The EcoChic Design Award is known for challenging emerging fashion designers to create new pieces with minimal textile waste. They’ve recently announced their ten finalists for the 2015/2016 cycle! These ten designers have completed their six piece minimal waste collections and are set to unveil their designs for the grand finale in January. The photoshoot was held last week and each design was shot by talented photographer, Tim Wong, and modelled by none other than competition ambassador, Bonnie Chen.
In addition to using eco-friendly techniques, these chosen finalists (representing seven countries across Asia and Europe) also created new materials from intriguing sources like burnt fabric, hotel bed sheets and bridal dresses. With methods like traditional hand weaving, embroidery, knitting, 3D cutting and even hand painting, their designs are both eco-friendly and stylish.
When King told me that I’ll be joining her to visit a new cafe that serves up healthy wholesome goodness, I was ecstatic! I love salads and cold-pressed juices. I have a particular friend that calls me a goat whenever I take my greens. Ugh. I shall just embrace this healthy #goatlife and make my parents proud for having instilled this good discipline.
Goodness Greens Cafe is a new venture that differs from the usual coffee joints around the neighborhood. They offer an extensive menu of vegan soups, salad bowls, smoothie bowls and cold-pressed juices. We were spoilt for choice! I think we spent a good 15 minutes trying to decide what we each wanted.
We really loved the interior of the cafe. It was minimalistic, spacious and very cosy. The long paneled windows allowed natural sunlight to light up the space. Perfect for that Instagram shot(s). CLICK TO READ MORE
So I was at the mall over the weekend and there were throngs of people everywhere. It was crazy! It only dawned on me that everyone was there to shop for new clothes in conjunction with the Lunar New Year when I repeatedly heard tacky Chinese New Year songs blasting from every shop.
Sorry, but I just can’t embrace the Chinese in me when it comes to these festive songs. They’re just simply not my cup of tea.
Another thing that I never understood about Chinese culture during the New Year is buying new sets of lingerie – but there were so many people doing just that! The number of aunties crowding at the lingerie department and hounding the sales assistants were overwhelming.
All I wanted to do was to get ONE black bra but it was just too difficult. So, it was great news to hear that Fashion Valet will be launching an intimates category on their site!
You can now shop for lingerie in preparation for Chinese New Year in the comfort of your home, without having to leave your nest and face the crowds at shopping malls. Yessssss! *wipes imaginary tear* CLICK TO READ MORE
Ahhh… It’s been awhile. Are you ready for more of my Madrid/Barcelona adventures? Are we comfortable now? Let’s begin…
After a very, very good sleep the night before, my second day in Madrid consisted of a full-day walking tour to the most popular tourist spots. It may sound boring to be visiting tourist spots but they’re all important places in Madrid (you can’t say you’ve been to Madrid unless you’ve set foot to them), like Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace of Madrid), Mercado de San Miguel (Market of San Miguel), Barrio de las Letras (Literary Quarter), Caixa Forum and Tablao Flamenco Villa Rosa. Yes, we WALKED to all these places. In the scorching heat of Madrid summer. Not complaining though, I’m always ready to party for KBF! Rain or shine!
I read all about the summer heat in Spain, and Siow May (rep from Qatar Airways who flew me there on Business Class) warned me about it as well before I left Malaysia resulting in me packing my tiniest clothes. Honestly, I only packed crop tops, sports bras and small summer dresses in my luggage. And everytime I showed up at the lobby before we headed out somewhere…
Mavis: Scantily dressed again I see…
Baby: I know, I’m so smart! Pattrica: Yes, you are. I like it!
We were ferried by a chartered bus from Chamartin to Plaza Mayor. There, we met up with our tour guide who is a very sweet old lady but boyyyy, that woman can walk ALL day.
Wei Ling – rep from Qatar Airways, Baby (ME!) and journalist from the Philippines, Arlene.
All of us walked to the Royal Palace of Madrid from Plaza Mayor. It was quite a trek but totally worth it as you get to check out little lanes, how the locals spend their day, take note of shops to return to after your tour ends, and admire architectural details on each building, and catch street performers!
Note: If you’re planning to go to Madrid this coming summer (which I think you totally should), know that you have a lot of choices on how you want to see Madrid. You can opt for the walking tour (tiring, yes, but I totally recommend it), bicycle tour, Segway tour, or of course, the tour bus (you’ll miss out a lot though).
Once I walked into the palace’s compound I said to myself, “Wow! I’m in a palace! A place where I belong!” and totally giggled at my own thought (I’m weird that way).
It’s really hard to pay attention to the tour guide when everything around you is just so MAGNIFICENT! I tried though, and learnt that the Royal Palace of Madrid is not the official residence of His Majesty the King of Spain. The royal family resides in the Zarzuela Palace just outside of Madrid. Nevertheless, official banquets, state ceremonies and other important events do take place at the Royal Palace of Madrid, for example, the wedding banquet of Price Felipe and Letizia Ortiz back in 2004.
The ceiling at the palace’s entrance where the Grand Staircase is. The frescoes on the ceiling is by an Italian Rococo painter, Corrado Giaquinto entitled Religion Protected by Spain. It’s soooo pretty. Too bad we couldn’t take any pictures inside. I would have loved to show how grand the tapestries and frescoes are, but alas, I only have it in my mind right now. Sorry, guys.
The Royal Palace of Madrid occupies 13 hectares, has 870 windows, 240 balconies (!!!) and 44 staircases. It has a central courtyard, and another courtyard on the south side (the Plaza de Armas) which is the principal entrance to the palace. There are so many rooms with each being of different theme and colour. The interior decoration is so majestic, every single thing in there screamed opulence- Spanish marble, mahogany doors and windows, stucco, and important works of art- particularly frescoes by artists like Corrado Giaquinto, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Anton Raphael Mengs, Francisco Bayeu y Subìas just to name a few.
I think sex is so important in a healthy relationship
and it’s one of the main reasons one is IN a relationship right?
Because you can’t keep your hands off said person? ??
Let’s be real, we were all born to have sex and procreate (well, most of us, i’ll try not to go off-tangent with the topic of asexuality and those who swear off sex for spiritual reasons).
But while it’s all fun and games, it’s so freaking important to practice safe sex so you don’t accidentally get pregnant nor STDs for that matter. (It all stops being fun when you suddenly find yourself with a child you aren’t ready for ??)
I know people aren’t shy about having sex, or talking about sex (i’m definitely not!)
but it’s ironic how they get shy about having responsible sex i.e. doing the dirty and i don’t mean the dirty in bed.
I mean the dirty work of buying the condoms.
It’s still so surprising how SHY some are when it comes to buying condoms and having responsible sex.
I still laugh at a story about how L and Y were in a pharmacy. Things were looking up with L and her boyfriend going on a date that night. Y was just temaning L buy condoms. L picked out a giant box of condoms and while paying for it at the cashier, pointed to Y and said clearly, “It’s for her.” Y was like, “wtf… ????”
Designed by: Cora Bellotto (Spain – Italian) (left) and Wang Di (Mainland China) (right) CLICK TO READ MORE
