Shoestopper #7

Lucky number 7? That number is a hot favourite. Not mine personally, but it's my shoe size. 7.5 is really the perfect fit. However, because alot of normal shoe stores dont stock halves, I have to take either 7 or 8 depending on the store or the shoe style.

Today, we take a break from skyscraping heels as all women eventually have to. Even Victoria Beckham, Posh herself emerge from the airport, much to global shock, in ballet flats last year. Why flats all of a sudden? Because well, I wore one of my new favourites out and the sole is ruined...no thanks to the pouring rain. The water puddles ain't too kind to my shoes =(

Photo credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
Bought from Novo the year before in 2010 from Perth Harbourtown for only AUD10 or AUD5 (I really cannot remember), I only busted it out a few weeks ago. Since then, I wear it almost everyday. Pairing it with just about everything, short of fbts. I like how it instantly makes a very chill outfit slightly more formal, that little bit more corporate. It also shapes and elongates my feet, making it a look slimmer. You can notice the curves of the shoes in the photo!

Sadly, the recent downpours and me inevitably stepping into even the slightest water puddles have ruined it in such a short span of time. I must start looking for a replacement... Just like how I got it to replace my old Mondo white patent pumps/flats. Novo's not as shiny and patent, it's more leather. Stiffer and holds its shape better.

Photo credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
Comparing the both pairs, Mondo got more and more comfortable with each wear. Novo has the better sole here but grip wasn't that good. The thing is, they go with anything and everything and I do love them. Let me wear out more shoes before I am allowed to buy more eh? Back to wearing heels...

Till my next shoe-stopping experience, Mayy xo

twitter.com/mayyb

M's Food Find #13

It's a special post on some of the desserts I went out for the past few outings with cousins and friends. I can promise you there will be alot of chocolate going on ;) First up, NYDC at Holland Village with cousins after Hebe's concert at RWS.

This is Samuel and Eunice's dessert for the night. Chocolate fudge cheesecake with a chocolate sauce and chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips. I like the base of their cheesecake and being able to drench the cheesecake and ice cream scoop with chocolate. Nice work. This is so not a one-person dessert...

This is Celest and my dessert. Celest had to have her beer, and we both ordered the healthiest dessert on the table to share. Carrot cake! We both dislike the walnuts on top of the cream cheese but I liked the cinnamon sprinkling. Not the best carrot cake I had; it was pretty dry, and the stingy cream cheesing icing did not help. So choose the NYDC cheesecakes. They are better to satisfy your sweet tooth. If you want some carrot cake, just go down to The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf round the corner in the village.

Starting from the bottom left hand corner, that is my sister's order of Amaretto. Now for a midnight dessert, that one was good. Not too heavy, not too sweet, not too big a helping. Just enough to sip and laugh along. Like a whiskey on the rocks for me, but non alcoholic. Upper left hand corner sits the mudpie and next to it, the cookie monster crunch. They both look similar, and taste pretty similar. Just different bases where cookie monster has the distinctive Oreo crunch. Another light enough dessert is the mango passion fruit cheesecake or something along that line. Fruity and not too sweet. The tinge of sourness perks you up. The scoop of icecream that came along with that cheesecake was really good too.

After that decadent NYDC night, I met my PW group the next afternoon at vivo for lunch. I have already blogged about the disastrous lunch we had, but here's the good bit I promised. Max Brenner Chocolateria.

Shiyu ordered the chcolate cake which was a lava surprise as well. The plating of this dessert was done very very nicely. It really makes even the boys smile and ready to dive into it. This cake was moist and the chocolatey smell really warfed invitingly around the table. You just cannot stop eating spoonful after spoonful.

The boys each ordered hot chocolate which came in this cute little Hug Mug. The hot chocolate was very very sweet. Both dark and milk versions. It left the boys sick with sweetness. I think it was a little too much and while the hug mug is really cute, it was not pratical for the Singaporean climate. I understand that to have that cup of hot cocoa in winter and wrap your cold fingers around it will be heaven. Here, it was difficult to hold on to the steaming cup and enjoy the drink properly. Skip the hot cocoa and go for a frappe I say.

