Monday, August 31, 2009





What's The September Birthstone ?


- Sapphire Gemstone -


September Birthstone poem - the Sapphire

"A maiden born when autumn leaves
Are rustling in September's breeze,
A Sapphire on her brow should bind;

To bring her joy and peace of mind."




September Birthstone - Properties of the Sapphire

For those who were born in the month of September the Sapphire is the traditional birthstone. The September birthstone poem reflects some of the properties with which the Sapphire is associated - truth, sincerity and constancy. The Traditional Metaphysical Properties for the September Birthstone Sapphire are clairvoyance, insight and interpretation. The healing properties of the September birthstone are reputed to be effective for health problems relating to lowering fevers and inflammation, hearing problems, cancer and burns. The Sapphire is also used to enhance the influences of Venus and and banish evil thoughts.




More About Sapphire :


Because of its divine blue, Sapphire is called the gemstone of the heavens.

According to an ancient belief of the biblical times, earth was embedded in an enormous solitaire Sapphire. Although these ravishing gems come in all almost all colors like transparent white, pink, yellow, peach, orange, brown, violet, purple, green and many shades in between, the most popular color of sapphire is deep blue. It can be found in all celestial hues of blue ranging from the seductive midnight blue to the enigmatic ocean blue. The word "sapphire" has its descent from several ancient languages: the Persian word "safir" (meaning "beloved of Saturn"), the Latin "sapphirus" (meaning "blue"), and the Greek word "sappheiros" for the island of Sappherine in the Arabian Sea where sapphires were found in ancient Grecian times.

In ancient times, Sapphires were believed to possess mystical powers - Priests used these gems to help them decipher Oracles, kings wore sapphire to protect them from wicked thoughts and charm divine favor, the Greeks sanctified this gemstone and because of its divine blue color associated sapphire to their Sky God - Zeus, and more. The gem was regarded as a symbol of truth, candor and endurance. It was believed that if a disloyal lover or spouse wore a sapphire ring, the brilliance of Sapphire would dim. It is the second hardest mineral found on earth, next only to diamond, which is the hardest mineral known to mankind. It is because of this hardness that sapphires are associated with longevity and endurance. Sapphire is the birthstone for those born in September and astrological stone for Libra zodiac sign.

Sapphire is anniversary gift for the 5th and the 45th wedding anniversary.


Flowers from Belgium ...



Blue Flowers I found outside the Le Meridien Hotel in Khao Lak, Thailand

Tuesday, August 25, 2009




My Poor Guess Bag ...


Today I went to The Town Restaurant located in The Fullertone Hotel to attend a Buffet lunch with lady friends to celebrate Elsa Slorach's Birthday. I took my New Guess Off-White Color Leather Bag from Guess Enchanted Collection and wore a Navy Blue Sleeveless Top over a White Lace Tube blouse , White Pants with matching white belt and a pair of TEXTO high heeled shoes I bought in Belgium 2 years ago. It's the 1st time I have a light colored bag and just bought it this month of August . I normally use black , brown or mixed colored bags ( Snake Skin Style ) when I go out. So today , for a change, that Guess bag is somehow way out of my ordinary style. I'm so happy with it coz It was really very elegant though !

After my sumptous lunch with a mouth watering Dessert = Creme Brulee / Chocolate Mousse / Blueberry Cheesecake , Chocolate Praline Cake with Freshly brewed Coffee on the side , I went straight back home in a hurry to pick up My daughter from her school ( but I was few minutes late and she had already walked home ) . Once at home, I noticed something strange on my bag. I thought my sight was just affected by heat from the outside and I'm just seeing colors ... but, I saw a kind of blue stains on the backside of the bag. I looked at it closely in the bright sunlight for a much more close up view and realized , it really got blue stains as well as even my pants and belt too .


Oh no ... into my dismay, I had realized my blouse had rubbed its color & had transfered its navy blue color even on my belt and pants. Quickly, I grabbed a piece of paper towel and dabbed it with alcohol then rubbed it slightly on the belt first but it didn't do anything on the stains. Even on the bag there's no reaction on the stains at all. I was in real panic ! So I took some baby wipes and tried to rub the stains off ... still the stains remained . Then I washed the belt 1st in cold water and rubbed some mild soap on it but still nothing was solved. OMG ! I went to the internet and searched for possible solutions to remove the stains. Searching ... searching ... How to remove stains from White Leather bag / White Fabrics blah -blah-blah etc. .... ok , good I found one solution. It says use an eraser. So I did rubbed the bag with the Staedler eraser and the bag's stains where removed just a little bit and not much . Big Sighhhh ! It was for me one hopeless scenario and I decided to ask my helper for Acetone coz she does nail polishing all the time on her day-off. I tested the Acetone on the belt first . After some rubbing and more pressure, the stains on the belt came off ! Finally ... something had worked !

