Lullanotes

I received a phone call this morning from a friend residing in Canada, wishing me an advanced happy birthday and we caught up for an hour. 

And it's been 12 years since my last post here. 

I had a lot of pain to get Huawei E3276 running on my MacBook Air 10.9.3 and I thought I'll share how I eventually managed to self-serve and get connected.

Recently I've upgraded my home broadband to fibre as my contract with SingTel is coming to an end and there was a promotion. In addition, I get 500MB of Mobile Broadband bundled in that runs on 4G/LTE speed. Previously I was using Huawei E173 but that only runs on 3G. I paid an additional SGD 5/month for 24 months to get the Huawei E3276 dongle. I had a good experience with the 3G dongle previously and it ran on my Windows and MAC OS without a hitch.

The Installation and Troubleshooting:

I plugged in E3276 and installation window pops up on my MacBook Air and I went through the installation as per normal and no abnormalities occurred. I brought up the Broadband on Mobile icon and it was already pre-configured with the default settings and I got connected fine. The real problem only came when I was browsing the internet. I found that I could not browse any webpages at all. Thinking that it might have been the data services not being provisioned properly (we know it happens), I called SingTel and verified that everything was fine. I uninstalled everything related to BroadBand on Mobile on my MacBook Air and re-installed but to no avail. The MacBook Air was running OS X 10.9.2 and there was a new update so I updated it to 10.9.3. I then installed the E3276 on Windows 7 and I was able to connect and surf and everything so I now know that it is not a data services or SIM card issue.

I called SingTel again and spoke to someone. She checked the settings on my Broadband to Mobile which, frankly speaking, is also confusing. It is already pre-configured and the APN that is used is "internet" with no username and password but when you checked SingTel's E3276 configuration on their website. it says you should configure the APN to "e-ideas" and the username and password should be set to "65ideas". Don't follow it. I did and it didn't work. To her credit, the SingTel person looped in someone else from Huawei Device Support. She raised some doubts about me using OS X Mavericks and said the E3276 driver I currently have might not be compatible with my OS and she sent me the link to download new drivers.

I downloaded them properly, unzipped it and then tried to run the Mobile_Connect.dmg file. To my horror, it says that "Mobile Partner is damaged and can't be opened. You should eject the disk image". I then re-downloaded the zip file again and tried just in case the file wasn't downloaded properly or was corrupted but no joy. I then installed the driver on my iMac which is running 10.9.2. It's a different machine so I could then narrow down if this is related only to the MacBook Air but you know the answer. It was the same issue.

I then called Huawei Device Support. The guy who I talked to had not much of an experience with MAC OS and frankly I don't blame him. I used to work in Technical Support and I give a lot of latitude to Support because I knew they are also functioning within limited expertise. They do not have a machine with MAC OS in their support centre that they could try out on their own. He did make me try to download the Mobile Partner for Windows which I thought was odd because it's clearly for Windows. However, I still gave it a go and of course, the prompt said this file is for Windows only. In the end, he was apologetic and asked if I could visit their Service Centre instead. I was quite prepared to do it but was not going to give up without a fight.

The Solution:

With the power of the internet, I found this article. These are the steps I took to establish the dial-up connection using standard Mac OS X RAS feature instead of using bundled MobilePartner application:
During installation, it might give you a security prompt saying that you can only install if the file is downloaded from "Mac App Store or identified developers". All you have to do is to go to your System Preferences » Security & Privacy » General to change it to "Anywhere" and save it. I was able to run MobileConnectDriver.pkg without a hitch.


Now if you go to System Preferences » Network. You will see the Huawei modem in the list and all you have to do is to make sure the dial-up number is showing as *99# and then try to connect.

The Boy laughed that I had no idea what I was in for when I signed up for a trip to Bhutan. Indeed, I had no idea what I was in for. I was an over-confident city girl and I thought I would breeze through everything ― the differences in altitude, culture, food etc.

 I only packed my new hiking shoes which I had not even broken into, two mornings worth of trekking through MacRitchie Reservoir, a positive attitude and off I went. Six hours of flight from Singapore and six nights in the Land of Thunder Dragon, I found myself sorely tested time after time but looking back upon my return, I couldn't be prouder and more motivated by certain incidents that happened during the trip but those are stories for another day.