After having heard so much about the Max Brenner specialty, I just had to order the Suckao. I am normally a milk or white chocolate person. But I ordered the dark version here. It was the right thing to do as it was chocolatey to the right amount without having that sweetness overkill the boys had in their hot chocolate drinks. It wasn't anything to rave about really. But the novelty of watching the chocolate drops melt and stirring in milk and sucking them all out was the draw here. One time, like most experiences, is enough.

And lastly, the dessert I had at The Connoiseur Concerto (tcc) in ION Orchard. Always though tcc stood for the coffee connoiseur, I guess they changed names or something. This desset is called the Chestnut Fairytale (or something to that effect). I also like the plating design here. Out of all the desserts listed here, I really liked this one most. The rectangular slab of chestnut cake was not heavy and not too sweet. The chestnut icecream sandwiched between the thin chocolate discs was satisfying enough after a sushi lunch. I wiped this out in minutes! And really liked the taste of the chestnuts bite after bite. Yums!

Good to always round things up nicely and finish a post on a high note. Here's to a very sweet year ahead for all of you reading! I have one of the sweetest post yet for you guys in the coming days. Just you wait. ;)

Till my next food find, Mayy xo

M's Food Find #12

Just another simple dinner with Mummy and Daddy on a weekday night. The parents decided to head to Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Block 75 for claypot rice they claimed to be really good. Apparently, one should call the stall and put in your order on the way there. Which we forgot to do so. But lucky for us, the stall's orders for the night was not filled so we only had to wait aorund 20 minutes.


It arrived like that and you had to add your own dark soya sauce and oil. I think it is a relly good idea to let the customers add their own amount of oil. The health nuts can go for none or just a wee bit. You need a little bit of oil regardless I reckon.

I forgot to take a photo after stirring in the sauces. It was a nice dark colour. I found it to be fragrant and the chicken nicely cooked through. The rice was abit tough, I don't know if it is the use of a lower grade rice or just not very well-cooked. I choose the former. I like the salted fish they added. Could have been a little more!

I am not the biggest fan of claypot rice but this one is pretty alright. What this post is really about, the oyster omeletter or 'orh luak' we ordered while waiting for the claypot rice. $4 from the stall, Heng Heng Fried Oyster.

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com (my phone)
I really liked this stall's version. Crispy bits mixed with softer flour bits and fluffy egg omelette pieces. There were also 2 stalls with long queues in this hawker centre. So give it a go! The fishball noodles and the chicken rice. Nice to always expand simple dinner places to go to in Singapore. A short drive away, no need to dress up, and be able to get home in a short enough time for fruits like as if Mum cooked. But without the washing and the cleaning up after.

Till my next food find, Mayy xo

Special Annoucement

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COOKIE!

The love-hate relationship we have continues, you adorably naughty smart cookie of a dog.

M's Food Find #11

Girlfriend and I got a bit lost looking for this food place. It is our first time and I have heard pretty good reviews about it. Even from a fellow pancake-lovin' foodie friend back in Perth who visited Singapore. It was a leisurely Sunday brunch and we finally found our way to Strictly Pancakes on Prinsep Street.

Located in a tiny shophouse in a row behind the big Prinsep Place sign which you can spot from across SOTA, tcc at POM. Your best bet is to walk down from Dhoby Gaut MRT pass the new School of Arts (SOTA). Or the circle line, Bras Besah station and then walk past Coffee Bean, Kopitiam, Hotel Rendezvous, then before the traffic light to cross to SOTA which you do not cross, turn right and walk straight on!

We had to wait for abit to be able to sit inside as we did not make a reservation. So if you know that's where you want to meet up with your friends, call in advance. Otherwise you can sit out in the balmy weather and have leaves all round you. Not my thing. Hahaha. Anyway we were lucky enough to get a table on the second level. Which was well, very tiny and the tables were very close together. Not much for private conversations. I am also NOT impressed with their poor service. Maybe it is the very young service crew and lack of proper communication. Sitting upstairs, I witnessed quite a bit of fluster when it comes to orders and getting iced water and orders taken were really difficult as the staff seemed to always be downstairs. They only surface when they bring food up. My suggestion would be to station one person up there to attend to all the customers. But what do I know, they had a steady stream of customers.

