Shoes Shopping

Here is Alex hunting for a pair of good quality men shoes at Berluti outlet, Harbour City.

I think the high cost crafted leather wall was what initially attracted us into this boutique.

This year in April, I bought a second pair of high heels from Ralph Lauren. Alex spotted it from afar and thought it looked perfect on me (he has good eyes on shoes as always). The exquisite workmanship involved is very impressive. Every bit of it is meticulously hand-stitched. And because it is such special, they are only worn on very special occasions.

The first pair of Ralph Lauren high heels was bought in 2009 and is made of patent leather.

The bold combination of black and fiery crimson colours, with its dangerously pointy heels and a thick platform are what give its appearance the confident, slightly cheeky and a touch of elegance.

Mocca remains as my favourite brand after all because they are so well-made, durable and comfortable to wear on a casual basis. I have four pairs of Mocca, each with different designs, this is one of my favourite two. It is a great match to jeans and a Polo shirt.

This is a random pair of semi-high heels from Island Beverly, Causeway Bay.

It is cheap and cute but my feet sores after a while. They do look adorable though... I must admit!

Until the next update, thank you for reading ^_____^

H.A.P.P.Y  N.E.W  Y.E.A.R !!!

Celebrating Christmas: Christmas Day

Finally, Christmas day...

This morning I woke up feeling warm next to Alex.

We hardly find time to sleep in together so today feels a little special to us.

This morning Alex made us bacon and eggs for breakfast.
Then we went for an hour drive around the town before heading to the parents house for xmas lunch.
I regret for being in such a hurry and carelessly left the camera at home. Gee whiz!  Dad's cooking was so seriously good! For xmas lunch as usual, we had the large whole turkey, steamed snapper, butterfly prawns, roasted pumpkins and potatoes, broiled vegetables, fresh salads and the Xmas must-have, Mr Kipling mince fruit pies for dessert.

After lunch we headed back home to open our presents...! 

Mum and dad gave us two presents. One was chocolates, the other was KING-SIZED cashews.

This year xmas presents were mostly food and chocolates (they must know we love eating very much) which came at the wrong time because I was just planning to shed some pounds before the new year!

My boss Paul gave me a DKNY red delicious which I really, really like (the box under the chocolate).

I can add this to my collection now! ^_^

After ripping off half a dozen of chocolate gifts, finally here came our presents.

This xmas I got Alex two presents which I thought he would like: Giorgio Armani Skin Minerals for Men and Panasonic Nanocare Facial Steamer, but unfortunately with the latter powering at 100V, this Japanese appliance is not going to be compatible with our local voltage!!! (well... something new that I have learnt this time). So in the end, we decided to send it back to the vendor. 

Honestly, I was quite disappointed.

I was hoping that it would make a nice Xmas present for him. 

Well, it was obviously not. T__________T

I should be more careful buying things online next time. 

As you may already know, Alex gave me pearls jewellery in November as my xmas present (CLICK HERE). Just before the xmas, he got me a bigger surprise! 

Cuisinart ice-cream maker that I have been dreaming for! 

That would be really great for this scorching summer! Can't wait to try it...!

Also, our mini hamper for this year...!

Christmas is nearly coming to an end (it is about 11:40pm now).

I think I will miss Christmas very much...

Before the night calls off... once again,

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

See you again in the next post.

Everyday Face Mask

I found this brand at a random shopping in Hong Kong.

At Watson store, it seems to sell like a hot cake so I bought a whole heap of them without hesitation.

I have to say the quality is actually quite good for its value (HKD9.90 per piece)

If you are looking for an affordable everyday or every second day or every once a week face mask, I will strongly recommend this.

It comes in many different varieties targeting at different skin types and conditions.

Personally, Ocean Ice Spring hydrating mask is my favourite (the navy blue on far left in Pic2).

With my crackly dry skin I find my skin so supple every time after using it.

Sometimes I find the mask is way too big for the size of my face. 

The sides of the mask sometimes cover up to my ears and jaw and there is also issue with dripping and messy essence overflow at the edge.

Otherwise, this would make a cheap and effective mask for day-to-day use!

Celebrating Christmas: Christmas Presents

❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅
MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS

Can't believe this year has gone by so quickly!

I definitely feels a bit older now!

But you know......

Being old doesn't stop me from being happy.

I love Christmas very much...

At this time of the year, with the pitter patter of December rain outside, there is nothing to beat snuggling up in the cosy bed, feeling warm and secure on Christmas morning, then waking up to many presents ready to be opened, then follows the sumptuous family feast in the afternoon......

Like many others, I love to be surrounded by people I love on Christmas day.

^______________^

This time around, I feel remarkably peaceful and content with what I have gained and achieved so far.

I don't want to be greedy. I just want my family and friends to be safe, healthy and happy always!

❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅

Now, check this out...

THE SNOWMAN MIA!!!

This is a cheeky Christmas ornament from one of my staff at work.
Isn't that cute??? Unfortunately I can't hang it on my Christmas tree and I will tell you why later.