 I set off to learn how the happiest people in the world live and I hope I brought back enough inspiration to guide my own path hereafter.

I'm too far away from you, I know, in the way I want it to. I could speed past your way in a vehicle and see the light by your window but you'll never ever know that my coordinates did somehow cross yours. It is not the physical proximity of two people and the longer the time they stayed that way that matters. It is the burdensome weight of marital responsibilities and the comfortable relationship you never thought of anything more than friendship that became tiresome to another whose heart beats much faster than yours.

So today I travelled your way.

And I did so at a splendid speed while you stayed stagnant, doing some justice to the years I've kept close to you in your shadow hoping that I might keep up one day. I did so to leave you behind so I can race to be the best I can be and be free to be.

Photo taken from Rob Cartwright Photography

I recently had a job promotion and a swankier-than-last title change. Because you don't take notice and silence your 'announcement' in the settings, LinkedIn will decide to celebrate for you and broadcast it to your network. The number of 'Likes' and 'Congratulations' poured in and I am very happy because a promotion and/or a title change isn't something that appears at my doorstep everyday. It might be another year or two or three .. maybe four that I have another opportunity as such.

Some people in my network, be it friends or acquaintances, have begun to tell me directly or whispered it to mutual friends that I am 'very lucky'. I don't deny the fact that when I was laid off a few years ago, it took me a relatively short period of time to land myself in a new job. At that time, the new job was a startup company and I didn't know if it was going to be able to survive long in this harsh economy but I needed a job so I took a leap of faith. A few months into the new job, I had to decide if I was going to remain in this industry or go back to being in the Technology sector where all my expertise laid but again, I evaluated the situation and took another leap of faith which eventually paid off when the startup was acquired by one of the biggest companies in the world. Is this Luck or is this the result of my careful deliberation? I would say there is a bit of both.

Have I been lucky? Absolutely! My faith paid off and I worked with one of the best people in the business and he gave me invaluable guidance into the workings of my new world. I met good people who took me under their wings and I started learning business ways I would never had been exposed to and when I was unsure of my direction at work, they gave me a path so I could walk straight home. What then is the problem? You can call me sensitive but the way and the manner in which some congratulations were delivered made it seem like it was just pure luck that I achieved what I did today. To be honest, I am still not earning a whole lot of money out of this promotion but what I did earn was done honestly and with conviction and loyalty. It is a trifle upsetting that instead of getting sincere wishes, it felt like there were also jealous innuendos made by people who actually did better than me in Life and they could not find it in their heart to be happy for my little success.

To these people, I'll like to say no, it was not all luck that I had a promotion.

1. When you were busy dating men, I was sitting in the office chair, having a relationship with my computer.
2. When you read your marriage vows, I was reading endless word documents, sighing "Why me?"
3. Waking up in the middle of the night feeding your babies was tough I know but I didn't have it easy either. I was also up in the middle of the night, attending late calls or trainings.
4. In the weekends when you spent time with your family, sometimes I still had to work through the weekend and once or twice ended up crying on Sunday evenings because it looks like I won't finish the amount of work in time.
5. When the school holidays come and you had to apply leave to take a family vacation, remember, we the singles are usually the one who end up covering your work. We are deprived of taking leave in the month of March, June, September and December because you have children and you automatically think it's your right to.
6. In the times you envy that I had to travel for work but you know what, I probably had less sleep than you do because there are endless networking opportunities that I could not miss out on or had to churn out powerpoints for meetings the next day.

I am always grateful when I get heartfelt congratulations from people about the good things that happened in my life but I hope you don't think that it was all pure luck. The way I talk about my work sometimes is a bit cavalier but behind it all, I am very serious about my success. Depending on priorities, we all have our sacrifices in Life. At the end of the day, you walk in to a loving family ready to welcome you from your tired day at work but I stumble into an empty bedroom. It was a choice and I am not jealous of you so don't you be of me.

Pearls are a symbol of class and grace and much of its fame can be attributed to Coco Chanel's love for fabulosity, incorporating them into her signature look.

Today, I all but dragged my coworker into this jewellery shop aptly named as "The Jewellery Shop" in a shopping centre next to our office after work. I had spied this pearl pendant set in white gold and tiny delicate diamonds in the window display for months walking to and fro the shop during lunch but hadn't had the inclination or courage to walk into the shop to ask for the price.