Moving on to the food...Melissa ordered the American brekkie set which will only be available on weekends 10am to 12pm. Strictly Pancakes has a special menu during that time in addition to their normal menu. Nice touch. Maybe I will have to go back and try the normal menu? And the milkshake the table next to mine ordered......Hmmmmmmmm. The American brekkie set was $12 and was a generous portion for that price which also came with coffee. Order their Chilled Brew which is really good. Strong coffee yet icy to cool you off after the trek to their place! Quail's egg done sunny side up is a cute touch but not enough egg for me! Haha. 3 pancakes were plenty, quite a few people ended up with 1 extra they could not finish. I would rather having 2 pancakes and maybe have baked beans or sauteed mushrooms instead.



I ordered the Hawaiian set so I can have a proper full size sunny side up. Bacon was properly done. I like it, juicy and crispy. The grilled pineapple was something different but nothing special. This one cost $11. Couldn't finish all 3 pancakes. I washed this down with Chilled Brew. Yums, but really want to try the milkshake now...

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
That's the pathetic portion of maple syrup and butter to go with your pancakes. Butter was given just enough and I like how you can choose what kind of butter there is. Four kinds: Salted, Unsalted, Rum and raisin, (i can't rmb the last one). Maple syrup is REALLY NOT ENOUGH to properly wolf down my pancakes. I think that was why I felt the pancakes were not that great. It was a little bland and dry to me.

I would go back again to give it another go for their savoury pancakes and milkshake. If I wanted pancakes and maple syrup, I would go get hotcakes from McDonald's or somewhere like Wild Honey in Mandarin Gallery.

Till my next food find, Mayy xo

Mayy's Warning #1

The quest to find good food will sometimes be thwarted. This post is about one of those times. My new blog segment will be my warning to myself to stay on the good life path for anything at all, from food to clothes to who knows what.

Recently, I met up with my PW group from JC. We still hang out and I am thankful that I had them as my groupmates and we continue to grow together in life. Daniel, Shiyu, Jin Hui and Jane =) All 5 of us are foodies and we always center our outings around food. We meet up to catch up and to try new good food. This time, however, we weren't as lucky but because we didn't do our research beforehand. We were all hungry and decided on Xi Men Ding Cafe in Vivocity where we met. The pictures of this taiwanese cuisine looked good anyway. But we all know how looks can be deceiving...

Above photo shows all that we ordered: Salt and pepper fried beancurd, baby clams in light soy sauce, 3 bowls of noodles and a yam paste. Daniel wasn't hungry as he had roti prata before he met us. Zzzzzzzzzz. But he turned out to be the lucky one. Haha.

The entrees were not that wonderful. Baby clams were sweet but the sauce too salty. The meat inside the shells was not well proportionate. Not very meaty and difficult to peel off. The tofu was bland and not crispy at all. Very disappointing. Without the chilli sauce and salt dip, it would have been a real disaster.

This is my noodles order for my main course. I really like 'mei cai kou rou' so I was actually really happy when I saw it on the menu. To have pretty high expectations let down, well, it can be concluded Mayy is not the happiest person around and can be a harsher critic now! The pork belly had not much taste and was pretty tough. It is not difficult to get preserved vegetables wrong. The noodles were NOT springy and quite tough. I need not say more.

Shiyu ordered this. Noodles were the same, terrible. I like her toppings better than mine. The meat were quite peanutty and the fresh vegetables can never go wrong. Unless they are not fresh. But luckily, these were.

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com

The noodles continue to be a letdown. It is a worse issue as the noodles are a big part of the dishes we ordered. Imagine having undercooked rice. Bleagh. Jin Hui our skinny but eats alot guy didn't like this braised beef noodles much. So I really needn't go on. Daniel's yam paste was alright, but the small bowl did not justify the price tag. Besides, orh nee would have been better, anyday.