Oh... heaven ... what a relief ! So i tried it on the bag ...


Well it was a bad move ... it was a sure DISASTER !


The beige color of the material came off but not the blue stains ! So the problem with the bag became even more visible ... Still I didn't give up . I checked google search for more solutions and found another one ... try the hair spray and rubbed it off with a soft material . I did followed the instructions and got my daughter's hairspray. Result ? It was even a much bigger catastrophe !!!! The stains where still there and the surrounding part of it became even whiter. That's it ... I had given up ... I had lost all my hopes ...

The bag is already ruined and there's nothing much I can do to solve the stain problem. So I'll just leave it as it is now... Poor Thing !


Trying to think all that had happened, I'm somehow still Lucky that the damage was on the back and so , I can still hide it . But lesson I learned today was : Don't use white or off -white colored bags , leather white belts & pants with a dark colored top whose fabric has the tendency to transfer colors . Even if the Dark color is dry don't take the risk or be sorry ! Oh well, Can you imagine how much more damage if the dark color was wet ?

So, Next time. I'll just wear everything in the same color or in both light color materials . Or just forget using White or Light color bags and pants !

But anyway, the day started with fun so ...


Happy Birthday again Elsa ...

Thanks so much for the awesome Lunch !!!


And hoping You liked My Gift for you ...

Friday, August 21, 2009

" SNAKES " In My Closet ...




YAAAyyyyy ... WHAT a Snake !




Whoooo ...Is this for real ? Snakes were all over my closets . I know Singapore is a famous haven for venomous snakes : Black Spitting Cobras , Pythons Stucked in the drains ( no wander neighbor's cats had been missing mysteriously and those slithing skinny bright green forest snakes you see coiling by the wire fences . But in my very own closets at home , I just realized I 've got lots of kinds ! Brown ones, Green ones, White ones and even those super bright red mixed with black . Oh dear !

BTW, lucky these snakes I had been having in my closets don't spit, they don't bite nor even move a bit to strangle you to death . Why ? Let me explain to you slowly my dear friends & bloggers, they're the non breathing ones in forms of Bags, Belts, Shoes and even clothes ! Haha , I got you there didn't I ? In fact , these stuffs were not by products of real snakes either. C'mon , I support non cruelty to these poor animals ... so no real snake skin for me please ! For me, those made with with PVC material is highly acceptable as long as the snake design almost resemble the real creatures . It's a way of helping keep our forest creatures alive and letting them enjoy the nature as much as we do. Also, it's much cheaper to have fake ones than the real ones too ! Who can tell the difference anyway... Mind you , I'm a Budget conscious Diva too you know !

I love the design, texture and look of the Snake's Skin so I prefer the snake look style for my bags , shoes and even clothes. In fact, I just realized I've got loads of them. I'm a Capricorn Wood Snakes . Maybe that can explain why I'm so fond of snake style products . I love my own kind !

The Snake () (also known as the Serpent) is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. I had read in the internet that People born in the Year of the Snake are deep , say little and possess great wisdom. They never have to worry about money; they are financially fortunate. I hope that's true ... Snake people tend to overdo, since they have doubts about other people's judgment and prefer to rely on themselves. They are determined in whatever they do and hate to fail ( In my case it's super true indeed ! ). Although calm on the surface, they are intense and passionate. Snake people are usually good-looking and sometimes have marital problems because they are fickle ( am I ? OMG ! Now I'm starting know more about myself ...giggles !). They are most compatible with the Ox and Rooster. Oh no, my hubby is a sheep ... am I in big trouble here then being married to a different one ? Tsk, Tsk , tsk ...


Anyway, since I had unearthed all my "Snake's Skin Stuffs " out of the closet today, I took the courage to take photos of them to share with you . Then you can see how much I had accumulated since I came to Singapore ( I'd been living here now for 10 years ! ) and tell me If I had too much ... Ok let's start the counting :



# SHOES No 1 = I was by Takashimaya in Orchard Road yesterday ( Thurs. ) Aug 20, 2009 to upgrade my 4 yrs old Samsung Phone at Hello Singtel . Instead of getting a new phone ( can't help it if Singtel won't let me upgrade the phone by myself since the phone / line was registered under my hubby's name ... I was so hopeless and dissapointed after leaving the place with my still old phone in hand ... but never mind ! ) walking around with a heavy heart, I found this Super Duper Diva Red Shoes with Snake Skin style accent in Charles & Keith . It suddenly brightens up my day ! I didn't have any intention of buying anything like what girls always say when they start walking around somewhere in a shopping area . But I just couldn't resist the look of this Red Shoes. So by impulse, I decided to try it and voila ! It fits ! No choice but to buy & take it back home . How can I say no to myself this time hah ! At home, I was happy to be able to match it with my 3 yrs old Snake Skin Style PVC Bag sitting in my cabinet . I bought this very spacious bag in one of the small shops in Bukit Timah Plaza ( Singapore ) . They matched perfectly ... yuppiee !