"Why do you like pearls?" she asked.

I don't have the exact answer except that I know that when it comes to buying expensive pieces of jewellery, I am always thoughtful of my purchases. The last thing you want to do is to feel like you are being saddled with a really expensive purchase that has no resale value and it just ends up as an unloved and ugly heirloom. I always think precious stones like diamonds and sapphires are oh so pretty but are also useless. The only ones which are worth anything when they change hands are those of superb quality and cut and are big as a pigeon's egg but chances are ... normal people like you and me cannot afford them anyway.

So here's what in my wishlist of jewellery I'll like to have at some point in time:

- a pair of diamond solitaire earrings or diamond hoops
- a pair of pearl earrings
- a diamond tennis bracelet
- a plain bangle
- a slim ring with a row of encrusted tiny diamonds
- a pearl pendant and a white gold chain
- a strand of pearls
- a gold necklace with a small heart-shaped pendant or a gold locket

I've started to acquire some of these already, mostly through reselling older and outdated pieces of gold jewellery given by my grandmother and mother for 80% of its value and then topping up some to buy the desired pieces. I feel that the pieces of jewellery in the list above are timeless classic pieces that will transcend time, fashion and generations and they are very versatile. Each of them will lend an air of simple and understated elegance to my outfit of the day. That being said, some of them are quite costly and will take some time before I manage to own them but I don't usually look outside of this list to buy something on a whim and that can only be a good thing. Coming back to the pearl pendant, I haven't gone actively searching, leaving it to Fate and trusting each of them will find its way to me in its own little way.

So it sat at the window display was begging me for a second look for months but I didn't relent. There were all sorts of pearl jewellery by the display window but this pearl pendant was the only one which caught the corner of my eye as I hurried by. Something told me that it would be just right but I wasn't sure if I had the means to. The shop looked expensive and is located in a mall not known for affordability. I finally walked into the shop and asked for the shopkeeper to show it to me. I deliberated over different pieces, trying each design carefully and I went with an open heart, preparing to walk away if it didn't feel right. In the end, I settled for my original choice. Actually I wasn't quite convinced it was The One but months of pent-up longing made me lay down my debit card anyway which turned out to be quite fortunate because the moment I brought it home and had the time to inspect it thoroughly, I fell in love with it. The setting was nice, the weight of the pearl felt really solid in my palm, it had a lustre that some cheaper ones in the shop didn't have, it was the right size and from afar, it looked like a luminous teardrop sitting on my throat, glowing from within.

In time to come, I would probably have a strand of pearls but for now, the one I have is age appropriate and is a lone symbol of better things to come. Suddenly I am not afraid of growing old anymore, if only I can age with grace.

You can't connect the dots looking forward you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path.
― Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Address, 2005

My friend, Greta and I intended fully to go Greece this year and bask in the warmth of the Santorini sun and hot greek males. We were talking about it for months but yet in a single night, our plan took a drastic change and we are now headed for Bhutan.

In my impression, Bhutan is this country which has a visitor quota and that makes it incredibly expensive to travel there but it must have been a misconception or it had opened up its policy in recent years because you can now travel to Bhutan as long as you meet certain criteria such as spending a minimum amount in Bhutan per day.

The one thing that I realize at my age is that it is hard to find travel partners. A lot of my friends are married, some with kids and others have their boyfriends and the scant few who are free to travel want to go somewhere else that you don't want to go or had already been so I learnt to grab opportunities when the right travel partner comes along. Also, big cities with glittering neon lights are nice but having travelled to four of them last year, I crave for a getaway that has no shopping temptations and to find a little peace and quiet within myself. The mention of 'Bhutan' could not have come at a more opportune time.

