Things I've Learned From My Italian Holiday

It has been three months since my first trip to Italy and I feel like I'm still flying high =D There are just so many great memories...

In retrospect, here are the things I've learned about Italy / Italians from the trip:

1. Italians love their food but they are generally fit.

Something in the tomato sauce, apparently. There's no denying that Italians love to eat. In true Italian towns, businesses (except food and beverage, that is) close during lunch. They don't close during dinner because most of them close shop just in time for dinner anyway. Here's a curious thing about Italy: It's so hard to find snacks. I even wondered whether they have a concept of snacking. Gelateria and paninoteca are abundant and their prices affordable but they are (at least from my perspective) considered a quick meal. It's fast food, the Italian way. I am so used to snacking and the abundance of options of street snacks in both Singapore and Indonesia that for the first few days in Italy I was just trembling from snacking withdrawal =p

Of course, later I learned that they do know the concept of snacking. They even have the term: merenda. But they don't overdo it. Why this is good to emulate: Snacking is good when done the right way. It keeps blood sugar from crashing and causing you to overeat in the next meal. Therefore, snacks should actually come in small portion only, nothing more than a few calories to sustain you until the next meal time. And most snacks I know, if not all of them, usually come in bigger serving than they should, laden with too much salt and sugar, and - this is their biggest problem - are usually deep-fried, or made in some form of frying technique. They end up having more calories than your actual meal but with very little nutrition.

When I was in Italy, I had the pleasure of snacking the local way twice. Both times, it was crostini with some simple topping. First, it was raw salsiccia spread over a small slice of bread. The second, extra virgin olive oil poured - and I really mean poured - over crostini and then sprinkled with a little salt and pepper. Both times, one person ate not more than 2 pieces. That's it. Notice the lack of cooking in both snacks?

Also, I hardly saw Italians doing more than one thing at a time. I don't remember seeing people window-shop while holding a snack or iced coffee in a plastic cup, something that a lot of people do in Singapore, Indonesia, and I suspect in the US, too. Of course, I saw some younger people do this, no doubt the influence of some American lifestyle they see on TV or movies but generally, Italians have a very healthy attitude towards eating - and living.

2. Italians are generally nice.

There will always be exceptions, of course, but thankfully, the ones that I met were all nice. I had my reservations when planning for my trip because we're two non-Caucasian looking girls traveling alone for the first time in Europe. We had to ask for directions so many times and Italians were generally friendly and happy to help. And whenever we came across the not-so-friendly bunch, speaking in Italian will turn their distrustful faces into smiling ones.

Also, I am quite taken by how many times I saw locals interact with the African immigrants. Now, this is only an observation and as I don't speak Italian, I had no way of knowing what actually went on in their exchange but I witnessed a few times locals talking to African immigrants in a friendly manner, like they know each other. And at shops where these immigrants would approach the customers and sell them something, these Italians would actually entertain them, like, replying to their sales pitch. I'm so used to just gesturing or even not acknowledging buskers altogether that this is so new to me.

3. We'll find a solution.

This is something that I've been missing terribly, something that I think has been lost especially in big cities. I think Singaporeans call it the "Kampong spirit". Indonesians call it "gotong-royong". It's basically a sense of community, the opposite of dog-eat-dog world, it's something that exists to advance the community as a whole and that not everybody wants to get ahead.

On our way to the cooking class, I noticed the road leading to the farm house from the main road was this stupidly tiny and narrow country road and can only accommodate one car at a time so I asked the driver what he would do if someone comes from the opposite direction, how does he regulate the traffic?

I swear he was looking at me like I'd just said something totally idiotic. He basically just shrugged off and said, "shit happens,". OK, I'm paraphrasing, obviously. The PG-rated version would be "These things happen, we just have to find a solution,". Boom. What a great motto to live by.

Hope to visit again someday!

Wall Art and Vanity

I love to play with my wall arts and I rearrange my vanity almost every week. I don't know, it's a very girlie thing to do. I especially love playing with wall arts because it really helps setting the mood of the room.

However, as I am only renting my place, there are restrictions of what I can and cannot do. Putting a hole in the wall, for instance, is out of the question. There are also the budget issue as well as the logistical issue should we ever need to move to a new place. And then there's a question of maintenance. Living in the city is expensive so the least maintenance required is always most favorable.

Sometimes, I'd think it might be easier for me to just live with plain walls and boring room but what kind of life would that be? If there's anything I've learned in life so far is that if you came across any chance at happiness, how little or trivial it may be, you gotta snag it. That's what frills and whimsy mean to me, a little chance at happiness.

So, practicality be damned, I had to find my way through these limitations. Budget issues meaning I got my frames from places such as IKEA and Daiso. I also framed tear sheets from magazines or created my own poster/art instead of buying for the bigger ones. No holes meaning I compromised by using bluetacks to hang my wall arts. This poses another issue because bluetacks can only support so much and it has given way several times but I just have to live with it.

