alot but was exhausted and sick of shopping in the souks! I bought so much stuff including a tea set, a silver pouf, lights, toy leather camels, Aladdin's lamp and Argan oil.





The food stalls..
 Seriously... travelling with just one backpack for a whole month is real hard... especially with all the awesome European shops and tempting souvenirs such as Venetian masks and Moroccan tea sets. In the end I just had to buy checked-in baggage from Ryanair because I went a little crazy with souvenir shopping!! 

But yay! I've travelled to every continent (except for Antarctica) before my 21st birthday! :)

That's all the travelling for now... I'm hoping to go to Turkey but university starts next week which is half scary and half exciting. I'm hoping this semester will be better than the last.