All in all, I wouldn't be going back there. With the amateur staff and service to go with the substandard food, I really don't understand why the cafe restaurant was pretty packed. Tsk. When in Vivo, choose something else. If nothing else, go to McDonald's for a McSpicy then. Lucky for us, we went for a chocolatey dessert which left us on a sugar high after. But that's a story for another day...

Till my next warning, Mayy xo

Completely Random

ATTENTION Shoepaholics!

Photo credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
(regina took this photo for me today when we went out for lunch and some shopping to walk off lunch) Here's a blog to get your shoe fix, whether buying or just looking. ;)

http://hauteurban-spree.blogspot.com/
Thanks to my girl Regina who told me about it...Now I spend more time online than I really should hahaha...

M's Movie Choice #2: Burlesque

Picture credits: blog.reelloop.com

Starring Cher and Christina Aguilera the 2 power voices in Hollywood, I knew this is one movie I must not miss. Even if the storyline is not the best, the music and their voices will carry the movie through. I was right.

I had to wake up early on Monday morning to meet Shiyu for this movie. But it was worth it with the tears and laughter moments. A-class performance by Stanley Tucci as usual. He is my all-time favourite actor around. Right from I first watched him in The Devil Wears Prada, he continues to wow me in each of the oter movies after that. Like Easy A where he easily stole the show. I just wish that I get to see Tucci more on screen in all these movies. (Mayy runs to go watch The Devil Wears Prada now.)

Picture credits: www.imdb.com

Cher's voice was strong and deep. I would listen to her music on a nice winter night in a hot tub and wine. Her two numbers left me wanting more. Bangin' bod for someone her age! Stanley's chemistry with all his co-stars is just always good, Cher really plays along well to him too. Wished Cher has more song items in the movie. Maybe just one more would be nice. I really liked her opening the first act. It was my second favourite song and dance for the movie.

Picture credits: www.imdb.com
Ahhhhh, the star of the show. She really is. I not only just admire her on screen and on CDs, I also admire her strength in real life. It really shows in her acting in this movie, and her character was well-played. Her voice is undeniably tops. Everytime she sings, I am mesmerized. Especially the slow songs, the deep soulful powerful ones where you can feel her emotions and feel the depth of it all. I really like the photo of her above. So raw, young and youthful. So natural and pretty. She also acted the cheekiness of her character well.

This was not Kristen Bell's best acting to date, but kudos to acting the bad girl pretty well since after watching her in When in Rome and several others, I thought she was a good girl type. I love the outfits, the corsets, the sexiness, the dances and makeup. Definitely a girly movie. Wonder why 2 guy friends would meet up to watch this movie. haha...

I really liked the movie because of the tale. It tells us of life, of strength, of courage and, of believing. The songs move the audience, the slightly weaker storyline was saved by the wonderful cast and their acting and the moral it was telling us.

Till my next movie mood, Mayy xo

M's Food Find #10

So what food can fill the shoes of the 10th post yet? I can always count on this place to bring me back to my childhood and also fill my tummy with really good Singaporean food. Not the classiest and cleanest place around, but sometimes don't we all want a really simple affair?

My childhood had been a really good one, and I was pretty close to my maternal grandparents. Alot of my food cravings and food loves are reminiscent of ah gong. =) This place was one we frequent for suppers and watching soccer, or stopping to do a takeway after an evening out to head to the grandparents' place for supper. From how they were at the very beginning, with the old school appliances and cooking techniques, to their various renovations and their new look now. Thankfully, the fried hokkein mee remains TOPS.

Photo credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
This plate of sinful goodness can be found in a small coffeeshop at the corner of Geylang Lorong 29. It is opposite a really big coffeeshop which does NOT serve food anywhere near as good as this comparatively tiny one. It is next to a small back alley, and a temple. The name of this shop is SWEE GUAN HOKKEIN MEE. There is no pretense here, no nice presentation, just a heap of good food piled onto an orange plate. Ask for more chilli, its awesome. That plate above is the small one, $4. Sometimes, there will be a long wait but well worth it especially you are waiting for the chef to finish that wok. His wok hei is amazing.