Tiger's Nest, Bhutan (awesome picture stolen from here)
I'm just marvelling about how everything seems to fall into the right place at the right time. Last year, I read about Baratunde Thurston's great disconnect and the seed to do the same took root in a corner of my mind. I wanted to go somewhere and leave things behind but I didn't know where to go and when is a good time to go. Now that the subject of Bhutan came up, the seed started sprouting. What better place is there to breathe in fresh air, go back in time to the simple life and share the happiness that Bhutanese do? I am born Taoist but am a Buddhist by belief so I've always wanted to experience such a cultural and spiritual place. My first thought was Tibet but seeing how my friend had to fly back on the 2nd day of her trip due to altitude sickness, I was hesitant to commit. Bhutan is of a lower elevation than Tibet and according to the tour guide, it is at a level which is comfortable enough for most visitors not to suffer prolonged effects. I also imagined snapping great pictures of Bhutan. I cannot call myself an amateur photographer but there is a sense of gratification in having taken beautiful pictures. When they come out nice, it makes me happy so Bhutan is a good place to indulge my trigger happy fingers. The time period I am going coincides with the Talo and Paro Tsechu festivals so there will be plenty of photo opportunities. Tell me, given all the reasons above, does it not seem like a calling?

We are making our initial deposit tomorrow at the tour agency then we can start to be properly excited for the next 2 over months!

We wandered into this pretty cosmetics and fragrance shop called 'Fresh' on Bleecker St. after indulging in Magnolia Bakery's cupcakes. There was a citrus fragrance emitting from the shop and it smelt all so lovely. It was again, by chance, that we found out that Fresh's makeup was used in the production of Sex and the City. I use Fresh's Lip Treatment myself and it was amazing. The lip treatment has a tinge of colour and it is uber moisturizing. I honestly have almost every colour in that collection except Sugar Petal and Cherry which are the new colours so I will be making my way down to get them soon! I bought them at Sephora in Singapore and Sephora has a section for Fresh products but seeing an entire shop in New York City is nice!

There's my friend at the counter paying for stuff.

The soaps are all prettily packaged.

Almost all the scents are amazing. I have Sake, Brown Sugar, citron de vigne and Hesperides. What pretty names!

Hesperides makes you smell like a grapefruit.

This is the Coral Lip Treatment which was a new colour at that time.
My favourite products in there are obviously the eau de parfum and the lip treatments. Some of the fragrances are also limited edition. I have a couple of travel-sized bottles that I take turns to bring around because I am obsessed with smelling good enough to eat.

To be honest, Fresh is a very dangerous shop. You start uncontrollably bringing things to the counter because they smell divine and you just want a piece of it. Evidently, other people feel the same. It has the hypnotizing effect of getting you to open up your wallet and extracting out a credit card ... and the next thing you'll remember is walking out of the shop with a giant paper bag.

One of my friends staying in New York City recommended "Fish", a seafood restaurant on Bleecker St. So one afternoon, we made our way there with high expectations, hoping to get a good brunch out of crustaceans.





We ordered lobsters and crabs with chips but to our disappointment, the lobster was overcooked. While the crab was passable, the service staff had an unfriendly and impatient attitude despite the fact that the restaurant was not crowded so that put us off. Needless to say, we didn't enjoy our meal so we paid and left promptly. We were in New York City for a holiday and we didn't want to dwell in any kind of negativity so we didn't kick a fuss. We just wanted to get the hell out of there.

I found myself liking Bleecker St. There were rows of trees on both sides of the street, providing ample shade on a warm day and the street was lined with little shops with huge windows to peek into. Since we didn't have a big shopping budget to blow, we were mostly contented to just admire the jewelery and clothes on display. We did find some shops selling affordable jewelery and bought some to satisfy our vanity. At one of the road junctions, we came across a girl piping cupcakes so we just stood outside her window and stared at her. In retrospect, that must have been creepy and annoying for her.


Our sweet tooth directed us into the shop. After an unsatisfying meal, we needed to find solace in sweets. It was then I realized that we stumbled upon Magnolia Bakery, the very same one which saw Carrie and Miranda (in 'Sex and the City') sitting on a green bench outside the shop, eating frosted cupcakes and discussing Carrie's love life. This was an unexpected surprise and it is further testament to the fact that when Life gives you a bad Fish, find and eat Cupcakes.

T-shirts and shopping bags with their namesake are for sale.
They sell pastel-coloured sprinkles in jars!
Seeing these cupcakes cheer us up considerably.

The shop itself was pretty small and there was already a queue. People were snatching at freshly baked cupcakes the moment they were placed on the shelves. It is also known that sometimes the queue could result in a long line that winds its way round the block. Luckily the queue wasn't that ridiculous. We managed to buy 4 different types of cupcakes. There was a little park with green benches just opposite Magnolia Bakery and already, some seats were taken up by cupcake enthusiasts. We found a spot and sat down and dug into the cupcakes. The rich creaminess and sweetness of them made the day right again.