For example, the big frame with Katharine Hepburn in it fell a month ago and cracked open the black border. It's too bad because I really liked the composition of the frames but I was wary about getting a new one because the big ones have a history of falling down one too many.

Instead, I decided to replace it with two smaller frames which are lighter.

Now I only have one big frame up on the wall to worry about.

Here's how my wall looks now.

I have taken down the other wall art that I created and used it as a backing for my vanity. I just love rearranging and looking at my vanity! I think it's a very magpie thing to do, my vanity is like my magpie nest where I store all my beautiful and colorful shiny little trinkets.

In this last shot, I'd like to introduce Missy. Missy can look petrifying sometimes but at the same time she is stylish and endearing, kinda like Cara Delevigne, lol.

Our resident stuffed animal, Missy

Zou Bisou Bisou : A Little Eyes Inspiration

I am one of those people who were smitten by Jessica Pare when she sang that little French song on Mad Men. I love her look as well, especially that decadent thick eye liner that is so '60s that made her look like a nightingale every time she batted her lashes. Here's the look I'm talking about (image nicked from somewhere on the internet):

These winged eye liner are with a twist, though. On Mad Men, the makeup artist traced the crease of her lids instead of the lash lines. I was so smitten by this look, I recreated it using Bonavoce liquid eyeliner pen in black. Only, I used my own interpretation and traced my lash lines instead but with a great exaggeration.

Pardon the smudged eye lids but because this was done on a whim, I didn't bother using any primer. I just picked up the pen and started drawing. I think it didn't smudge that bad, considering...

For all my readers from the western hemisphere, I seriously recommend you to check out the vast array of liquid eye liner, mascara, and falsies lines from Japan. Japanese girls have crazy eyes fetish so eye-enhancing products are ubiquitous, with state-of-the-art formulas and adorable packaging. They are not exactly cheap but they're cheaper than department store brand but you get better products.

I loved it so much, I couldn't help but singing a little Zou Bisou Bisou myself all around my living room...;->

Blissful Things #2

November Edition!

Clockwise from top left corner:

1. Egyptian Magic Cream - I recently decided to rein in my spending habit and this cult cream came into play. It merges all my skincare into just one cream. Not everyone might like it, though - it's very thick.

2. Clarisonic Mia - Facial brush, I used to use the manual type back in high school and it worked really well for me. This gadget is very overpriced, though. IMHO, just get the Mia and save a few bucks, no need to get the original one.

3. Fruit Salad ice cream from Wall's - LOVE THIS. Nuff said.

4. Taiwanese street snacks (Image courtesy of I Love Taimei) - I've been on a Taiwanese street snacks kick these lately, especially on the sweet potato fries and the tempura (both with plum seasoning).

5. Versense by Versace - Great for hot and humid weather because the smell is fresh and not cloying.

Homemade Wall Art for Those on a Budget

Look who tried her hands on a little arts & crafts here....me! LOL

So I was taking few days off and took the chance to decorate my bedroom which I've always felt lacking...something.

I bought a couple of cheap frames, thinking I'd frame some Vogue tear sheets I've been collecting over the years. When I got home, though...I got stuck. Then, after couldn't decide what to do for an hour I decided to just wing it; a little folding here, a little glue there...et voila:

I came up with these two! Basically I'm using a folding technique to show random parts of the page and hide the other so it'll have some voyeuristic quality to it, like you get the feeling like you're looking at something familiar and it invites you to look closer and find out.

It can look abstract from afar but upon closer inspection you'd realize it's not so it can be a good conversation piece. You can tell your guests about the actual image and the story behind it.

I don't think this art idea is new but I didn't try to emulate any specific art when I was making these. Funny thing, though, my roommate pointed out there was a similar art in one of Criminal Minds episodes we watched together.

I'm pretty proud of myself, this is a clever way of using those tear sheets that would otherwise be stashed away somewhere in my drawer. It's also worth mentioning that when she first came home, my roommate thought I bought these *smug face* =D

Chanel Le Vernis Mimosa : How to Salvage a Wrong Shade of Polish

I bought Chanel Le Vernis in Mimosa back in summer 2011. It is a very pretty yellow, bright and opaque enough to show up on your nails but classy enough not to emulate a teeny bopper. It has very fine shimmery particles but you can't really see them unless you hold the bottle / your nails next to your eyes.

Sadly, the shade is all wrong for me. It got me a bad case of lobster hands and it always looks very painted on. I can't tell you how many times I painted it on only to remove it seconds later. For as long as I've owned the polish, I have yet to wear it in all its glory. It is THAT bad on me. Suffice it to say, Chanel Mimosa is unflattering for my skin tone.

However, there's no reason to waste a perfectly good polish so I came up with a couple of ideas on how to rework Mimosa into something wearable on me.

1. Bubbly Mimosa

These bubbly-inspired nails also serve as my first attempt at gradation nails. You know, the one where you use sponge to create (somewhat) seamless gradation of 2 different colors.
 I use China Glaze in Harvest Moon for this effect. Harvest Moon is a gorgeous shimmery copper and part of their Capitol Colors collection (a tie-in with the Hunger Games movie).