Besides hokkein mee at this unassuming coffeeshop, the braised duck stall next to it serves up some good duck and sauce, Eng Nam Duck Rice. So order a plate with their white creamy gooey porridge which I love almost as much. Or the new stall that serves up orh luak. It is not the best I have had but not bad either. $5 for a small plate, I find it a tad bit expensive though. If they have this in Australia, that would be dirt cheap and I would go there everyday. Ironic. Anyway, I will do a post on the best orh luak (oyster omelette) around soon once I get round to eating there! Haha. The satay stall's standard has slipped considerably so much so we no longer order it when we go down there. They were so good when I was 5, and maybe 10. Then now at my age, its not good at all and also increase in price. So unjustified.

DO make a trip down there as soon as possible. It is NOT to be missed, especially if you haven't been. Some people make this trip weekly. I am not kidding you! Let me know what you think, or if you think someplace else is better. Hmmmmm. I doubt so =P but hey, no harm in letting me know and going to try. Only my waistline is at stake. Haha

Till my next food find, Mayy xo

Shoestopper #6

Inspired by the music video posted earlier, I am going to do another shoe-stopping post! I mean, look at the video! Have you?! Those hot models playing soccer in their stilettos. Nice footwork eh? Alright, and I secretly love their outfits and shoes and hot bods.

So obviously this post will be on yet another high-heeled, lift-my-booty pair. Introducing my love-at-first-sight booties from Zara. I got them mid this year, or was it last year? It wasn't too long ago, and I remember just handing over my card. I just could NOT wait till the sales.

Ended up having to hide it when I got home, but I was dumb enough to leave my receipt on the table. So Mum found out and lectured me on my shoes obsession. But my theory is why clad your feet is cheapness all the time?! There are times they deserve to be pampered. Shoes maketh the outfit, in my opinion. Some say its the bag or the makeup or the hair, not me. That probably explains my shoes collection. With further ado, photo!

Photo credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
Look at that! How can a girl NOT fall in love with them right? Okok, I understand to each their own. The satin grey with that exquisite delicate black lace over. It really makes the outfit. I usually pair them with a jeans and nice-top combo. There are also a few dresses I will totally wear them out with in autumn, and leggings/stockings in winter. They just instantly up the glam factor in an ordinary outfit. All I need is smoky eyes makeup and mussed-up hair to complete the look which only takes all of 10 minutes, or 5 if I have steady hands that night.

They are actually really comfortable, but I would wear those thin socks with them. Just so they don't smell eh! Haha, For this kind of shoes, always remember to put stuffing in them to keep their shape when you are not wearing them. The heels are also steady enough, take a good look. It's a thicker top. I also favour shoes with pointier front, which you will soon notice if I keep posting about my collection.

Photo credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
These pair of shoes make me feel extraordinarily good and confident whenever I go out in them. I know nothing can go wrong, and I get good kind of stares from both the girls and boys. Don't we all just love shoes who do that for us? ;)

Do you have such a pair that makes you feel the way I do? How do they look like? I really would like to know!

Till my next shoe-stopping experience, Mayy xo

Completely Random

Credit: youtube.com

Kitchen Venture #3: Mini cheesecake

It's been over a month since I blogged about my kitchen ventures. Truth be told, I only spend time in the kitchen cooking/preparing meals when I am back in Perth. In Singapore, I eat out when meeting friends and with family to satisfy my cravings. Even when I am home, it is takeaway mostly. Mummy hardly cooks, and it is just so much easier to go out.

Anyway, I thought Chinese New Year is nearing, and so is Valentine's Day. Decided to blog about this kitchen venture I did in Feb 2009 for you guys who want to do something special for the family or for the someone special. It take just mere minutes to prepare and throw together. The result is pretty awesome too. Very amateurish but hey, for a lazy person like me to actually want to do this, it must be pretty easy!