Magnolia Bakery was the only bakery we tried while we were in New York City so I wouldn't know how they fare in comparison to others but we were fans of Sex and the City. If Carrie and Miranda eat them, it's more than good enough for us.

I like to be prepared for everything, especially during long haul flights because I get bored very easily. I also feel very insecure when I don't have my essentials with me so I always made sure to pack my carry-on bag properly. It has everything!

1. Longchamp Le Pliage Tigre Large Tote ― With the amount of things I carry around, a lightweight and large bag is a must. It is crucial that the bag has a zip as well because I am klutzy and will somehow find a way to overturn everything. It is also very convenient to stash your bag under the seat as required by the airline.
2. Apple iPad Mini ― I load my 64GB baby up with TV series and movies. It also contains my subscriptions for National Geographic and Glamour magazines.
3. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite ― I have a lot of ebooks and since the Paperwhite has background lighting, I can read it even in the dark. I also have the Royal Purple Leather Cover. The cover is pricey but fits extremely well and well worth the money!
4. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 in White
5. Bose QuietComfort® 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones ― I tried out a pair The Boy lent me and I was sold! I had someone to help me buy them from an outlet in US because it is cheaper there. The ear sponges are soft on my ears and I won't get disturbed by crying babies and inconsiderate chatty people.
6. Apple iPad Nano 16GB in Pink ― They hold different genres of music according to my mood.
7. A pair of socks ― I wear sandals on flight and I keep a pair in my bag in case it gets really cold.
8. Two packs of tissue for when leaky nose strikes.
9. Charging cables for all sorts of gadgets.
10. Sony HX9V Camera
11. An empty waterbottle so I can fill it up at the boarding area.
12. A large warm scarf ― sometimes I use it as a head rest, sometimes it is freezing on the plane and I want to snuggle up to something.
13. Graphic Pouch ― This holds all my medicine and all sorts of knick knacks.
14. A pen to fill up any troublesome forms.
15. Wet Wipes ― for sticky situations.
16. Panadol ― in case of headaches or flu.
17. Vicks ― Once I was on a flight and I developed a sudden runny nose. I spent the next 3 hours in absolute torture with a leaky nose. Vicks keeps the nose together till you land.
18. Eclipse chewy mints ― keeps the breath fresh after a meal.
19. Rohto Lycee Eye Drops
20. Contact Lens
21. Kiehl's Face Moisturizer
22. Blistex Mint Lip Balm ― Come to think of it. I've used this for a long long time. Maybe 18 years!
23. The Body Shop's Blusher
24. M.A.C Studio Fix
25. Shiseido Facial Cleanser
26. Clinique's Chubby Sticks ― I have multiple sticks of these in different colours. I choose the colours based on my mood.
27. Nylon Make-Up Pouch
28. DKNY Sunglasses ― to hide unsightly dark cicles and stroll out of the airport like a superstar.
29. A miniature of Love Chloe's eau de parfum ― It smells like baby powder.
30. L'occitane Lavande Hand Cream ― I use lovely scents on airplane to keep myself feeling fresh and relaxed.
31. Salvatore Ferragamo Wallet ― my new love that I got on a 30% discount.
32. A bar of Chocolate ― I get a little low on sugar so that fixes me up.
33. Passport Holder ― I have this in Toile blue that I bought from a fleamarket. It can also be found here.
34. A small purse to keep foreign change in

In the 1000 things to do in New York City, having a burger at Shake Shack took the spot at #19. There are so many movies which had Shake Shack at Madison Square Park as the backdrop. Just recently, I spied it again in "Something Borrowed". We didn't go with the intention of specifically locating the outlet at Madison Square Park because we weren't too sure of our bearings and we didn't know if it was going to be out of the way. It initially stamped from a simple desire to try the burgers and see if they were as good as some claimed. However one night in a taxi ride, we swished past the Madison Square Park and lo behold! We knew we had to sit and eat at the green benches with its incredible outdoor setting.

Going in the afternoon would be nice but going at night was almost magical with its fairy lights. It almost felt romantic but would have been even more so had we been there with our better halves but hey, I was there with my two girlfriends and it in itself was gratifying. The queue was pretty long and it took a while before we got food but consuming the juicy burger, the cheesy fries and washing it down with milkshake was like a heart attack about to happen. Because I am a crap food blogger, I shall leave you with reviews from TripAdvisor.