# SHOES No 2 = I took my kids to the city after school on the same day I bought #Shoes No 1= Red Diva Shoes . My daughter needs a pair of Converse All Stars in black color for school while my son needs a pair of Nike Soccer shoes. My daughter and I both ended up buying this snake skin sandals from BATA Shoes located in Peninsula Plaza. It was nice to wear casually during daytime. I got the brown color and Tacha ( my daughter got the white 1ith Black ) we can now always interchange / borrow from each other coz we have the same size 36 . Hoping she doesn't touch my heels ... she's only 11 1/2 years old .

#SHOES No 3 = This set of NINE WEST Bag & Wedges had a very striking Moss Green Color which attracted me in the 1st place when I was in Isetan Scotts one day . I like the Gladiator Style of the Wedges but if you wear it all night long on the dancefloor and you're not used to wearing high heels , better bring an extra flip flops or flat shoes in your bag. I'll bet that you would be walking back home barefoot when the party is over. So goodluck with your feet ... don't forget to bring some band aids too and remember that I had warned you he-he !

# SHOES No 4 = This is another set of NINE WEST Bag & Shoes. But I didn't buy them together or at the same time & place. The shoes were bought in the Philippines in November 2008 while I found the matching bag by luck here in ISETAN SCOTTS in Singapore sometime this year.


# SHOES No 5 = Ok the Leather Bag in this photo was bought from Selina a Singaporean Seller from Yahoo Auction Singapore in 2003. I had Never used it yet after all these years and I just took it out of its' plastic wrapping for picture taking today. The Shoes ( New & not worn yet ) was just bought this Aug 2009 at Charles & Keith here in Singapore.


# SHOES No 6 = I love the way the shoes & the bag matched here in terms of color and material . They were Perfect together ! I got this PERLLINI Bag from CK TANGS ( Orchard ) 3 yrs ago ( Not used yet ! ) while the shoes which I bought last year in Charles & Keith by the Anchorpoint ( Alexandra Rd. opposite IKEA ) had already gone to dinner and a bit of dancing one night here in Singapore. Yessss !


#SHOES No 7 = Black Genuine Leather Evening Shoes from ITTI & OTTO bought in CK TANGS about 4 years ago ( 70% off the price ! ) . Got damaged 1st time I'm going out for dinner. The sewn part holding the strap snapped open and need some expert sewing . Eager to wear it that moment, I solved the problem by tying a Maroon lace ( recycled from a a gift wrapped box ) to support the straps. It was such a relief coz it looked great & sexy with the ribbon lace at the back of the ankle plus it matched the color of my dress . Good thinking !

# SHOES No 8 = This super comfy pair of leather based Valentino Shoes was bought in Isetann Scotts less that a year ago and it was the last pair left at that time . So lucky it was my size ! It was just waiting for me and meant to be mine I guess ! I had walked along Orchard Road , Clarke Quay and gone to parties with it . It was soft and had nice support. Thumbs up on this one !



# SHOES No 9 = This nice Velvety soft Tang's Studio Shoes were bought in CK TANGS in Scotts Road. It was on sale and was a sure bargain for its quality & style. I had worn it a few times during daytime meetings with friends for lunch or when just chilling out. The Black Beaded bag was from Yahoo Auction in 2004.



# SHOES No 10 = This Elegant Purple Leather High Heel Shoes was bought in Charles & Keith in VIVO CITY 2 years ago . While the HandBag and Wallet set from GUESS was bought in OG , Orchard Road. I love the nice unique purple color and design of the whole set that I had taken the bag with the matching wallet to my Belgium Summer Holiday last year . The women were always staring at it whenever I go to the city .

# SHOES No 11 = This pair of Ultra Sexy High Heeled shoes is Brand New ! It was one of the Latest Arrivals from Charles & Keith ( Takashimaya ) for this month of August 2009. Couldn't wait to use it & go dancing soon ... Ladies Night out girls c'mon let's go ... !

Ok, Let's see ... Don't they look nice on my feet ?

Anyway, last 2 pairs I need to show you guys are :

# SHOES No 12 = The very 1st Leather Snakes Skin Boots I ever bought ( with 50% OFF the Price ) in Singapore . I found this pair in AMERICAYA shop at The CENTER POINT in Orchard. Even though this Americaya Brown Leather Sole Boots is now 8'/2 yrs old it's still looking almost like new without any damage at all after all these years. Matched with a PVC Belt Bag bought from Metro PARAGON in Orchard Rd .