I remember my sister having a frozen cheesecake phase because they are just so easy to do and you don't need to bake or anything. I was really bored on a weekend afternoon and decided to use whatever ingredients I have left over in the fridge. I like doing things my way so I rarely follow any recipes. I read them then keep them in mind for the basics. This is my first attempt, and on my very own too. Was just really happy it turned out well and even my landlords love it.

My lady landlord loves baking and all, so she has these white little ramekins (instead of ramekins, you can use all kinds of little containers or even cookie shapers placed on plates which will be even easier to remove and present straight away) at home. I used them but taking the cheesecake out of it after was a headache. TIP: Line the ramekin with clingwrap and make sure it covers the base and extend out of the ramekin top. You can just pull on both sides of the clingwrap and up comes the cheesecake!

Anyway, ingredients for this particular cheesecake: Digestive biscuits, butter, a tub of Philadelphia cream cheese dip by Kraft (Strawberry flavour), condensed milk, blueberries, 1 bar of Toblerone chocolate.

1. Crush digestive biscuits to the crumbs. As crumbly as you like. Or pour it into a sandwich bag and tie it shut, Roll a rolling pin on the bag of biscuits. Fast and easy. Or if you have no rolling pin, just use your fist eh. For five ramekins, I used about 5-6? Depends on how thick or thin you want the base to be!

2. Melt sticks of butter in the microwave. If you want to do it over the stove, by all means. Pour melted butter into the bowl of biscuit crumbs and make sure they are coated evenly.

3. Spoon the butter crumbs mixture into the ramekin and spread evenly. Use a spoon to pat it down smooth. Freeze the ramekins for 20 minutes or more while you continue to make the top cheese part.

4. Spoon the tub of strawberry cheese into a bowl and squeeze condensed milk into the bowl. Depending on how sweet you want the cake to be, a quarter of a cup of condensed milk should do it for most people. I used more because I have a sweet tooth. STIR WELL with a spoon.

5. Chop blueberries into halves. Add that to the cheese mixture. Stir again.

6. Once biscuit base is set and frozen, take ramekins out of the freezer. Spoon berry cheese mixture into the ramekins. Fill it to about half of the ramekin. Well, you want to be generous, you best get 2 or more tubs of that flavoured cheese and alot more ingredients! Use spoon to smooth the top and return to freezer.

7. After about 20 minutes or more, you can go about melting the chocolate pieces. In fact whenever you feel like melting chocolate, do so. As long as the chocolate top can harden and freeze in time! I used Toblerone since they will have that nice nougaty bits. I also microwaved them for 30 seconds, leave them in there while you take out the ramekins again.

8. Make sure chocolate's melted through (microwave again if need be, adjust accordingly) and spoon them smoothly over the cheesecake. Make sure it covers the top properly. Place 3 blueberries on top in a sweet triangle shape. Return to freezer and you can leave them in there overnight. If you do it in the morning, it should be ready for your dinner party.

Here's a photo of my 5 little cheesecakes still in their ramekins. Not perfect but sure look cute.

Photo credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
Anyway, dont be afraid to put your own stamp into this recipe. Switch the cheese flavour (use plain if u want and add fresh fruist or peanut butter or chocolate or marshmallows, anything), use different berries or fruits, choose your favourite chocolate. Only arrange fruits on top when serving for more 'real' fruits taste. Make it a more generous helping, or into a big cheesecake (if so, add gelatin to hold). It tasted abit like ice cream cake at the end of it. I supposed kids love it and a good end to a dinner always. I liked the crunch of the harden chocolate and then the soft cheesecake against that nice buttery base.

So give it a go, and I am sure you will do it so much better than I did mine. Because it will have your love and patience put into it. Good luck and send me any pictures if you do make it! Tell me if you had any trouble or special tips you use! =)

Photo credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com

Till my next kitchen venture, Mayy xo

twitter.com/mayyb

Completely Random

I just have to have the whole set. Complete with that big burger box. I was so excited just taking them out from their plastic bag. Thanks Mummy, big grin.