Although it was good, just as how all sinful food taste like but if you are anything like me, you believe in the power of ambience and company too. One bite sends you to gastronomic heaven but the collective energy of the crowd dining together with you in an outdoor setting as such brings you straight back to Earth to cherish this very moment where you are far away from home, in the city that doesn't sleep, living a life you thought you could only experience when you hit "replay" on a DVD.

I leave you with a dreamy, bokeh picture of Shake Shack.

It was the eve of a public holiday so The Boy and I headed to the airport at night to lounge. We stay in the eastern part of Singapore and the Singapore Changi airport is very accessible from both our homes by car. Let's face it. Singapore is miniscule. Everywhere is accessible when the traffic jam doesn't hit. Except it does and quite a lot, especially on the eve of a public holiday.

It is so very coincidental that McDonalds was crowded (or maybe not that coincidental since it is always crowded). We then wanted to make our way to Swensens even though in our heart we knew that the queue is just going to be as dismaying but who should come out from the Arrival Hall was one of The Boy's longtime friend. He is an air steward and had returned from a flight. For the sake of convenience, we shall call him Mr. Wise Man.

Mr. Wise Man agreed to join us for coffee and we started to talk about his travels and also about luxury items in which The Boy had no idea of. He did occasionally contribute by wrinkling his nose in disapproval. In our conversation, we started talking about our biggest ticket item. For me, it was my Prada Bauletto Bag in Saffiano leather. For Mr. Wise Man, it was his Cartier watch. For The Boy, if we exclude the car, apartment and gadgets, he doesn't really spend on any big ticket luxury items. Because the Prada bag for me, was an expensive purchase, I've only brought it out once and even then, I found myself coddling it by not doing what I usually do - which is to leave it on the floor and I examined it for invisible scratches ever so often. Mr. Wise Man said something that made sense.

You should own your things and not let your things own you.

If it should have scratches, so be it. Things are meant to be enjoyed and used. There is no point to owning something and then baby-ing it because then, the fear of using it and accidentally destroying it becomes too great. There is much truth in that. There is satisfaction in knowing that books get dogeared and wrinkled because I've read it over and over again. I love the creases in the leather bags I've often carried around because every little crease is an indication that it has been used and over time, the leather bags grew a character of their own.


My preciousssss ....
So this is what I am bringing away with me today from our little chat. Love your things but learn to enjoy them too.

It was summer when we first stepped into New York last year. I was going to Toronto for a work trip and I persuaded a friend to come along with the lure of free accommodation. Because we already flew halfway around the world to be in Toronto, we decided to make a stop in New York as well. It sure was tough trying to find an open jaw flight that was reasonable but we managed it. We didn't exactly go with an itinerary in mind. We just knew from the top of our heads that we wanted to go to Times Square, Central Park, Macy's (yes it was an attraction), see the Statue of Liberty (my wish, not hers) etc.

Summer in New York is warm and not unlike Singapore minus the humidity. We trotted about in breezy dresses, capris or shorts almost anywhere that didn't require a proper dress code. To go to Central Park in that weather was perfect. Central Park is a public park right in the centre of Manhattan. We talked about buying a picnic basket, filling it with goodies and cheese and then going to Central Park to laze for a good part of the afternoon away but in the end we got lazy and just went without the said basket. Central Park, due to New York's good weather, was crowded .. and smelly. There were a lot of horse carriages lined up to be hired for rides so we shuffled along, hoping to find quieter spots. We came to the road junction of 72nd Street and Central Park West, I saw a pretty building and took a picture of it. Little did I know that that building turned out to be "The Dakota", famous for two things: its exclusivity and John Lennon. John Lennon was shot four times in the back just as he was entering The Dakota.


Because John Lennon and Yoko Ono loved being in Central Park, strolling and doing what lovers do, a 2.5 acre teardrop-shaped area of Central Park was sanctioned off in John Lennon's memory and his crusade for Peace. The entrance to this area is directly opposite The Dakota and named "Strawberry Fields" after one of The Beatles' song.


