The heart is a bloom

 

Summer has finally arrived! I am really glad I pulled through this academic year :) This summer,

I endeavour to : Think a little more, learn more skills, pick up the guitar! Sing and record more songs. In fact I have a gig (tentatively) coming up at broun cafe soon, and many many youtube collaborations and covers in the works. Wish I could share it with you guys, but the time isn't ripe yet! Will do it soon enough though...

 Am also intending to spend many afternoons lazing my the pool, reading good books. Caught Norwegian Wood yesterday, it was really a drag. Heard the novel was way better though. Gonna give the novel a chance and read it! Watched the film adaptation with a couple of friends who were taking World Politics as well, and they all found it disappointing too. It achieved critical acclaim in some film festival though. Never trust the critics.

 

Shop more of course as well! Music is my first love, dressing up is my second. Just so you know, I got dibs that TOPSHOP dressup collection is arriving in our stores 26th April! Go google it its a really pretty (and exclusive) collection.

 

Spend more time with my loved ones and write to those I dont get to meet regularly! Gonna make a few penpals & write to them! My blog is also going to go through a facelift sometime soon, maybe after I come back from the Philippines in late may. (will be departing on the 1st of may for a community service trip.) I've been blessed with quite a number of opportunities this year, It's a good time to give back. 

 

MY OOTD (outfit of the day). A Topshop f21 bershka combination.

Pictures(excluding the one at the tommy hilfiger event i was invited to 2 wks ago) were taken at the National Museum of Singapore for the Singapore Biennale. It's pretty good! Go check it out. Free entrance for students :)

Heading to 1-Altitude for a party soon :) To be honest I didnt intend to write a blog entry today, just intended to post these visuals so I'm glad at how this post turned out (Notice how each paragraph is somewhat related to the picture above? ;) ) Before I go though I have a couple of random things to ask, and I would be really glad if you could help me out by perhaps tell me what you guys like to see in a blog? This space is my own, but I would greatly appreciate your input, I mean you already wasted 5 mins of your time reading this so the least I could do is make the reading enjoyable for you right? ;) hehe lemme know! (comment, formspring, tweet me or whatever, Im sure you'd have your ways)

When you go to blogs do you look at:

A: Photos of chiobus

B: Good insightful writing

C:makan places, recommendations

D: Video Logs (VLOGS)

E: everyday life?

If you wanna get to know me well, however, you gotta know more about my past. That would be a pretty emotional entry and I'm intending to write about it soon, complete with pictures... Just give me some time to collect my thoughts!  To the girl(I presume) that asked about the rings on my formspring... I will get back to you soon! The directions to the shop are pretty complicated so I might just have to make another trip there to specially take photos of how to get there for you :P

wait for it

 I will be back when the summer holidays begin on 18th april :)

TOPSHOP : My favourite High Street Brand!

 

It's no secret why Topshop is ahead of its fashion game when it comes to pleasing their customers.

Last Saturday, I was invited to attend an exclusive English Breakfast event at Knightsbridge and got to

know more about their 4 main trends for SS/11 and I gotta say that they have outdone themselves once again!

I have the baseball jacket in red!

One of the reasons why topshop remains my favourite highstreet go-to is because of their personal shopper service. It is highly customised to tailor to each individual's needs and I was so excited when I found out about this that I went ahead to book one for myself as an after-exam treat! 

Will let you guys in about it in detail when the time permits. This has been one of my most exciting daytime events to date so I really cant wait to fill you in! :) Thanks once again Topshop for the invite :)

Couple of items I got that day!

 

Orange Buckle Side Paperbag Waist Skirt - This would look so yummy in knee high socks and oxfords!

This peach asymmetrical top!

Beaten Metal Torq

 

A floral headband I wore to school today from their FREEDOM line! :) 

Also, I love the style scout initiative because it just reinforces the point that fashion is not just about going to the store and getting your outfits based solely on what is trendy, it is a whole experience in itself and I love that Topshop is trying to advocate their brand as a lifestyle with the style scout blog and the personal shopper service. Props to them!

P.S photo credits to quickrantsofsherley! Couldnt take good pictures of the style talk because I was busy shopping/nomming at the back ;)

We package ourselves in plastic

It's amazing what you can learn from strangers you haven't met. Had a quick chat on fb with one of my youtube listeners and he told me that I struck him as someone who's really cool and popular.