Didn't know what I wanted, so just got the whole set because they are so darn cute. The box especially. Okay, and the apple pie. Now I feel like eating apple pie. I remember that's my ah gong's favourite too! When he had one, I could have one too...

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
All six miniatures! I prefer the cute bacon and ham pie my neighbour brought back from Japan though. Sighs. Now that one takes the cake for cute. Anyway, there's always a happy meal lovin' kid in me.

Mayy has a shopping regret #1

A new segment to the blog! And it is definitely one that deserve the introduction and first place too. My shopping regret #1 is Red Stilettos. RED. It is really not as easy as it sounds. There are alot of red shoes out there, especially this time of the year. But I just CANNOT seem to find one I love. I have found 2 in the past but let them pass me by due to temporary misjudgement. I plead concussion as my excuse. Either that, someone else was possessing my body and mind.

Now that one above was the ONLY red pair I had but had to be retired after me wearing them out. My search to replace them has now cross the 2 year mark. I am truly devastated. But I know the time when THAT red pair which has eluded me for so long, will be truly fabulous.

Doesn't that row of red and spiky ends draw you in? It sure did that to me, and had me searching all over Singapore for it. It's just not meant to be. BIG SIGHS. This regret has stayed with me for nearly a year now. But feels so much longer than that.

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
I hate to say this, but doesn't it look just gorge and adorbs?! Argh. WHY DID I NOT BUY IT?! And when I finally did think I should (just a couple of days later), I could't find it in my size. Well done. And it's zara too, good comfortable shoes...What really happened, was because I just bought Shoestopper #5 the day before, and there was a littler black dirty mark on the only pair left in my size. It was guilt and restraint. Not at its best timing. So yeah. Here's to more years to finding a fab red pair...sighs.

Not all shades of red pull me in, not all cuts of shoes take the cake, not all kinds of material will make my cut. Hence, the search toughens. If you thought that was only one incident, there was actually another red stilettos incident more than a year ago. June/July 2009. My winter vacation to Florence, Italy. More like a university business trip but we had alot more fun than business! Prada was having their annual summer sale, in addition to closing down renovation sale. I mean major discounts! How can a girl say no?! Right right? Especially when a girl gets really really angryand upset because the Chanel bag she wanted sold out too. Yeah. Me. I was dumb enough. I plead possession of body and mind.

It was not fire engine heart stopping red this one. It was more wine, shinier leather, deeper red, all sexy and elegance. Burgundy some people call it. I call it a rich bordeaux sort of red. Mix with a little bit of purple, just this dash to make it go all dark red with passion....And it's Prada to boot. No, I said no. Because I already bought the similar stilettos in two other shades. Oops. Why do I show restraint at the worst timings?! WHY?! Yet at the best of times, this side of me disappears, leaving me to indulge and play. I am not saying those times were shoe shopping times. No photo of this one too. Makes it for a double whammy hurt.

But hey, life's like that. And I hope I find my cure eventually. Have you had any shopping regret? Share with me! Maybe it will make you feel better sharing and knowing you are not the only one.

Till my next post, Mayy xo

P.S. I just could not say till my next shopping regret. I mean who wants some more?!

Shoestopper #5

Finally, a shoe stopping post for the new year! I can't believe I have been totally side-tracked with food. But that's Singapore for you, food comes out tops. In fact, I think I will make up for it by doing two!

First up, this pair cost me a fair amount of guilt last year when I purchased it, so much so i rejected buying a pair of red Zara ones the next day. Which resulted in a lifetime of regrets. But there's so such thing as a lifetime of regret when it comes to shoes for me! Because this pair had served me well the past two times I've worn it. I am certain it will continue to do so, lasting the entire night and looking good. What more can I ask of it?

One of the IN trends in year 2011 is animal prints, leopard in particular. I've always love it, so no matter what the trend is, I always have something with that print in my closet. A dress, a bag, a coat, but I think shoes will best make that statement for you.

