102 Interesting Articles... Happy Friday!

Source: A For Arcade

I've got a few ideas for blog posts in the works (not to mention that education post I've been putting off), but in the meantime, have some web links/ articles that caught my attention:
  1. A For Arcade's Oct 2013 lookbook (pictured above)
  2. On (Not) Eating Out Alone: "Except, one Saturday afternoon, I realized that while I’d been spending time alone, I hadn’t been spending it with myself... I’d come to a point where music and story and escape were the norm."
  3. 6 Popular Movies That Have Terrible Moral Messages: including my childhood favourite, The Little Mermaid. Oh well. Still love it.
For music, here's a song about a mode of transport sung by a mode of transport (I kid):

101 Ways to Charm Witches...*

*Fine print: this post is actually one on blazers written by an overgrown first-year.

While researching the post, I found this lovely blazer from ASOS. The well-placed florals, crisp cream background and slightly cropped fit are perfect, if only it were sold in Singapore. I know for one the pink Aztec blazer you see above is being sold at Roseateposy, and similar Zara-inspired floral items on several other preorder sites, including Strayedheart.
/Edit: the blue Zara blazer is being sold at antic1ockwise on Instagram, and should be available on other preorder sites as well.

100 Earn Your Stripes!

Picture credits: Gary Pepper, Tuula, Views of Now, Tumblr
I was instantly inspired by this image of blogger Nicole Warne from Gary Pepper (foreground, in colour) to create a set around Breton tops. I just gave away one when I last cleared my wardrobe during the holidays, because it just didn't fit me well and there's no point holding on to clothes if they don't make you feel good about yourself. I'm still looking for the perfect Breton top- preferably elbow-length sleeves, thin cotton, with evenly spaced navy blue stripes.

99 Petals to the Metal

Fall Florals

Fall Florals by adaydreamer featuring colorblock sandals

Quilted x Florals

Quilted x Florals by adaydreamer featuring a j.crew necklace

Asian Fusion

Asian Fusion by adaydreamer featuring a blue kimono

My prelims are over!!

Also arrived: LB Adel Dress (too large, will be reviewing with pictures after I've brought it to the tailor's), Dressabelle Lace Panels Pockets Dress (which my mum secretly bought for me as an encouragement gift-!!) :D

98 Cruising: Statement Necklaces

Cruise (vb): to explore or search the offerings of


I quite liked how this spread turned out, don't you? I was inspired by this outfit of Eva Mendes' I saw last night: I've been cruising statement necklaces such as these two beauties since they first came onto the market, but never bought them as I never knew how to wear them. It's a wonder how Mendes manages to pull one off without looking too over-the-top: I'm guessing it's a combination of how the colours in the necklace pick up the colours in her outfit perfectly, and how the necklace itself isn't overly loaded with bling or neon.

My prelims are almost over-- I have one paper left! This past week has been absolutely hellish, but I'm proud of how hard I studied, so that no matter how hard the papers went, I know I did my best. Friday was marred, however, by the combination of Econs and Lit- I was so tired from studying the previous night that I blanked out quite terribly during the Econs paper. I'm still shuddering from the memory. Nevertheless, I hope it all works out in the end!

PS. I've edited the tabs at the side to make this site more navigable, and also added a 'search this blog' tool below the posts (scroll all the way down). Hope you like it!

97 A New Pet Hobby?

Two papers down, six more to go... and I've been browsing Thought Catalog, haha! Here're some links to get you started on what I think might be my new pet hobby: tracking my thoughts in a notebook:

  1. How and Why to Keep a Commonplace Book
  2. How to Digest Books Above Your Level
  3. On the keeping of commonplace books during war
  4. On the 'manly tradition' of the commonplace book- just as applicable to women
And a nice quote:
In our pursuit of knowledge, we often desire a traceable path in our growth.
-The Commonplace Book as the Predecessor to Pinterest 
Last but not least, two amusing image-list-things:

  1. Harry Potter Gifs
  2. Very British Problems (That Also Apply to Socially Awkward Singaporeans) 

96 5 Books You Should Pick Up

Original image courtesy of The Blonde Salad
I'm obviously in a mood for listing: here're 5 books you ought to pick up some time if your taste in books is anything like mine. I tried to pick 5 that were a little different.
  1. A Ring of Endless Light (Madeleine L' Engle): Realistic, non-sappy teenage romance + philosophical/ religious ruminations + wholesome family = a book that I have reread over and over since I was thirteen, and one that I find new meanings in every time. 
  2. The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern): A relatively new find. Whirlwind romance (that is expected but still gets you rooting for it) + an extremely in-depth fantasy world that appealed to me because it suddenly occurred to me, This is the book I would've written when I was twelve if I had the vocabulary and skill. It seems as familiar as a world I've visited in childhood dreams. Plus, I love that the ending isn't exactly straightforward. 
  3. Kate's Style (Caroline Jones): A list of must-read books must include a picture book, right? But I wouldn't be doing this justice. If you adore Kate Middleton's style, pick this up. It's got pictures from her college days right up to the news of her maternity (that means no pregnancy pictures but Jubilee Tour pictures!) and extremely detailed analysis of her style: which means, given that Kate is self-styled, a detailed analysis of her choices, which leaves you with great appreciation for Kate's respect for her role. Not as biographical as Audrey Style (featured in this post) but just as finger-licking good.
  4. This Lullaby (Sarah Dessen): An oldie goldie, if you will. I read this when I was thirteen. Understandably, five years later, it's very simple to read (I finished it in a few hours) but it's my favourite Dessen novel-- I am not very sure why either, just that the characters of Remy and Dexter resonate with me, as well as their choices. Dessen's books get very similar after a while, so if you're just going to pick one up, pick this one. 
  5. Between Shades of Gray (Ruta Sepetys): Now, the serious one. I love historical novels, but I love historical romance novels even more. Not to pigeon-hole this as a love story, because it's not; it's a fictional tale of a young artist sent into exile with her family. Their quest to survive --and retain their morals and sense of identity along the way-- is positively gripping, added to which this is a historical period seldom written about in fictional novels (that's what the blurb told me, heh) so I feel it's almost important that you read this.
In other news, I liked about a billion more Pinterest boards this afternoon, even though I seldom go on Pinterest anymore. Here're some pictures to get you similarly inspired:
Jessica Alba
Classy and Fabulous
Lily Collins

95 Friday the 13th: Celebratory Playlist!


So as you might have surmised, today is Friday the 13th! I'm not too sure why I'm so excited about this, but it is a pretty rare occurrence, and hence, in a bout of sleep-deprived hyperactivity, I decided to make a celebratory playlist, culled from a motherboard of songs I compiled on Youtube to 'wake me up while I'm studying'. Below is a list of the very best, my very favourites, the ones almost guaranteed to perk me up when I'm lost amid asymptotes and differentials:

1. Video Killed the Radio Star- The Buggles
2. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)- The Proclaimers
3. You Make My Dreams- Hall & Oates
4. Lovefool- The Cardigans
5. Uptown Girl- Billy Joel (or the Westlife cover, if you'd prefer) (spot Christie Brinkley!)

6. Just for kicks-- Friday- Rebecca Black


Okay, so the banner lied. I do have some recent hits that wake me up (Train, Gwen Stefani and Estelle among them) but decided these oldie goldies were the best, after all!

I have a next post planned on books you should Read This Weekend (cheers to random capitalization), but if you'd like some more eye candy, below are 2 floral lovelies I recently ordered from preorder. I cleared a massive load from my closet two days ago (finally brought it all to Salvation Army)... More space for new arrivals, yes? ;)
Reviews when they arrive! :)
On another note, I'm looking to sell my TVD Talia romper (more details here) for $25 with immediate payment. It's too big for me, and I'm hoping to get TBI's version this weekend with their discount code, since their measurements fit me better. If you're interested, please email me using the email address on the right! :)
Selling: TVD Talia Eyelet Cut-out Romper

94 Sunshine, Daisies, Butter, Mellow

I told myself I'd cut down spending this month due to the extra money spent on prom, but obviously I lied.
People binge eat when they're stressed; I binge shop :((

Below are close-ups of Love and Bravery's Edeline Cut-out Flare Dress and My Glamour Place's Livia Dress (review can be found here).

I actually do quite like this edit and the one below, if I say so myself.

One last picture: couldn't resist snapping a shot of my favourite part of the print, these little blue birds!

In case you think this blog is getting too frivolous to stand, I have a post on education saved in my draft. I'm working on a response to some posts I've seen on the Internet about the proposed changes to the education system, an exercise which I'm sure my brain will be thankful for. (Today's KI essay paper reminded me of how long it's been since I actually worked my writing brains!!)

Also, check out HVV's latest preview. Not for the clothes, but for the design: they switched their preview graphics from their usual style, and now it's kind of reminiscent of LB's old style, but I like it :D

93 Bah, Humbug

Just a cute little triptych of pictures from my mugging session yesterday. After four days working on my IS (independent study), I only had one day left to chiong for my paper today-- what a stressful period!!

Experimenting with a new (admittedly Instagram-inspired) editing style. The pile of notes in the first picture are all my notes from these 1.5 years of KI, and I'm happy to say I've read most of them (hurhur).