Am I really? I read somewhere that your facebook profile is a reflection of what you want people to perceive you as. I find it really believable because it is indeed something you can easily "engineer". Some interesting pictures and wallposts later, you become somewhat of a mini internet "celebrity", at least within your online social network. I might have 820 friends on facebook (and I am already somewhat selective) but can I even claim to know all of them personally?

It's time to live a little, people. I need to go out there and meet new people in reality and not allow my online "presence" to unnecesarily confine me. You should too. As a classmate succinctly put forth yesterday, "What's the point of video-chatting with someone when you could always go out and have a nice (real) cuppa coffee with them? "

And so, last saturday, I lived

 

Last Sat at Hard Rock Cafe for corne's 21st :) 

Can't wait to see you again and hangout like old times :)

P.s. I know I owe you a lot of posts, Brooks brothers, corne's 21st etc. I will actually edit this particular post a little when I have the time to include more pics/details of his birthday at Hard Rock Cafe! And to the person who asked me on my formspring about the vintage rings I will update about that soon as well! maybe after the exams :)

On a somewhat related note, I need a study buddy/gang in school. Exams are coming up in 2 weeks and whenever I'm in the library i'm mostly alone. :( I keep such a low profile in school you have no idea!

STARRY EYED

 

Happy St Patrick's day everyone!(okay technically it was last night haha)

I have many things to update you guys about. Was invited to the official opening of Brooks Brothers

at knightsbridge yesterday. Will be heading for a good friend's 21st at hard rock cafe tomorrow and will be performing there as well! Exciting stuff. 

I won the CATALOG Magazine wonderwoman makeup mini contest so I will be meeting makeup extraordinnaire, Beno Lim who's worked on the likes of GAGA and Fergie, so that will make for awesome blogging material!

I will also be attending Topshop's english breakfast event next week so stay tuned boys and girls.

Quite a number of events and parties to attend, but that is not to say I will let my academic work slip!

Received my graded summary sheet for my POSC mod and I got highest in class! I am one happy energiser bunny.

 The exams are drawing near and I have to get started on my 2.5k word essay so this is just a short post to tell you guys that I am keeping well! XX 

Next entry will be for the boys, and here's a sneak preview:

 

Just one ensemble of the spring summer wardrobe for Brooks Brothers. Yep there were models in store last night! If I were to draw comparisons I'd liken them to the more grown up and genteel cousin of Fred Perry perhaps?

Johnnie Walker Jet Black VIP Circuit party 2011

Last night I was invited to my first Johnnie Walker event. It was held at red dot museum, and boy, did they pull out all the stops to completely overhaul the place! Nothing was told to us about the venue until the night itself, where we found out that it was going to be held at red dot museum! The concept of the party was as such: 3 cities in one location. Just keep walking was my motto for the night, and the party didnt end for me until the wee hours of the morning, all thanks to Johnnie ;)

My Outfit for the night:

Topshop corset, Miss Selfridge pleated skirt

Bag: P.S.

Ankle Boots: Far East Plaza

Makeup for the night: 

Was trying my best to channel SQ Girl with my tied up hair with pearl earrings and lipstick.

What's your verdict? Pass/Fail? ;)

Met Christel when I arrived! She was there with some of her Malaysian blogger friends :)

The customary "im making my entrance" billboard shot

Picture Credits : Here 

After we made our way inside, we were issued these black wristlets which we could use to scan at various "checkpoints" to let our facebook/twitter friends know where we were located. Pretty cool.

Using the Ipads to scan and register the wristlets!

Spot my name: I have literally arrived!

Pictures of my party people :

With Vanessa who was really sweet :) ( 987 fm's ultra talented Miss Vandetta)

Reiee who had on a really pretty dress!

Fay of withlovefay (fay)me! (Sorry couldnt help it :p) 

With my partners in crime: Bel and Hui Yi and not forgetting the super effervescent Rohai (Straits Times Urban)

Babes from Taiwan ( I actually really love the candidness of this pic! )

  belv& HY downing it !

Love this picture! So hot!

With Dawn who needs no further introduction ;p

Couple of Angmoh dudes tried to chat us up at the event and we ended up going to Ku De Ta at marina bay sands all expenses paid!!! (No strings attached, of course) 

Pictured with some other dude we met at Ku De Ta. Nice and friendly italian(?) Guy. Pretty effeminate too! hahaha kept wanting to introduce us to ladyboys and I of course jumped at the chance!