By one of my favourite brands around, Aldo does their shoes well. They always look so good, and they are so comfortable. This pair in particular makes me feel like I am walking on cushion, I think the soles are probably padded. And padded properly to hold my feet. I also like the glitter shimmer when I wear it out in the night, and the understated glamour of the print. It's so NOT in your face and so avoids looking like a hooker pair. The front cut of the shoes cover my toes well and its V-shape is just something unique in its attention to detail. I also really like how it makes my feet look smaller and daintier when I wear it. There's a tip ;)



All I can say is how much I love this pair and Aldo's attention to details, down to their packaging! Shoe box shopping bag chic. Here's a CNY fun fact: one is not allowed to buy shoes for the 15 days. At least my bank account is safe for that period of time!

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com
Till my next shoe-stopping experience, Mayy xo

M's Food Find #9

Our cousins' gathering took place last Saturday and because we scored free tickets to a concert at RWS, we decided to have dinner together as well. Sam wanted to drop in at Orchard since it is his mother's birthday the next day and he needed to get a birthday gift. Having no place in mind to eat on a busy weekend evening, we tried our luck at The Handburger at 313 Somerset. Lucky for us, we managed to squeeze everyone in. I really like that cute wooden serving platter above.

As we waited for some to arrive, we ordered the Vegetable Crisps Waffle-cut which arrived with 2 dips. Pretty healthy and suitable for our vegan cousin. I find it strangely addictive. The burger menu look good too and I really wanted the kids meal. Unfortunately, I can't order it. I don't know why since they really did not put an age limit on the menu itself. Sighs, that cupcake looks good. I spied two kids having them...


This particular burger was ordered by Sam and was one of my choices. The Chicken Caesar. The chicken was juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. Well done, chefs. Top up $4 for fries or onions rings, or $6 for like soup, and drinks. Go with the fries. I like chunky fries!

The Battered Dory Fish burger (another one of my choices), with addition of Cheddar Cheese. Look at that melted gooey goodness. Worth that extra dollar. The generous helping of crispy fish fillets perched atop salad. This one makes for a less sinful treat. I will go for this one the next time I head down to The Handburger. After being in Aussie for this period, I can't deny I have occasional bruger cravings everytime I come back to days and days of asian food.

The vegan's choice: Stuffed Portobello. And they mean it when they say stuffed. Because the juicy mushroom was chocked full of spinach. You gotta really love vegetables for this one. Add a sunny side up to it and maybe you wouldn't tire of it so soon.

THERE! My choice of the night: Duck Confit with a sunny side up. I love my burgers to have bacon and sunny side up. So well worth the extra $$ for it. Their bacon isn't that good so I say skip that. The duck confit held its juice and flavour well. The hint of fats and skin play well with its tender meat. It is supposed to be served with mandarin oranges. I cancelled that, I can't bear the thought of having oranges even on my burger. But try it, it may make for a less guilty burger. I polished this off, cleaned my plate. So yums. You definitely got to be hungry for this one, and especially the next burger...

The WORKS. Steak, sunny side up, bacon, onion rings. I don't know how people fit this into their mouths! I like eating my burger with hands, I could do that with my duck burger. This one is near impossible. It sure looks good though. I can't eat beef, so my sister had this one. She had a good time with it. The steak was pretty juicy too.

Their buns were also fresh out of the oven since I could glimpse into the kitchen. It really was soft and fluffy. I would also recommend to request for their sauces. Garlic aoli and salsa mayo were my choices. Sure goes well with the onion rings and fries some of us added on! But don't order their pumpkin crab soup thing. Bleagh. Overall, I would go back to have the fish burger all to myself and maybe wash it all down with thier milkshake. I mean, that's the ultimate burger drink. I'm such a pig. HAHAHA.

Till my next food find, Mayy xo

Completely Random

What a treat to play golf to this view, or eat out on the veranda with the wind in your hair to such a skyline.

You can do that at Marina Bay Golf Course (don't order their Japanese food, stick to Chicken wings and Carbonara pasta), sit out when it's still light out, and watch the city shine in the dark...

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com (my lousy phone cam again...)