 

I still haven't mastered it yet but i think the uneven border makes for a nice bubbly-like effect.

 This will definitely catch people's eyes, perhaps more appropriate for parties and celebrations.

2. Sprinkles nails: Easter Egg Edition
I came up with the second idea after rummaging through my polishes collection and found several colors that looked so great together. I don't know if there's already a name for this effect but I call it 'Sprinkles Nails' because it consists of dots from several different colors - it's basically a 2D version of Ciate's Caviar nails and InStyle magazine actually ran an article of similar idea a few months back.

I use 5 different polishes for this effect: 1 for the base color, and the rest for the dots.

From left to right:
1. OPI Skulls & Glossbones as base color
2.China Glaze - Sea Spray
3. Jessica - Cloud Mine
4. Chanel - Mimosa
5. China Glaze - For Audrey

For the record, China Glaze - Sea Spray was the color that started it all for me. Before it came out, I was never such a polish fiend as I am right now. Then it came out and it started snowballing from there =D

Steps 1 - 5

So what you do is, paint your nails with the base color then work your way through each color by dotting it randomly all over your nail, one color at a time. This works best with polishes that have rounded type of brush.

The end result looks somewhat like the colors and pattern you'd use to decorate an Easter egg, hence the name of the design. Definitely eye-catching and not for the boardroom!

The good thing about Sprinkles Nails is that you can experiment with any colors, you can go with themes such as Christmas, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, etc. or you can just go crazy and mix in any colors, the possibility is endless and each will yield unique result, every time.

Holiday is around the corner so Season's Greetings everyone! ^_^

A Shot at Photography

Given my occupation, it's only natural I am attracted to anything arty-fartsy. That, and coupled with appreciation towards what other architects have done to make life a better place, I've pulled up a few of super duper amateurish shots from my collection to share with you here. Why? Because sometimes you just like to look at pretty things =D

I'm keeping the locations/names of the objects so it'll feel more curious, feel free to guess, though...;-p

I Heart Taupe: Chanel Safari's Dupe

I love taupe eye shadows, it's versatile and neutral enough for work and casual wear yet still has the twist to keep it interesting. I have two eye shadows that I use in heavy rotation for daily look and one of them is Safari by Chanel. It's a beautiful taupe color with slight shimmer, enough to add depth to the eye lid yet still subtle.

Recently I bought an eye shadow from Bobbi Brown called Heather Mauve (what a pretty name btw!) and when I compared it to Safari they were THIS close to being identical twins. I'd say they're like 98% similar. Take a look at the photos below:

If BB Heather Mauve looks a bit darker than Chanel Safari, it's because I was a bit heavy-handed when swatching it. It is really almost the perfect dupe, honestly you wouldn't be able to tell in real life. Here's the macro shot:

Here's how they look in the pan:

It looks more different in the pan than when swatched. I just don't understand the name 'Heather Mauve' when I really don't see the mauve in the color. Now, I can no longer find the Heather Mauve color on Bobbi Brown's website but they do have a shade called 'Heather', not sure if it's the same one only with different name.

Here are some looks I did with both eye shadows, I use the following for each look:

Look #1 (Bobbi Brown Heather Mauve)
- Base: Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original)
- Base color: Dior 1-couleur eye shadow in 516 Nude Luminescence
- Lid + Crease: Bobbi Brown Heather Mauve
- Outer corner: Chanel 75 Magic Night
- Eye liner: Burberry Eye Definer in Midnight Plum No. 05

Look #2 (Chanel Safari)
- Base: Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original)
- Base color: Dior 1-couleur eye shadow in 516 Nude Luminescence
- Lid + Crease: Chanel 45 Safari
- Outer corner: Chanel 75 Magic Night
- Eye liner: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Electric

All looks feature Diorshow New Look mascara in 090 Black.

Bobbi Brown's eye shadows cost SGD34 while I don't have the latest Chanel's price at hand but I'm sure it's somewhere around SGD44.

Until next time!

Blissful Things #1

My days can get real crazy sometimes, and these lovelies have helped me to get through them these lately.

Clockwise from top left corner:

1. Josie Maran Argan Lip Treatment - smells like green apple and melts to the touch. It looks pretty on my dressing table, too.

2. Philosophy Melon Daiquiri shower gel - smells like watermelon and very moisturizing.

3. Benefit Coralista - Perfect peach-pink shade for me, it's like I glow from within (Jealous much? =D
)
4. Dior Abricot Balm - Rub this onto my cuticles every night. Overpriced, smells weird, and extremely sticky. But it's Dior, so sue me.

5. Lay's Sour Cream & Onion potato chips - a bagful of this rights every wrongs.

What's your blissful things?

End the Week on a Sweet Note!

What a tough week I've had! Just a reminder that there will always be things to smile about ^_^