#SHOES No 13 = Ok ... now here's the best part ! How many of you still wear a pair of shoes that's over 10 years old ? No kidding .... I know some people couldn't keep their shoes just after a few months up to the max of 2 years after they had bought them. Why is that ? Shoes are either spoiled or out of the latest fashion & too old when it comes to design. Know what , I don't have that problem at all . Photos above shows the oldest pair of shoes I have in my collection of Snake Skin so far. Made in Italy but bought in Belgium in 1996 when hubby took me to Belgium for the very 1st time ( we were just dating then ! ) . He bought me this pair of shoes coz I really liked it . Wow 13 long years... time flies and it was so long ago since I first put on this shoes . This Genuine leather shoes are still in a very good condition and I still wear them from time to time. The casual design can still catch up with the latest look nowadays. Only problem I had with it was the bottom part but is now solved since the replacement of new heels 2-1/2 years ago . It's ideal for long wearing even in the daytime coz it's not too high , very comfortable and even running with it when I'm in a hurry is not a problem ! A Great souvenir from Belgium !


So, 13 pairs out of 10 years living in Singapore ...

I suppose it wasn't that much ... was it ?


Well , You tell me ... ciao !!

Friday, August 14, 2009

CRYSTAL BEADED BANGLES !!!


- CRYSTALS & PEARLS BANGLES -

#CRBR73 =CRYSTAL BANGLES (RED) SGD$25


I had been trying this design several times last year but gave up on it a lot of times too since I can't really read the instruction on the book ( published in Taiwan ) which was in either Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean or Japanese ( whichever it was I was surely doomed ! ) so I was particularly just following the directions on the drawing . Alas , following the drawing was still not good enough to be able to create the design. Oh well, after all these failed attempts the last few months, I decided to try the design again one more time this week and told myself , I'll beat it this time ... after several trials & errors, I had created the piece finally ! Oh ... I was so happy that I made a second piece immediately the same night ! Following day, I made 2 more of this bangle design in different color combinations available now for sale in my ebay store !


#CRBR73 =CRYSTAL BANGLES ( Violet )


#CRBR73 =CRYSTAL BANGLES ( Indian Sapphire )


#CRBR73 =CRYSTAL BANGLES (Pink Champagne )


The design was a bit complicated during the start of the 1st 3 rows but goes easy after a while and a lot of deep thinking to keep me from confusions when connecting the 2 ends together. I'm not so sure what to call the kind of stitching used in this design but basing on the outcome of the bangle I guess it was a Spiral Stitch .The combined beads go on a spiral style once you keep progressing with the beading. It doesn't really require any clasp at the end but it's all up to the beader to add so if preferred . I did mine without the clasp just like in the Beading book . This design takes about 1 hr 15mins to finish and can be created in a variety of color combinations.


#CRBR73 =CRYSTAL BANGLES


Materials Used :

4mm Swarovski 5301 Bicone Crystal Beads ( 72-80 pcs)
size 11 Seed Beads ( 5 gms )
4mm Glass Pearls ( 72 - 80 pcs )
Fireline ( 6 pounds test )
Beading Needle

An excellent project requiring only 3 kinds of beads in particular ! Try it !

LADIES OF HARLEY ( LOH )


What's Up Ladies of Harley ?

It's been a while since the last Family or Ladies Only Night Out event I had attended with the LOH. The Last family Day I 'd been was the weekend BBQ at East Coast where the LOH members headed by the present LOH President - Jasmin cooked up a storm by presenting and offering a delicious BBQ dinner for HOG / Harley Riders and their extended families .

YUMMY !!! No chillies for me Please !

Jasmin had even brought her totally new BBQ Picnic Tools ... You can see that She's very much prepared for the event !



Well Anyway, I'm missing the laughters and the food ladies ! But the good news is, I was able to catch up with some of the LOH members last Aug. 12 = Wednesday night ( especially seeing Nen, Sharon, Alicia , Patsy, Marie, etc. ) during the Lady Gaga Concert at Fort Canning Park. Our Harley husbands were on duty as the security for Lady Gaga that night .

Nen was back temporarily from Australia ( Welcome back girl ! ) and we're talking excitedly amidst the loud noise from the fans of Lady Gaga about this coming Saturday night for a Ladies Night out . Hurray ... Count me in ! BTW, where do we start anyway ?


Nen & I during Phuket Bike Week 2007

I need that Saturday night out to go dancing with LOH & also a good chance to wear my stilletoes again ha-ha ... by the way, Nen really could dance to the max too !


Farewell Party in INSOMNIA ( Chijmes ) for LOH member Emi who went back to Japan with her husband ...



Photoshoot of 2009 LOH Calendar where kids & Dogs were models ...

 
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