The view from the top at ku de ta was breathtaking. Entry inclusive of a drink costs 50SGD. Pretty damn steep but worth a try though

Popped a bottle of Moet, what a great way to end the night 57 storeys high :)

I had so much fun last night! Hope to get invited to the Johnnie Walker f1 party next year too that would be totally awesome. Stay tuned for my next entry. Lest you think I am a wild party girl I will be letting you in on the less hedonistic side of me 0:)

you were Born This Way

My Born this way cover. Love the message behind it. It took me a good 19 years to realise that I have to love someone before I can be loved by anyone else. Have a great friday evening guys :) I spent mine traipsing Orchard Road with my beloved <3

Had a really fulfilling day today. Will let you guys in on it tomorrow. Im preparing to go to sleep now, Goodnight!

Music keeps me going

Hi guys, my 1st ever youtube collaboration video is out! Do check it out if you havent already...Meanwhile I thank you all for your support thus far :) I am just starting out but I can hope I can share my love for music with you guys in the months and years to come!

Our video has also been featured on STOMP! This is very exciting news :)
If this is your first time here, do check out my youtube channel at
www.youtube.com/jklzxcqwerty

I will be uploading another song there tomorrow night so please stay tuned! In the meanwhile have a great night's rest. Today did'nt go very well for me but im so encouraged by all the love and support shown by my friends

Allow me to leave you with a thought:
When you have a passion, keep going. Don't let the naysayers get you down because your greatest enemy is oftentimes yourself.

Much love,
(This is really random but I appeared in an ad for maybelline in a magazine late last year haha! )
Mel

P.s. you can expect more interesting entries this weekend when I'm relatively free-er :p

Running from tomorrow with our lips locked.

Received my first and only midterm result today. I seriously thought I was gonna do really badly but I got 11/15 for it, 12 being the highest in his classes. Im satisfied but there's nothing much to be complacent about, seeing that everyone's marks were so close.
In other news, I just got myself a twitter account !follow me to receive real time updates!
My formspring account is www.formspring.me/mellowlim you can drop by to ask me any burning questions you might have as well!

Over the past week, I purchased 2 articles of clothing, this divine topshop white boyfriend blazer, and a simple denim tube dress from herssincerely

Credits: polyvore.com 

I'm posting this picture because I have  a similar off white scallop trimmed top and I have the pink

paperbag shorts as well so i'm definitely gonna try out this look in the near future! Will post pictures when I do hehe 

 There's actually a story behind this dress. Basically when I saw it on the website, I fell in love because the cutting of the dress looked impeccable and I went trigger happy upon seeing it and when I placed an order, I actually indicated I wanted a different dress from the denim dress that I actually wanted and transferred the money because I couldnt wait to get my hands on it.

 Don't ask me how but the ladyboss, Esther was really intuitive and somehow sensed that I wanted to get the denim dress instead of the one that I indicated wrongly and took the trouble of attaching the picture of the dress that I mistakenly indicated in an email and got me to double confirm whether I paid for the correct dress or not. That was when I realised my mistake. She readily offered to refund me the difference in price between the denim dress and the dress I mistakenly ordered which was more expensive. 

After this whole spate of affairs, I decided to change my mind and opt for registered mail instead of normal mail to make sure that the dress landed on my hands safely. But the only problem was, in that case, I had to transfer esther another 20 cents. Esther gladly offered to waive the 20 cents to spare me the trouble of transferring the money again. Although it is a small gesture, I will remember it because these days, its so hard to find such personalised and attentive service in brick and mortar shops, much less online blogshops!

I received my dress 2 days later and was very pleased with the quality of the denim! :)

Affordable clothing, prompt, attentive and sincere customer service. Hers Sincerely truly lives up to its name!

Here's a dress from their latest collection that caught my eye:

 Its a dusty pink toga with an asymmetrical hem! Reminds me of a piece from topshop that is retailing for wayyyy more. Its sold out on the website already. I'm hoping they will open a backorder for it soon!

Because online shopping is always fastest fingers first, to make sure you never miss out on another awesome dress, be sure to sign up for their mailing list for exclusive previews!

http://herssincerely.livejournal.com/

Be sure to follow them on twitter as well!

P.S. This is not a sponsored advertorial. Im only blogging about them because I feel that their service was top notch and deserved some mention. Besides, I will only recommend good things to my readers ;)

REDHEAD

So for those who follow my facebook, you'd probably know via live feed or something that I've dyed my hair red! To be more specific it's a copper base colour with red highlights and I really love it!

Please excuse my chipmunk-ish grin, I am just too happy!
Had it done at Next Salon at Ion Orchard, for free because one of my classmates from secondary school is working as a colour technician there and needed a hair model to test out colours so I became a guinea pig!