This year we received quite a few presents here.

We actually did not receive these presents until the very end of this week.

I guess it doesn't matter how old I am, I will always enjoy ripping off the Christmas wrapping paper each year and you know this is always the best part of Christmas.

Here comes the individual present with all sorts of nice wrapping papers.

And today I received two more presents from my boss Paul and my best friend Adrian.

I would really love to have these presents keeping under a proper Christmas tree because our dracaena, Bingo is getting really old. He has been with us for more than two years now and remains as our impostor Christmas tree every year. His brother, Jeeve died last year.

Many thanks to you all for bringing joys to our Christmas this year.

I can't wait to open the presents...!

I wonder how will Alex react when he sees my presents?

Tomorrow's family lunch will be another great moment I am seriously looking forward to.

Until the next update, I wish you all...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Eggplant Teriyaki

I know we all love to eat but also trying not to get too chubby.
So here we go. Dinner tonight with eggplant teriyaki.

The method of preparing this dish is completely oil-free.

It is slightly crunchy on the outside and soft (but not soggy) on the inside.

The trick is to pat dry well before pan-grilling it.

Health benefits of eggplant are enormous:

- rich in fibre and low in soluble carbohydrates - great news for the diabetics

- potential cholesterol reduction

- antioxidant

Due to its high content of uric acid, excessive consumption is not recommended for gouts patient.

Simple recipe to share:

First of all, allow thick slices of eggplant (approx. 1.5cm) to dry on paper towel. 

If needed, sprinkle sea salt to draw out excessive moisture.

Grill them on a non-stick frying pan (without oil) until both sides are lightly charred. 

Sprinkle pepper as you go.

Finally, drizzle teriyaki sauce on eggplant and let it sizzle until char brown colour before turning your stove off and ready to serve!

Eggplant teriyaki is nice on its own or with mayonnaise.

Thank you for reading.

Oyasumi nasai... ^^

Sharing a plate of sushi

This well spoken lady whom I met at my workplace a month ago seems quite approachable and friendly to me. Today she brought in some homemade sushi for me to share with Alex. I think it is very nice of her to think about me (and my better half) when it comes to sharing nice food. I seriously appreciate that.

Thinking about it, I wouldn't have met this lady if not because of the rush decision I made one night to stay back to help with the Christmas fragrance sale. Life is full of surprises. 

Pardon me for such poor quality of the pictures.

Go Naked!

Finally it has arrived......

The long-awaited Naked palette.

A comforting Christmas gift for me from myself.

It comes with a primer for longer-lasting makeup. 

This flattering palette comes with 12 nude colours and designs to achieve an understated urban look. The seductive suede outer case attracts me right away. The size is long and lean, smaller than I thought. I think it will fit well in my handbag when I go on travelling.

Colour range: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked (the lighter first half)

Colour range: Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal (the darker second half)

Naked palette receives many excellent reviews and since the huge success, Urban decay launches Naked2palette to continue meeting the demand. The one I am having here is the original success.

Naked palette has got me all hyped up the whole morning and I will soon update about its pros and cons. Wish me luck ^_^ 

P/S I got mine from a UK website, Beauty Bay. The price is fairly reasonable.

This is what I like about Hong Kong!

This is why we should live in Hong Kong.

Check out the insane volume and varieties!

During our three weeks holiday in Hong Kong, we tried to mimic the fast-paced living of Hongkongers as closely as possible. On our first day of arrival, we were again (third year now) thrilled to see all these different brands of chilled, packaged beverages at supermarket, imported from all around the world. The market for drinks must be huge for the Hongkongers. We aimed to at least try half of them. 

As I shuffled down the aisle in one busy afternoon, I overheard a conversation between two teenage girls. One was asking the other, which is a better drink. The other unhesitatingly pointed at a purple bottle which looked to me like grape juice. Immediately I gathered that these people living in Hong Kong (and doesn't matter how old you are) know the quality and know what's best for them. I thoroughly respect their spirit of livings.

Many of these drinks are imported from Japan and ranging from fizzy apple cider vinegar to completely sugar-free vegetables juice. Like the one below, it is a refreshing carbonated apple juice. Banana mousse in the fourth picture below is something new and different.

This is what I like about Hong Kong!

Live like there will be no remorse for tomorrow.

Home Grown Tomatoes

I have grown quite a few different varieties of tomatoes since three years ago and none of them lasted long at all. With this new species (botanical name: lycopersicum esculentum) that I am growing at the moment, the produce seems quite promising and healthy! 

Thus far, I have yielded eight big tomatoes. I am quite happy with it ^_^

Harvests... !!!

More harvests...!!!

Check out the water droplets...!

The Sleeping Rabbit Hair Clip

The other day I walked past the hair aisle and spotted this extremely cute hair clip.

It has the shape of a peaceful sleeping rabbit and the white colour really stands out against my brown hair.

Oh dear... this is so cute~~~

A peaceful rabbit resting on an encyclopaedia.

Yes...! I am convinced... I am only 15...! 

*cheeky*