We ventured further in and managed to find a lovely shady spot and that's where we threw down our bags, took off our shoes and started lying on the grass, not believing that we actually made it to one of New York's most famous attractions. By a stroke of luck, we also found Le Pain Quotient, right next to the Sheep Meadow and that's where we bought crusty almond croissants, berry fruit tarts and iced lemon tea to feast on while we laid back on the grass to either watch the sky, read our Kindles or people watch.

One couple sat pretty close to us and brought their puppy and the puppy was so fascinated with us (more precisely, our almond croissants) that he sat with us, good as gold, his head cocked to one side and his eyes soulfully staring at our bakery treats. We got permission from the owners to feed him and he must have ate an entire croissant on his own. An hour later, some Central Park guards appeared in the vicinity and upon seeing them, the couple scooped the puppy up, popped him into a Balenciaga carrier and made off. There are some rules about bringing your dog to Central Park so I guessed they just wanted to avoid trouble!

In the early part of the evening, tired from all the reading, we packed our shower curtain (which we used as a mat) and started walking around. We stopped for a good while to watch the rollerskating dancers and this is an event open to everyone I believe. They rollerskate to the music and some even carried their own sound system as they skated. It seemed like very good exercise to me, except that I am a complete douche at rollerskating.

Some of them are part of Central Park Dance Skaters Association (CPDSA)

Lovers ― boating on the lake, basking in summer warmth
Central Park is a lush green sanctuary in the middle of the busy Manhattan. You can walk into her leafy embrace away from the hustle and bustle of city life to find a spot of peace. If you think people who hang out at Central Park are just regular park-goers, you should go experience it for yourself. There are many colourful characters literally and metaphorically in Central Park and it is they who lent the vibrancy to "just another big park" otherwise that made it uniquely New York.



When you are in Central Park, it feels like a different place ― a place away from the city but yet still in the heart of it all.

There is something liberating about sky watching. The wide expanse of sky makes me feel that my heart has to stretch further and wider too just to take the sight of it all in. I love to watch out for interesting cloud formations and gauge if there is enough blue in the sky to make the sailor a pair of pants. I know I sound completely dopey with the last sentence but those who had been an Enid Blyton fan would have known very well what I meant indeed.

It was one of those Sundays that I thought I was going to be going through the humdrum of a regular Sunday activity - laundry when I glanced outside the window. What I saw made me drop my clothes and raced for the phone camera and I captured this. Fast as it came, it was gone within the next five minutes.

Picture unfiltered by Instagram
Somewhere, someone knew I had a lifelong desire to see the Aurora Borealis but it is not quite the time to fulfill my dream yet ... so it brought Aurora Borealis to me.

If I have a small closet and I have to pare down my wardrobe to the absolute essentials, with the space to comprise only things I love to wear, this would be it - The Ultimate Curated Wardrobe. 80% of this curated set are things I actually own, a scant few are on my wishlist, like that gorgeous pair of YSL ballet flats. When I was creating this set on Polyvore, I kept thinking that one day if I have to live in a foreign land and I couldn't bring all my stuff, what would I bring that would fit into a luggage?

I am really satisfied with this list and perhaps I could add in a white shirt or so but I would still survive without one. The unfortunate thing is that after creating this, it seems like I don't need as much clothes as I think I do and the current wardrobe is starting to look confining and excessive.

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.
― C.S. Lewis, 'The Four Loves'

I love my designer bags, accessories and clothes as much as a lot of other women I've seen. As much as the neighbour down the corridor likes her plant, as much as the man in the nice shirt loves his shiny car and as much as my mother whoops in joy at supermarket sales. It's frivolous, I give you that but honestly, I find no shame in it. I work hard to finance my desires and I will not justify that it is a good way of spending hard-earned dosh but it's my money, I am allowed to be careless with it (but I want to assure you I wish I didn't).

No, it is not a post at flaunting whatever little I have. I've been using designer wallets for a long time because I always feel that if I have to splurge on designer anything, wallets are the best cost-per-wear items to own as one doesn't change her wallet everyday and usually it lasts for at least a good 2 - 3 years if not much longer. However I've been looking at minimizing the things that I bring outside with me. I used to step out of the house carrying the world with me in a giant tote. In this huge bag, you could find every single convenience from batteries to another pair of flats and extra underwear to full size perfume to a plastic fan. Since then, I've come a long way and managed to pair down to the absolute essentials ‒ iPad, mobile charger for my constantly dying phone, minimal makeup kit, keys, phone and a wallet. I even managed to squeeze these into a crossbody bag ... except for the wallet. I had these thick, fat wallets and my love for leather didn't help.