 The interior of the salon looks something like that... seems as if they are trying to marry both industrial/victorian elements together

 

It's a pretty nice salon and nice place to getaway from the maddening (shopping) crowd.

I especially love the hair wash area!

I'm glad I've gone red. The only concern I have is the vibrance of the red fading with time if I dont take care of it. 

I did a bit of research online & compiled a list of tips about how to prevent your red hair from fading and here's what I found. Great for people who are on the fence on whether they should go red or not

1) Do not wash hair for 48 hours after dye job

2) Wash hair with COLD water subsequently because hot water will strip the red pigments off your hair!

3) Condition often to retain the shine and vibrancy of your hair

4) Invest in a good colour shampoo

5) Avoid sunlight! Apparently sunlight is notorious for fading the red in your hair. Maybe that's the reason why most redheads have flawless porcelain skin anyway!

Now on to an exciting freebie for you readers! Vanessa, one of the stylists is looking for hair models to cut hair for! (Don't worry, you can choose the style you want and you dont have to worry about getting a botched job, she will be supervised by the director plus she's worked 2 years with Toni and Guy before moving on to Next so you have virtually nothing to worry about! ) :) This is a really great opportunity because a haircut with her would otherwise cost $45!

Vanessa will be doing this anytime from next monday-wed

Any of you guys interested in taking up the offer?
Leave a comment and let me know and I'll get back to you. Alternatively, you could drop me an email at mellim8@hotmail.com :)

P.S. Guys can apply too! and NO YOU ARE NOT GAY if you take up this offer, you are saavy! ;)



Next Salon 
Level 3, Ion Orchard
(next to Agnes B)

Life of an undergraduate

It is 3:50 A.M.
I am sorry for owing you guys posts but I got sick midweek plus there are piles of readings and work for me to do.

I promise I will come up with at least one massive entry within the next week to make it all up.

Recess week came and went and Im disappointed at not accomplishing even half of what I set out to do with respect to work and blogging.

Because I feel horrid for allowing my daily readership to dwindle from 1XX viewers/day to a two digit sum, I will win you guys back by telling you where you can find authentic vintage rings for cheap in my next entry!

je ne sais quoi

 How to wear a red lip

Start off, barefaced in the morning. Brush your teeth (this is essential. Yellow teeth wouldn't go with a strong red lip)

Apply concealer and blush. (Please dont overdo it. Your lips will be making the statement for you this time) Apply foundation/powder if you have to. I personally prefer a minimalist approach to make up so I dont own foundation.

 This is the most essential step. Pluck up the courage to apply it over your lips! :) Do it very carefully as any smudges will uglify (is there such a word?) even the most beautiful lips. Tip: If you want the scarlet on your lips to last throughout the day, apply concealer on your lips before putting on the lipstick. This allows your lips to "pop" and more importantly prevents your lips from discolouring after prolonged lipstick wear (I didn't do it this time as I was feeling a little lazy :p)

                                                            
There you have it!

P.S. All the make up Im using in this post is from Topshop. My lippie shade is called "Rio Rio". It's the perfect shade for S/S 2011, I was told! On a side note, the cream blush works like a dream. I love it!

P.P.s Im wearing the miss selfridge top that I blogged about in my previous entry. Love the shoulder cutouts!

Now on to something more personal. Just the other day, I was having a bowl of yong tau foo at the marine parade food court. The usual auntie was selling 4 packets of tissue paper for a dollar. She looked  jaded, and so pitiful. There were worry lines etched all over her weathered face. I teared slightly at the sight. This woman should be enjoying her twilight years. Why was she still doing something like this? Shouldn't her kids be supporting her now?

I would really love to busk on the streets, if only for a day. Knowing the crowd in Singapore, people would probably just walk away, but I'd be glad to be able to even get two seconds of their attention and capture the collective subconsciousness of a subway or a bustling street. It would be such a raw experience and Im sure it'll help me grow as a musician. I would then find the old lady and donate the proceeds of my busking to her.

To anyone reading this, never forget the people and life experiences that have culminated to bring you to where you are today. Always remain grateful. This is something I must constantly remind myself as well.
Material things are transient. I mustn't let this sudden surge of attention get to me.

Will be blogging again tomorrow about my Chinatown adventure with bel and giving you a behind the scenes look at tracyeinny's fashion shoot! (The bosses were really nice and friendly :) )Exciting stuff. Till then, keep safe and goodnight.