It was frustrating because although the leather was soft and smoochy and the brand shines through in uniformly spaced out letters, it was something I felt I could scale back on in size on but foolhardily refused to. Anyway, to cut the long story short, there came this day I just wanted things to be simple. I just wanted to bring out a fully charged phone, a wallet and house keys and stuff them into this mini clutch so I dug around, found the Coach Poppy Graffiti Wristlet that a few of my friends had given to me for my 30th birthday and decided to use it.

Instead, I found Freedom. The purse was utilitarian. It had a large zipped compartment which consisted of 4 spacious card slots and a coin compartment. There was also an exterior slot and it had straps. The spacious card slots were important because I had to carry my debit and credit cards, personal identification card and some discount cards. Each card slot could fit 2 cards at least and the last one could probably fit four. For the bills, I just put it in the main compartment and my coins are neatly stashed into the inner zipped compartment. The outer slot was important for putting my subway card which I used to lose on a very regular basis because I would not put it in my bulky wallet with my other cards. The best part is of course the detachable straps. Even if I had an abyss for a bag, I could detach the straps and hang it around the handle of the bag and never lose my wallet in my mess again. It was patent and I never feared getting it dirty because just a wet wipe would clean it up very nicely. All those crap stuffed in the little pink purse and it didn't look like it held the universe. It was still slim and sleek plus I genuinely also love it for the sentimental value. I stopped using my other more expensive wallet but I didn't miss it, especially now it fits perfectly into my smallest of bags and I didn't have to juggle a bowl of noodles, a drink and on top of it, a bulky wallet during lunch.

Maybe the same applies in Life itself. Perhaps we overthink the amount of things we need in our life and over-emphasize on what we thought was important and how others look at us. It turned out what I was looking for in a wallet wasn't something prestigious or even extremely well-crafted in the finest material. I was looking for something useful, befitting of my lifestyle and the sentimental value was only a reason to love it even more.

The first time I saw this Youtube video by Dove, I like it a lot. The main reasons being:

1. They are not trying too hard to sell me, as a viewer, anything. So that in itself, I feel, gives them a lot more credibility. If they had ended with something remotely like "Buy Dove to make your natural beauty shine through!" (yes I made it up), I would have trashed the video and not give it any more thought.

2. It has a really positive message behind it which is asking women to look at themselves more kindly and honestly, I don't think people do it enough. I am guilty of this too.

3. There was attention to details like the fact that they didn't just engage a random artist to sketch but an FBI trained forensic artist who is used to sketching based on descriptions and have tons of experience in that area.

It was also interesting to see other people's point of view regarding the video. jazzylittledrops felt uncomfortable because she felt there was too little diversity in the choice of their subjects and which I tend to agree. I would have appreciated if they also used someone who is on the bigger side or someone who is awkward etc ... you get my point. She was also disturbed that one woman at the end said "I should be more grateful of my natural beauty. It impacts the choices and the friends we make, the jobs we go out for, they way we treat our children, it impacts everything. It couldn’t be more critical to your happiness." and she felt that too much emphasis is placed on the physical appearance and we all know that how we are as humans and the roles we play to others are so much more than that. I don't feel quite the same in this aspect. I think the sentence "I should be more grateful of my natural beauty" is not only pertaining to external beauty but also the outlook that she views herself. Because she has a lower sense of worth in her physical appearance, she is riddled with an inferiority complex that affects how she deals with people and the world. I know I've done things like dressing myself up for no special occasion or putting on a new lipstick colour and telling myself I am beautiful on random days and it just felt like the day is sunnier, I walk with a spring in my steps and I smile more easily. On the days I think I look crap unpresentable, it ultimately made me feel bad about myself and the day was spent trying to avoid contact with people and rushing home earlier to wallow in my own company.

(No offense to you I hope, jazzylittledrops! It wasn't particularly meant to single you out but your post gave me food for thought.)

Why don't you watch it and judge the video for yourself according to how you feel? I know I spent some time thinking on what I would have told the forensic artist if I was the subject of interest.